What’s more amazing is the fact that this eye-opener of a room transformation was done singlehandedly by a young woman. Having recently moved to a new city by herself, the woman who goes by the handle of QBLUE on Chinese web Weibo, decided to save all the money she can by renting the cheapest room and giving it a makeover herself.
Naturally, cheapest also means least popular and this room was in an absolutely terrible state.
The previous tenants had carelessly allowed their children to scribble on the walls. “With the amount of practice this child has done on the walls, I’d be hurt if he didn’t grow up to become a renowned artist.” The girl said jokingly.
There were scribbles on all four walls of the room.
The girl was told that the room came furnished with a dressing table, but the lone dresser looked old and dated.
Interestingly, the child had also scribbled Prince’s logo in one corner of the room. Perhaps the girl was right in saying she expects this kid to grow up to be an art prodigy.
The wall with the door to the room was fitted with a built-in wardrobe, but this too was falling apart.
Even the light in the ceiling was haphazardly fixed with a makeshift bulb. Yet all these flaws did not put the girl off from seeing the potential it held. “I wasn’t sure if I could actually attempt it myself but I knew this room could look nice again with a new coat of paint and some touch-ups.” The girl explains.
Faced with a limited budget of SGD$400, she had no choice but to opt for the DIY method. The first thing she did was to sketch out the new layout of the room, along with the things she intended to do to spruce it up.
Next, she spent the next three days and three nights scrapping off the old paint from the walls before applying a new coat of paint.
“It’s amazing that the room looked instantly brighter and happier just by cleaning up the walls.” She exclaims. One challenge she did encounter was deciding what to do with the odd wooden frame around the window, “Initially I had also wanted to paint it white, but stopped halfway because I found the look strange.”
Instead, she purchased a long roll of white cloth and covered up the area completely. This was accented with fairy lights on that extended to both sides of the room as well.
The lights lined the walls, creating the impression of a larger space.
Two wire frames from the $2 shop was hung on the wall to become a hanging display board.
The girl even learnt to change the faulty switches in the room.
She also added a long mirror to complement her wardrobe area. But what happened to that ugly dresser?
Well, the girl gave it a new lease of life by giving it a new coat of paint as well. Now it matches the walls completely and looks like a built-in feature of the space.
A bright yellow beanbag next to it adds a punch of colour to the space.
The wardrobe area was also repaired and completely painted in white.
The intrepid lady even replaced the old handles with new ones that made the wardrobe look chic and tasteful.
A white rug on the floor completes the transformation.
To bring life into the enclosed 10sqm space, bits of green and natural forms were added.
Animal pictures and accessories on the walls help to make the room inviting and warm.
And finally, the girl hung a large net across a bare wall using it to display 100 of her most favourite photos. “These images bring a smile to my face and I love waking up to them every morning.” She says, encouraging everyone who has ever wanted to renovate their rooms to not be daunted by the task. “Trust me, it’ll be worth it.” She says with a smile.
Images courtesy of Qblue.