by NATALIA HAWK AND LUCY ORMONDE
Take one boring living room and one outdated bedroom. Add a spoonful of creativity, a cup of handy-(wo)man and a huge dose of Kmart. What do you end up with? A room makeover that:
a) WILL rock your (Kmart purchased, we’re sure) socks; and
b) WON’T make your wallet pack up and head north to the European debt-crisis-riddled nation of its choice.
The two of us headed to Kmart over the weekend, hoping to snatch up a couple of things to spruce up our living spaces. And we walked out with full trolleys and plenty of new items to redecorate our rooms. Cushions, sheets, furniture, wall art – it’s all there.
And each room cost us only $250. That’s right – $500 all up, for two completely different rooms.
We know we sound ridiculous right now. We really do. And we promise we’re not going to offer your a free set of steak knives if you call in the next fifteen minutes but there really are bargains to be had.
Take a look:
Nat’s Bedroom Makeover
My bedroom was put together at the age of 12 and has not really changed since. It has the colour palette of a teenybopper obsessed with glitter and ponies. And although I am still fond of glitter and ponies (who isn’t?) – the room needed an overhaul and a healthy dose of about 10 years of maturity.
I knew I wanted something a little more sophisticated but also fun – so I went with the trusty colour combination of red, white and black. I grabbed some new sheets and cushions, as well as a new bedside table/shelf which looks about a thousand times better than the old one.
I removed my cluttered dressing table and replaced it with a coat rack and a full length-mirror. Add some accessories and – you know what? I’m quite proud of the result.
You can scroll down to the gallery below for further details about each item.
Lucy’s Living Room Makeover
Our living room used to be full of book cases and frames on the walls but when a roommate moved out a few months ago and took everything with him we just left things sparse and planned to do something “one day…” The living room is the central point of the house – it’s part of a big open-plan kitchen and dining area but the room’s been so dull and uninspired we’ve tended to stay in the dining room or courtyard over the last couple of months.
I couldn’t believe what could be done with just $250. When it comes to furniture, I naturally gravitate towards anything white and bright but decided to stick to the darker blacks and reds tones that were already in the room. I moved the coffee table the TV was sitting on to the centre of the room, and replaced it with a couple of cube shelves – filled with books and consoles. The couch was brightened with a couple of red throws and some new cushions. I also picked up a big round mirror which will hang on the wall above (when I move it from its current ‘resting’ place on the couch).
But the best thing was the gold stars I got from roommates who loved the makeover. (I’m hoping that means I don’t have to take the bins out for the foreseeable future….)
Flick through the gallery below for more details of the makeovers:

Lucy's finished living room.
Our conclusion? Put Kmart on your destination list for homewares. Especially if you don’t have a lot of spare coin to spend.
Kmart is Australia’s home of irresistibly low prices on everything, every day. But behind the low prices you’ll also find amazing choice, giving you so much more to have fun with. For more surprises, and to see our products come to life, click here.
This post is sponsored by Kmart. Comments on this post are just for this post. If you want to talk about the IDEA of sponsored posts or the choice of advertisers please click here. We will be reading all those comments too for feedback.
Come and share what room you would love to makeover. The two comments with the most thumbs up will win one of two $250 Kmart gift vouchers to spend on transforming a room! You must be a Mamamia member to enter. Competition closes 19-10-12.




Comments
93 Comments so far
You’ve also been a real encouragement and inspiration to me. You’re unbelievably talented. Congrats on your Decor8 feature today….wow!
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I would love to make over my 8 year old daughter’s room. There’s not enough storage and she’s out grown her current decore. She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes just before her 7th birthday and this would brighten her world. A brightly coloured room with a horse theme would be the perfect sanctuary to escape from the reality and stresses of managing her diabetes.
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I have recently bought my first place- a tiny (but lovely) little apartment. All of the stuff I can’t fit anywhere else goes into my second bedroom so that’s the room I would love to revamp!
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Without a doubt my laundry. It’s the smallest room in the house, yet never looks tidy. A storage cupboard would be nice, two even. It’s a wonder the one lonesome shelf in the room hasn’t buckled under the pressure of detergents & fabric softeners piled high. And maybe, just maybe, a makeover would encourage the clothes into the basket, rather than on the floor.
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I would like to make over the laundry!!! I spend so much time in there, why shouldn’t it be a fun, pretty space to be in too?!
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I would love to make over my 8 year old daughter’s room. There’s not enough storage and she’s out grown her current decore. She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes just before her 7th birthday and this would brighten her world. A brightly coloured room with a horse theme would be the perfect sanctuary to escape from the reality and stresses of managing her diabetes.
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Im hopfully moving out soon.just waiting for my aplication for rental to be aproved. So i need almost everything to make a house a home
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I would love to make over our bedroom because we spend everything on our boys. Our room needs some life & color to make it feel special
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I would love to makeover my 3rd sons’ bedroom. He is nearing two, so not a baby anymore, and he does get all the hand me downs in every sense! He is a beautiful, happy child, so this would be a chance for me to give him an all new BIG boy room, that his brothers haven’t already used.
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I’d like to add colour and life to my girls bedroom,we rent and that can be difficult to do in a home you don’t own. The girls share a room, and at age eight and nine, almost ten they are wanting something more grown up and less baby pink style. New linens on the bunk bed would be an instant way brighten the room , something that says fun and funky but not to frilly. Desk accessories, a lamp, even curtains can change the whole look of a room.
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I would love to have living room made over before bub#1 arrives.
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I would love love love to makeover the room earmarked for my little girl – due in late December. For one thing, that room is currently a library. About 5000 books will shortly be moving to make room for her (where to is another story). So instead of a room full of bookshelves and books, I’ll have… an empty room. Probably with badly marked up walls still painted in a color chosen by the previous owner. Not even any curtains and only a bare lightbulb for a light fitting.
We do have the basics of a cot and change table – I already have two little boys. But so much else would be nice – curtains, girly sheets maybe… so many little things to turn a bleak empty room into a haven for my much wanted baby.
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My second go at this one! With a new baby girl on the way – my first girl after two boys – we will need to make way for lots of pink! Am looking forward to rearranging things in the lounge room to make way for lots of lovely storage options, for toy collection number three.
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The other day I noticed my laundry floor is EXACTLY the same as that of the dingy public toilet at the local park. Shock horror!
But under all the unmentionable grime (the toilet floor – not my laundry) it’s actually a groovy late-60s terrazzo. And it got me thinking … my outdated laundry would scrub up pretty easily with a retro revamp.
So my Kmart voucher, if I was lucky enough to win, would be spent on lovely laundry accessories with a vintage vibe. I would even send you before and after pics!
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Where do l start! Im renting a 70s decorated duplex of which the owners think purple wallpaper. boarders look lovely with paint peeling peach walls. Ive done the best l can using pieces given to me by family and accessories from kmart to try and create a theme-loose term!! I dont complain tho since for my budget its in a safe area and a backyard for my toddler. Id love to do his room/toy room up for xmas. Hes now three and deserves his room to reflect his interests. It would also allow me to rescue my already daggy living room from the invasion of cars and trains.
He would love the option to choode his own things and ld love to have the freedom to say yes without guilt over price tags!!
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giant sigh! i totally need to make over my bathroom / laundry – my partner decided to rip it out 3 weeks before he has an operation and is immobile for 3 months. once i can get tradies back in to get it back to some sort of an actual room – i will need all the new accessories like towels, and bath mats, bathroom supplies, decorative plants – toiletry stand, toilet roll holders etc etc etc. we have such a little amount of room in our house as it is – to be without this room is currenly a disaster and desperately needs a spruce!
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I’d love to give our outdoor area a revamp. Make it a space for our kiddies to enjoy, as well as for having grown ups over for dinner parties.
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I would love to makeover my one and only living space slash dining slash bedroom! Living in a studio apartment is pretty cramped, but I’m sure a few matching bits and bobs will go a very long way to making it a perfect nest & home.
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Would love to be able to makeover our toddler boys room. Its been 18 months since we moved in and their room looks far from a little boys room and more like the pastel baby room you create before you have kids and shows nothing of the awesome little personalities that our boys have
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I would love to make over my bedroom or bathroom. Both are looking very average
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I would like to give my kids new rooms. My eldest daughter and son currently share. With a new baby girl, I would love to have a girls room and boys room.
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Our master bedroom needs a lift! Some colour would be a good place to start, as would extra storage. Then I’ll just have to work on getting hubby to move into the spare room so I can have it all to myself…
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As I started working from home, my spare room evolved into my office. The business is going well and would dearly love to make this a happy office as I spend most of my days in here. A makeover would just do the trick and make it a pleasure to go to work!
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My BEDROOM. I’ve been stuck in bed for so long, due to illness. My darling husband, who cares for me, fails to see the need for matching pillow cases and quilt covers. Not wanting to hurt his feelings, I bite my tongue. I would absolutely love some new MATCHING bedding.
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Would love to make-over my bedroom.
Needs a bit of ‘spicing up’!
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My bedroom! After having our baby live in our room with us for 7 months, it has some how turned into a baby room and not an adult one. Would love to declutter and rearrange it so it’s more appealing to my husband and I. Thanks
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I would love to make over the main bedroom and ensuite. We have just taken the cot out and would love to make it more adult again.
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I would adore to make over my room. It’s really bland and quite boring, really. I don’t spend much on the little things that make a room that really awesome place. Like, I have little knick knacks and what not, but it’s the ability to really be able to create this space that refelcts your personality, your tone etc. That would be awesome to do.
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My bedroom, slowly we have done the kids bedrooms but ours is left till last!!! This would be a great help !!!
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I would LOVE to spruce up our living/play area…we are saving to buy our first family home so every spare penny goes into saving and, although I adore op shopping and up-cycling, it would be so lovely to be able to have some brand new pieces to spruce the place up…
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I’d like to give my bathroom a makeover so that when I am hiding from the children in there eating chocolate It feels a little more luxurious! x
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Although a $250 voucher would be great to cheer up my bathroom and throw away all the unco-ordinated items like burgendy towels (frayed) with green rugs and blue soap dish, secretly I dream of $250 worth of dynamite to blow it so I could start again
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I would love to makeover our kitchen! I have so many recipes and ideas I want to try in there – but it is such a drab place to be right now.
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Thank you for such a kind offer and I didn’t ever expect so much support from everyone on this site-it’s really inspirational-thank you!
PS Mammia I didn’t realise I needed to be a member to comment in competitions but I’ve now joined:)
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This comment relates to my earlier comment as Make-over Mum.
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I would love to makeover my bedroom we currently sleep on a mattress on the floor no bed here! So a room makeover would be amazing especially when the budget is a little thin! I would love to add some colour and some sophistication since the rest of my house revolves around finger smeared walls and toys that hurt when you step on them!
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My lovely boyfriend wants me to move into his house. I almost have, but keep heading back to my folk’s place where I have my own space and it has my own style. He understands that the car posters must go, but there’s a little more to it. The rest of the place needs a feminine touch. Not girly, just the introduction of my style to balance the blokeyness. I’m thinking the dining room or the bedroom would be a good place to start… (Please note the car posters to the left in the image!)
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I’d really love to be able to make over my BFF’s lounge room. She’s had a really tough few years – husband died suddenly; daughter got engaged, found out she was pregnant, had a beautiful baby girl who died last year from meningoccal. She is a strong woman, but has had many more downs than ups. This might help put a bit of spark back in her life.
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My sister Millie is the youngest of 5 girls and has lived on hand-me-downs since she was born. Despite this, at 15, she never complains about it and tirelessly works to try and improve things for my mum and dad. She is constantly entering competitions, since she was able to write, to try and win makeovers for the house or yard and has a dream-poster of what she would like her room to look like if made over. My family doesn’t have any spare cash for room makeovers, so she just dreams.
I would love to make her dream a reality, with Mamamia’s help!
PS I have attached a cute little picture of her
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I am sure that with a bit of encouragement the organisers will see that you do deserve a room make-over Millie. Good luck in the process.
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I would love this…for my parents.
My Mum and Dad are currently living in a industrial area…in a shed….selling sheds!! My Dad has had bowel cancer cut out this year and is having chemo fortnightly…..they travel 8 hrs a fortnight for his chemo and come back to their little shed. I’d love to be able to spruce it up a bit for them…make it a little bit more ‘homely’ for them to come home too. xo
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I would be honored to be assisted by K-marts wonderful items and style tips to declutter our one and only bathroom that needs help for our growing family as I have not worked for 13 years to raise the boys through my ill health and all and need some space
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I would love to makeover my folks’ room.
After 39 years at the same job, my dad got made redundant. No farewell party, no bottle of wine, nothing. Just a company email in which they spelt his name wrong.
I’ve never seen my father so devastated.
My mum used to work with disabled children but had to stop a few years ago after needing a full hysterectomy. She also has a leaking aortic valve and will need a replacement soon.
After all these years of looking after me, I just wanted to do something nice for my folks. They really deserve it.
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I’d love to jazz up my lounge room. I live in a rented flat and the landlord is very good at taking my rent but not at all good at fixing anything. I have lived in this flat for 12 years and have never had any repairs or improvements done. The paint is old and chipping off in parts and the carpet is worn in heavy traffic areas – so I’d love to hide these bits with some cheery fare and perhaps add a little more light with a lamp!
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Oh! I am going for the ‘desperate-poor-uni-student’ plea here!
So most of our furniture is second-hand and even hard rubbish stuff. The room I would LOOVE to fix up with Kmart goodies would be my house mate and I’s study area. Both our rooms are too small to fit a desk in (our third housemate lucked out and got the big room) so we have fashioned an area for ourselves near the kitchen.
Gotta say…I don’t like studying there much. It needs some life and motivation to get us through our tough law and psych degrees!
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Right now my 17months-old daughters bedroom needs urgently a makeover. Currently it’s got her cot, a cube shelf and a sofa in it. That’s all. Empty. Boring.Blah.
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Ok so here’s my plea:
My boyfriend of four years broke up with me three weeks ago and I had to move out of our beautiful little flat. As a full-time 31yr old mature age student I’ve had no choice to move back home. With my mum. In her room. With her linen and furniture and stuff (granted, she’s now in the smaller guest room, which makes her AMAZING, but still… it sux). Paisley and tassels are my new world.
Did I mention I’m 31? And at home? To be frank, morale is currently at an all time low.
I could certainly do with some dosh for a grand make over, to make the space my own.
Not a creative response I know, but genuine all the same.
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I have just moved my middle child to a different room for the 3rd time in the past year. I would love to make his room that little bit more exciting and special for being so good about it
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Definitely the dining room! Well, we eat there so I guess it’s the dining room. It could also be referred as the office, the laundry, craft room and a store room! There is soo much stuff in that room. It really is in need of an overhaul.
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I love that Kmart is simple affordable and chic!
We live in a studio so our 5 year old sleeps in the lounge (which also has a kitchenette about a metre away) Miss 5 makes the most of what we have and and never complains, I’d love to spoil her and make my daughters small space extra special
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The lounge room! With bedspreads covering the lounges and our video player stacked as high as the sky, we don’t need a makeover, we need a mega makeover!!!
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Actually!! I would use it to make over my mother in law’s bedroom. She is an absolute gem and has been battling cancer for years – she also recently lost her husband, brother and mother within a couple of years.
Her room is severely neglected because she spends all her time and money on other people. A makeover for her space for Christmas would make her day.
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