Repair Without a Designer: 6 Inspiring Design Hacks from Our Heroes

If you think a stylish modern interior is impossible without a designer's help, check out our selection. Apartment owners have independently planned the space, designed it, and even performed most of the renovation work themselves. Check out the results!

A vibrant apartment with vintage furniture that heroes painted on their own

A creative couple approached the renovation process and didn't hesitate to paint the walls in bright colors. They saved money on furniture, so they brought some items from their old apartment and repainted them with Darya Geyler's chalk paints. Some items were ordered from small shops in "Instagram" — it's always interesting to find unusual things not available in mass markets. Some items were made by hand — paintings, posters, and photographs.

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A spacious apartment with a countryside house atmosphere

Our heroes decided to unite the living room and kitchen zones with a ceiling. For this purpose, they used false beams that imitate a rural style. It creates the feeling of being in a spacious country house rather than an apartment. They installed wardrobes in the kitchen niche, and the doors were painted with chalk paint that can be written on.

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Amazing renovation in a Stalin-era apartment

Thanks to re-planning, our heroes managed to increase the apartment’s area. During the renovation, they completely removed partitions because the plaster and bricks left much to be desired. The entrance hall seems larger due to a full-wall mirror panel made from IKEA mirrors. For the wardrobe area, they created a separate zone by abandoning the classic door and hanging a curtain made of fabric.

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Stylish 2-room apartment with budget renovation

For the apartment’s renovation, the family couple drew inspiration from Scandinavian style and mid-century style. They took ideas from Pinterest and interior blogs in "Instagram". They painted the tiles in the bathroom with special tile paint from "Leroy Merlin". They also bought self-adhesive PVC tiles and glued them to the floor over the old ones. They didn’t change the bathtub, instead they called workers for restoration. The radiator was painted by themselves using a spray can.

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A unique interior where almost everything was made by hand with heart

Our heroes completely renovated the apartment: changed all wiring, pipes, windows, radiators, raised floors, and poured new screed. They remodeled the old kitchen themselves, investing very modest funds into it. The standout feature of the living room is a louvered wall, which also exists in the hallway area. They mounted the louvers in two ways: in the living room, the louvers were glued with liquid nails; in the hallway, they were secured with screws.

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Spacious studio with a sleeping area on the attic

Owners turned a small one-room flat into a spacious studio. The renovation budget was limited, so most of the work was done by our heroes themselves. High ceilings allowed them to build an attic and set up a bedroom there. A large storage area was created under the sleeping space. The heroes designed and built the attic themselves, buying all materials from construction hypermarkets.

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