A woman has gone viral after sharing how she saves money decorating her home by transforming bizarre second-hand furniture like school lockers and a 1960s TV unit.
Keanna Hiebert, 26, from Edmonton, Canada, has a passion for thrifting and upcycling pre-loved pieces to give them a new lease of life.
The image specialist and her boyfriend, Jackson, 26, bought a three-bed detached property in December 2021 for $390,000 CAD (£213,000) but had a tight budget to make the space their own.
Keanna soon got to work scouring shops and the internet for cheap items that she could put her own stamp on.
As the couple’s home was built in the 1970s, she wanted to incorporate interior themes from this era with a mix of mid-century modern.
For her first DIY project, she found a 1960s admiral TV set for $120 (£71), which she turned into a display unit – and it cost her just $30 (£17) to do.
“I replaced the bottom and back with panels of wood which I had cut at Home Depot,” she told Jam Press.
“I painted everything pink and glued the original dial buttons back onto the side, as they were originally screwed into the inside.
“I love this piece because of how retro it looks and I think it ties a lot of the different styles [throughout the home] together.”
However, for anyone looking to replicate the look, it’s important to get professional help to take out the inside of the TV.
Keanna said: “I had to take the unit to someone who knew a lot about electronics, so that they could take the inside of the TV out for me.
“This can be super dangerous if you don’t know how to do it properly.”
Then, Keanna set her eyes on dining room chairs, which cost $10 (£5) each and a retro dresser at $20 (£11).
One of the most striking transformations however is a set of high-school lockers that she found on Facebook Marketplace for $100 (£59).
She said: “I got the idea for the lockers on Pinterest but all of the ones I saw were used in more rustic, farmhouse style interiors.
“I decided to change the paint colours and I was able to make them work with the rest of my decor.
“I started by cleaning them out and I quickly sanded down the whole piece using a sanding block.
“I used metal priming paint as a base coat, before going over the whole thing again with regular wall paint in the different bright colours I chose.
“The dressers took the longest to complete, because of how much work was put into reaching the original wood.
“There were so many layers of paint and we used a combination of a heat gun, liquid paint stripper and sander to remove this.
“We already had these things available to us, so the only things we purchased were the wood stain, paint and handles.”
As for the dining room chairs, she sanded them down and then stained the wood, before removing the seat cushions and stretching new fabrics across them using a staple gun – making them look good as new.
She also thrifted a bookshelf room divider and a floral chair, which she cleaned with baking soda and a vacuum.
Keanna estimates to have saved around $2,000 (£1,185) and social media users are obsessed with her easy DIY hacks.
In a clip that has racked up 13.3 million views and 3.3 million likes, she shows off her house.
She begins by sharing a photo of the original lockers, before cutting to a shot of the colourful unit in its new home.
Kenna also showcases the bookshelf room divider and then cuts to the blue and worn dresser. Greenery and yellow artwork accent the deep wood and teal coloured unit.
Although the TV unit looks the same as before, the pop of retro helps tie in the funky decorations that are scattered throughout the room.
“What a gift you have to see potential in those items. I love it all,” one viewer commented.
Another person added: “I wish I gifted in thrifting. You have an amazing eye.”
“The tv?? Genius,” someone else wrote, followed by a star-eyed emoji.
One person said: “THE LOCKERS? GORGEOUS.”
“Decorate my apt. Please,” another viewer said. [sic]
Even the DIY television channel HGTV took to the comments by saying: “Vibe check,” followed by a tick emoji.
Keanna, who studied graphic design at university, is thrilled with the response from people online.
She said: “I got a lot of inspiration from my schooling, as well as looking through Pinterest and interior design magazines.
“I started looking for second-hand pieces to transform out of necessity, when I first moved into a rented apartment three years ago.
“I didn’t want to spend the money on brand new pieces and thought I could save money this way.
“I had no idea so many people would like the way that I had designed our interior and I’m excited to keep making videos as we do the rest of our home.”
BUDGET BREAKDOWN
TV unit – Facebook Marketplace, $120 CAD
Wood – Home Depot, $10 CAD
Paint – Home Depot, $20 CAD
Dressers – Private seller, $20 CAD x2
Wood stain – Home Depot, $15 CAD
Paint – $20 CAD
Handles – $15 CAD
Lockers – Facebook Marketplace, $100 CAD
Paint – $5 CAD x3
Dining chairs – Antique mall, $10 CAD x4
Fabric – Home Depot, $50 CAD
