ALL of us aspire to have a glamorous garden, yet some feel they lack the funds to create the outdoor space of their dreams.
But don’t assume a chic look is impossible on a budget – after all, Angelika Garlej from Torquay totally transformed a bleak and unwelcoming corner of her garden just using cheap-as-chips pieces from IKEA, eBay, charity shops and even POUNDLAND.
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The sales assistant and part-time Youtuber revealed to money-saving website Latest Deals.co.uk, “I have quite a large garden but most of it is covered in lawn – I wanted to make one area where I can enjoy sunny days or eat my lunch, a place where I can sit down, read a book or invite a few friends for a BBQ.”
“This outside corner was a perfect place for it,” she decided, “[but] it really needed some cleaning and decluttering.”
In desperate need of the tools for her transformation, Angelika scoured the shops, using picture-sharing site Pinterest as her “biggest inspiration” for the new look.
“With this outside corner I was mainly focused on making it nice and cosy on a low budget – all I really wanted was to have a table, chairs and plants, so very minimalistic,” she revealed.
Consigning the “random chairs” and “flowerpots with dead flowers in them” to the bin, she replaced them with a chic outdoor table and chairs set that she found in IKEA for just £35.
After adding cushions for comfort, Angelika then turned her attention to romance.
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Using a solar-powered lighting set which she bought on eBay for just £15, she now has an automated system, creating a soft and sensual glow as soon as it gets dark – perfect for alfresco dinner dates in the evenings.
She also scoured charity shops to find great prices on second-hand decorative items such as vases, lanterns and pots – but her biggest bargains were just £1.
“This year Poundland had such a good selection of garden products,” she recalled, “[and so] all my wall baskets, the trellis and my new plants came from there – they only cost between £1 and £3 each so it was a real bargain.”
Her partner, an “experienced builder” already had the power tools at home, so Angelika turned DIYer to drill holes HERSELF, then added fairy light hooks as preparation for making the garden sparkle.
She also added a wooden trellis and wall baskets, plus planted some inexpensive flowers “to bring more colour to the space”.
The only thing she compromised on was the flooring, for which she used straw mats.
“Of course I could invest more money to buy a better quality outdoor furniture set but, considering the length of the British summer and the amount of time I’ll be using this space, I think what I have now is absolutely enough for me,” she concluded.
Her fully functional garden space goes to show that it’s possible to glamorise an outdoor location on an extra-low budget – and as Angelika, who aims to inspire, points out, “If I can do it, you can do it also!”
Tom Church, the co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, added, “It proves that sometimes all you need to transform a space is a lick of paint and some bargain decor!”
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Still looking for inspiration? Here’s how another family transformed their garden too.
Plus check out this waterproof outdoor rug by Lidl which was priced at just £6.99.
Meanwhile another savvy parent saves £25,000 on her garden transformation.