Mum who saves thousands on interior design with foraging, upcycling and DIY says ‘there’s always a creative solution’

A mum-of-two who has saved thousands on her interior design by foraging, re-purposing materials, buying second-hand items, upcycling, and using DIY hacks wants to encourage others to “think creatively (and) be tenacious” when it comes to decorating their home.

Claire Douglas, 39, from Tunbridge Wells, in Kent, has been interested in interior design and property for nearly two decades, and she has always enjoyed finding cheaper and sustainable ways to improve her living spaces.

For anyone looking to freshen up their home’s interior during a cost-of-living crisis, her tips could be crucial in helping bring projects under budget.

From using cardboard postal tubes, foliage from the garden, microcement, tester paint pots, and second-hand furniture, Claire believes she has saved more than £10,000 over the last two years.

The freelance interiors and DIY writer and content creator says her motto is “bespoke on a budget” and she wants to help others open their minds to the ways in which they can “have the home that (they) want and love” without breaking the bank.

“Don’t settle for less just because of your budget restraints – you’ve just got to think creatively, be tenacious, don’t give up, and just look around you,” Claire said.

“Think of ways of using the resources that are available, whether it be natural resources like foliage, greenery and flowers, your local woodland, or using charity shops or the Facebook Marketplace to get bargains, or even friends and family.

“People are always, especially at this time of year, having clear-outs and would be happy to hand over things because they’re decluttering.”

Claire previously worked as a project manager but she had a career change at the start of the coronavirus pandemic and has focused on interior design ever since.

She has amassed more than 24,000 followers on Instagram and loves running her blog, Claire Douglas Styling, where she posts helpful tips and tutorials on room transformations for people on a budget.

She gets her inspiration from magazines and browsing through shops, and if she sees materials or a piece of furniture that she loves, she will try to create her own version “in a more affordable way”.

With research, trial and error, and a focus on sustainability, practicality and costs, Claire has found incredibly creative ways to renovate her home, such as using cardboard postal tubes.

She managed to buy 50 tubes for £38, which she then painted and secured in various spaces around her home, and this has saved her hundreds of pounds when compared to the pricing of 3D wall coverings.

She also said that, contrary to popular belief, the tubes are “super strong and resilient”, which is perfect for parents who have young children running around the house.

Claire explained: “When I was looking in our kitchen, underneath the worktop I’ve got a big, large space and I really wanted a tubular effect.

“I thought it would have been really easy to go and buy plastic pipe from B&Q and use that because it’s really firm and it would be very easy to use.

“But I felt I didn’t want to buy a load of plastic and incorporate that because, although it would be single use, it’s just not really the way we want to go.”

Claire said she tries to incorporate sustainability into the design process wherever possible, and she even goes foraging so that she can use flowers, leaves, and sticks to decorate her home.

On one occasion, she secured some chicken wire on to the wall, and then placed greenery and twigs in the various slots to create an “abstract” design – and as an added bonus, it did not cost her a single penny.

She said: “I think if you can bring anything from nature into your home, it’s going to help you.

“For me, I find it calm being (around nature) and having natural textures in the house, and especially at the moment when everything is so grey and dark… so if you can incorporate that kind of thing into your room, then I think it does uplift you and make you feel positive.”

Some of Claire’s other top tips include changing small things such as cupboard or door handles, which you can buy cheaply online, or using tester paint pots to add colour to a room or an object.

Claire explained that she is not an artist, but she painted an ombre mountain mural in one of her rooms during lockdown, using three tester paint pots which cost £24.

She said she would have paid hundreds for a wallpaper mural to cover the same space, and the beauty of paint is that you can always “start again” and it is not permanent.

Claire also loves using microcement – an inexpensive cement-based coating which can be applied thinly to any sound surface to add texture or strength – as well as IKEA hacks.

She created a wall of built-in bookshelves using four IKEA BILLY bookcases, which cost £35 each.

The total cost for all the materials for the bookshelves was £350, but she explained that it would have cost her thousands if she had employed a carpenter.

Claire said people should not be afraid to be “experimental” with their interior design, and she wants to encourage others to “embrace the process” and open their minds to creative possibilities.

She said she is always open to receiving messages and questions, and her main message is “be bold”.

“If you see things that you like and you just can’t afford them for whatever reason, there’s always a way, there’s always a creative solution,” Claire said.

“It might not be exactly the same, but you can always interpret things, whether it be a style or a texture or a colour or something.