Three-bedroom house given chic sustainable makeover with budget charity shop buys
Giving your home an Insta-worthy upgrade can be a costly affair, as any interior fan will testify, but an interior design firm has set out to prove that you can create stylish rooms without the spenny price tag.
Proving pre-loved can be polished, a three bedroom ‘rent to buy’ property in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, has been given a chic makeover with an environmentally-friendly twist.
Every item inside has been carefully selected from British Heart Foundation (BHF) charity shops, by interior design company, Stanza Style.
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The design brief was to create a sustainably chic home, which proved that on-trend looks can be achieved with pre-loved furniture and on a purse-friendly budget.
As well as contributing to a super stylish overhaul, utilising upcycled pieces and second-hand furnishings means the items were prevented from going to waste.
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Items inside the property include a mid-century cabinet for £40, two large sofas for £75 each, a coffee table for £25, a wardrobe for £30, bedside tables for £5 and lighting from £3.
Alex Egan, founder of Stanza Style, also transformed some preloved pieces with simple upcycling tricks and a touch of paint to give them a fresh look. The total cost of the makeover came in at just over £4,000.
“We wanted to prove that great design doesn’t have to cost the earth and showcase how preloved items can easily be transformed into something unique," says Egan.
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“The British Heart Foundation shops provided the perfect solution for finding items to achieve the look we were after for this show home," Egan continues. "We had fun hunting out the pieces and thinking about how we could upcycle them to suit the home.
“Going forward we are pledging to put at least one preloved, upcycled item into each show home we produce.”
The project forms part of the BHF's Reuse Revolution campaign, which calls on the nation to consider shopping more sustainably as non-essential shops have now reopened.
While many have switched on to the benefits of second-hand fashion, the initiative aims to highlight that it is also possible to shop sustainably for your home.
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“We were delighted to hear about Alex’s project and see the impressive results," says Allison Swaine-Hughes, retail director at the British Heart Foundation.
"This is proof that a beautifully furnished home doesn’t have to cost the earth. You can find amazing value and unique preloved pieces in our stores and online outlets, whilst preventing these items from going to waste.
“So, this May, why not help us start a Reuse Revolution by choosing to shop second-hand and give your home décor a refresh. Not only will you save money and help the environment, you’ll also be helping the 7.6 million people across the UK living with heart and circulatory diseases.”
Last year, the BHF saved 71,000 tonnes of goods from going to waste, including 180,000 sofas. This helped prevent 135,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions being released into the atmosphere.
