A DIY-loving woman has gone viral on TikTok after sharing the incredible transformation of her 120-year-old home has undergone on a budget of £1,550.
Tay, 28, a post production freelancer from San Francisco, bought the period home in 2020.
The creative TikTok star incorporated quirky additions including 3D “grass” walls, cow print chairs and a disco ball area.
She has played with style, adding loud prints, pigmented colours and fun objects throughout her home – and the property is now unrecognisable.
Tay has shared the fruits of her labour on TikTok with a clip showing off the transformation, and has since racked up 568,000 followers.
In one post, which has been viewed 37.6 million times and has received 7.1 million likes, she reveals all the hard work which went into her home.
She begins by showing a hand painted ceiling mural in the hallway, before showcasing a 3D ‘grass’ like wall in the bedroom.
She is shown painting bright green loops on her staircase wall and hanging disco balls in her living room, which shimmer across the walls at night.
Tay also showcases another brightly-coloured design hand painted onto the walls and the process of creating her cow print dining room chairs.
At the end of the clip, Tay can be seen jumping up and down joyfully on her striking orange sofa.
“I will unlock my creative potential one day, you’re an inspiration,” one viewer commented.
Another person added: “Sometimes I think I’m creative, then I see people do stuff like this and it really puts me in my place.”
“This is amazing,” someone else said, followed by two heart emojis.
Another viewer said: “Wow u are incredibly talented. What energy and creativity you hold.” [sic]
“Love this! Create your own happiness!!!,” someone else said.
For Tay, the most interesting concept about her home transformation is that there is no theme followed throughout.
She believes that the space is a look into her imagination and ties in a combination of anything and everything she finds fun.
She said: [My favourite room] is the living room – it’s a reminder of all the work I’ve done on the house.
“Everywhere you look is a massive project I did completely on my own and it’s a visible output of all my work.
“I painted a mural on the ceiling, made a custom cow print giant mirror, wallpapered for the first time and made a velvet headboard behind my couch.”
Tay has had the help of her boyfriend, Andrew, 28, throughout the reno and the duo have recently moved in together.
Outside, the pair built a 9ft tall tiki bar from scratch, which was the most time-consuming project overall.
Tay said: “It was a massive undertaking that took up a lot of weekends – but it was a fun thing to do together.”
Tay learned the skills to transform her home through trial and error, as well as looking at tutorials on YouTube.
However, since being with her boyfriend who is an industrial designer, she has used him as a resource for knowledge.
She said: “Anything I can’t figure out, he’s able to solve.
“He’s my go-to on questions, because his professional experience as a toy inventor means he is always innovating and figuring out new ways to approach things.”
Working on the home has even helped her to overcome mental health struggles.
Tay said: “I was really ill and had post-traumatic stress disorder where I was crying constantly and scared for my health.
“I had just bought my place, so I felt trapped and like I couldn’t get out.
“I decided I was going to completely change the house and all the white walls, so that it was the happiest and safest environment I could be in.
“I spent all my free time working on projects around the house and this really motivated me to get a lot done in a quick amount of time.
“I love problem solving and figuring out how to do things on my own.”
The house wasn’t her first DIY project, having previously upholstered a vintage mid-century dining set a few years ago.
She transformed the dated, faded and dirty fabric, which gave her a sense of pride and is her favourite piece of furniture to date.
Tay added: “I think I’ve done everything to the best of my ability and I can’t ask for anything more.
“I’ve always loved the high curved ceilings, crown mouldings and the original hardware on all the doors.
“It has amazing historic charm and accents still in the house.
“I started my home renovation by buying five gallons of colourful paint to make a mural and had no idea that was too much.
“I stuck with those colours and this paint inspired so many projects and made massive changes throughout the house alone.
“Start with the paint and see where it takes you.”
BUDGET BREAKDOWN
Living room – $480 (£355)
Bedroom – $335 (£248)
Art gallery – Free (leftover paints)
Dining room – $130 (£96)
Hallway – $350 (£259)
Tiki Bar – $800 (£593)
TOTAL = $2,095 (£1,551)
In other news, couple who didn’t know how to paint transform 140-year-old crumbling cottage into dream home using youtube videos.
