‘I upgraded my garden from a concrete jungle to a luxury boho space for €3.4k’

Kelly Rowland, who lives with boyfriend Blake, moved into her 1904 Edwardian home 4 years ago. Since then she has made a few changes and it looks quite different to when they bought it.

Kelly describes her interior style as "boho, rustic and industrial with a splash of colour here and there. I also love textures and plants are my favourite accessory. I prefer to make spaces unique and not fit into a box."

Kelly spoke to Paving Superstore about her original garden and shared her tips with RSVP Live.

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She described it as "very plain, boring, with no plants. It was a bit of a concrete jungle which I wanted to change. I am all about budget DIY as I love crafting, upcycling and making a home unique. I love to experiment with paint whether that be on a wall or on a piece of furniture.

"We started the garden renovation during lockdown, so getting hold of some materials was quite tricky. Firstly we wanted to disguise a concrete wall. I used Pinterest for inspiration and came across a tall slatted planter. But for the space we wanted to cover, it would’ve been rather expensive, so we decided to make this from scratch.

"To keep costs down, we recycled some wood that we already had for building a frame. We then attached some thin pieces of wood to the fence to create a slatted look.

"We placed plastic troughs in the top of the frame and filled them with plants. Lastly, we sealed the wood with exterior varnish. This is the main part of the garden. I think this really went well and made a big impact on the space."

When asked about how she cut costs down, Kelly recalls, "To keep our budget down, we decided to buy second hand garden furniture and refurbish it ourselves. We also recycled a picket fence that we had already in the garden, sanded the planks and cut them into half and made a log and bin store in the same slatted style as the planter.

"We had also inherited a brick built barbecue that was looking a little tired, so we painted it up and stencilled around the brickwork to give it a tiled look. We later added a small outdoor kitchen at the side of this for storage and to prepare food."

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One of the most noticeable differences is the workshop. "Our biggest edition in the garden was building a workshop and summer room. This was an ongoing project that we started during lockdown but due to budget, it was a stop start project. We recently got it water tight with a few more additions to do."

The total cost of the renovation was €3465.25. The full breakdown includes the patio area, which cost around €528.60 including furniture and plants, and the workshop build cost €2936.65.

When it comes to your own renovation Kelly suggests: "Always try and do things yourself. It is far more rewarding and satisfying. Buy second hand pieces of furniture to keep costs down, but upcycle them to match your decor.

"When it comes to buying plants, try to find things that you can split to make more. They will always grow bigger and mature. Try and work with what you’ve already got by painting and stencilling. It helps keep cost down and you don’t to rip out the old."

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