Looking for a weekend DIY project? Take a leaf out of this mum-of-two’s book. Dawn Flanagan, 50, had grown tired of her ‘boring and dull’ bathroom and decided to make it into her own private oasis.

She first clad the bathroom on the cheap five years ago and had been looking for inspiration ever since to find a way to brighten what had become a dark and dull room. Dawn, from Essex, decided that – with a budget of just £115 – she would transform her bathroom into a tropical paradise, fitting the art deco and 1950s style in the rest of her home. She began by inserting mirrors to create the illusion of more space, then introduced more than ten different artificial plants to turn her bathroom into a lush forest.

To make the space more jungle-like, Dawn draped artificial leaves around the room and applied a waterfall mural by the shower. The end result is pretty incredible. Dawn said: ‘I got the pictures and shower art from The Range, costing around £13.

‘The plants were from Ikea, costing around £36 with more leaves from eBay costing around a fiver. ‘I also got a £7.50 message board from EBay as well as mats and a jug which added £14. The wooden flooring was about £40. ‘I’d never imagined it would be so popular – it’s only my bathroom!

‘Before it was dark and dingy. My shower was over my bath, and it looked small.

https://metro.co.uk/2019/09/07/mum-spends-just-115-transforming-bathroom-tropical-paradise-10703042/