If you love interior design and are always looking for ways to update your home décor without spending a fortune, then this story is definitely for you!

Lyla, an interior design student from Perth, was recently inspired by a designer coffee table she saw online. She thought to herself, 'I can make that for so much less' – and as it turns out, she was right!

With some imagination and a trip to Kmart, the mum of two was able to save over $1100 on the final product.

'Thought I'd share my Kmart hack,' Lyla wrote in a Kmart décor group on Facebook.

Here's how she did it:

One woman transformed an old coffee table into a designer-looking one. Credit: Facebook.

First, Lyla looked for a second-hand coffee table from Facebook Marketplace to use as a base for her new coffee table. Thankfully, she found one which was still in really good condition, so she bought it right away.

Once she had a base for her DIY project, she bought two Ribbed Side Tables from Kmart for a total of $45 each and attached them both to replace the table's legs by glueing and screwing them to the tabletop.

After that, she gave the wood a gorgeous finish by sanding it back down and bleaching it.

'So I bought two of the Kmart ribbed side tables and sanded back this old table, and bam - there she is,' she continued. 'It cost me around $120 in parts/equipment,' she explained.

The second-hand coffee table Lyla bought from Facebook Marketplace. Credit: Facebook.

Needless to say, the completed DIY project was well received by the Facebook community, receiving over 3500 likes and 300 comments.

'Amazing transformation!' one group member wrote in the comments, with another adding: 'Well done! That is very creative and beautiful,'

'Holy moley, that's awesome!! It's absolutely gorgeous!' said a third.

It was a designer coffee table that was reduced from $2,039 to $1,225 that originally inspired Lyla to see if she could create something similar.

'I'm currently studying Interior Decoration, so finding sustainable ways to design a space is where a lot of my inspiration comes from and what I've been learning along the way,' she said in an interview with an online news source.

'I'd seen a gorgeous coffee table online, but the price for what I wanted was just ridiculous. I honestly thought I can do that easily and for under $100,' she continued.

The original coffee table that Lyla wanted costs a whopping $1225. Credit: LivingStyles.

Since she put a lot of time and effort into creating it, she was thrilled with the results, but, to be completely honest, she wasn't prepared for the overwhelmingly positive feedback her project received on Facebook.

'I didn't expect so many to love it; I was so overwhelmed by all the beautiful comments and even more proud of what I did because so many wanted to give it a go themselves,' she said. 'It just goes to show you can have the same look for a fraction of the price.'

And she didn't just save money either – she also made a profit from it! Lyla later revealed that she sold the coffee table for $300, and she was thrilled to learn that it had found a new home.

Key Takeaways

• Perth interior design student Lyla was able to save over $1100 on a designer coffee table by hacking two Kmart ribbed side tables.
• Lyla sanded back and bleached an old coffee table she got off Facebook Marketplace and replaced the legs with the Kmart side tables.
• With a little imagination, you can update your home on a budget by following Lyla's lead!

The folks here at the SDC are always impressed by people's ability to use their own resources and ingenuity to create something useful and beautiful. This just goes to show that with a little creativity, you can update your home décor without spending a fortune.

And who knows – you might even make some money in the process! So what do you think of this story, folks? Are you looking to try this DIY project as well? Let us know how it turns out!

 

[Suzanne rose]

I liked her one better than the expensive one.

She made a profit of only $180 I hope if she is going to be making these to sell that she makes more that that.
If you are making it for yourself then that's a great way to save and I love DIY but the time it would have taken her isn't worth the $180 profit

 

[Ricci]

I think I would have put at least a $500 price tag on it.

 

[Ezzy]

One problem we find with our mosaic creations ( a hobby of mine ), is that it is hard to put a price on the product which takes in all factors like material costs & total time to produce these. People are not prepared to pay a high price unless the person "Has a Name" for themselves. What hourly cost do us mere mortals put on our time? Most of us therefore add in the 20% taken by the centre to a material cost & a ridiculous amount for our time or otherwise keep these or try to sell privately.

I read a story on such a subject. An artist was exhibiting a piece which somebody wanted a copy of but wasn't prepared to pay the asking price. The client however would pay a lesser price for the article to which the artist agreed. What the customer actually received was what was paid for less labour costs; materials only, with a note of explanation.