DIYer Builds Forest-Wood Bathroom For £100 & Paints Stunning Mural
- Masha, 35, built her own bathroom out of raw wood from the forest
- She built a washstand after being inspired by Chinese YouTuber Li Ziqi
- Her spend was minimal as she used natural and leftover materials
- She hand-painted botanical flowers on the walls and the result is stunning
Creating a unique bathroom can be challenging, but one savvy DIYer has created a rustic floral wonderland with natural wood and leftover paint, spending around £100 on supplies.
Mum of 2 Masha Lofstedt, a 35 year old designer and Airbnb owner from Oregon, USA, builds houses with her partner, sharing their journey on Instagram as mandmsimplelife. She created a floral masterpiece with just a handful of paintbrushes and leftover paint after building a bathroom from forest wood.
She told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: ‘The idea for this bathroom came purely from my mind - that’s the way I design. There was no planning it out beforehand. I just see how I feel that day about what I’ve created so far. If I don’t like it, I start again with something else.
‘I built the black vanity below the sink myself. I got inspired by this famous Chinese YouTuber, Liziqi. She creates so many intricate designs just by using simple tools. I watched a video of her creating a wooden washstand - all she had was a hacksaw to chop the wood, a hammer and some nails.
‘It was mesmerising to see the process. She turned a pile of wooden slats and small tree trunks into a beautiful rustic washstand which fitted in perfectly with her bathroom decor. It must have taken several hours but she made the process look so easy, even doing the plumbing herself. It’s a fantastic skill to have.
‘After building this house with my husband, we decided the bathroom would be made completely out of wood. At the beginning, I painted the room a mustard colour, but I wasn’t a fan of the shade after the paint had dried. I then decided to go darker and chose a rich charcoal colour, even applying it to the ceiling.
‘The paint was not more than £30, and then I found a great sink for the same price. I got it from a re-build it centre which sells secondhand donated home items after people have completed remodels. It’s like a combination of a charity shop and the leftovers you sometimes see outside IKEA in the UK when people return items of furniture but it would cost too much for the store to give it away, so they leave it for people to take.
‘As soon as I saw the sink I had to get it. I didn’t know where it would go yet but I figured I would design around it. So at this stage I had a bathroom with rich, dark walls and a bright red sink with a wooden mirror and exposed wood around the edges. I decided a pop of colour would work best next to give the space some lighter colours and balance it out.
‘I had many tins of sample paint left over from decorating other rooms, so I decided to paint a botanical wall of flowers in line with the rustic nature theme. I used different shades of green, yellows and oranges and the end result is lovely, it really adds depth to the room.
‘I built the vanity using raw wood from the forest, which really enhanced the look of the space and avoided giving it a completely polished look. When I had watched the video from Liziqi it looked easy and effortless to build a vanity in this way, but it was not the case for me. It took a lot of planning, focus and patience. Plus, I was very pregnant with my second child - maybe eight months - so moving around and building was somewhat challenging. We spent about £25 on additional wood, and picked up the mirror from IKEA for £32.
‘Fortunately my husband did all of the plumbing himself. I definitely don’t understand any of that on my own, so I was so glad he knew what he was doing. The only step left is to re-finish the wood with water-resistant polyurethane. I still haven’t done it and it’s tricky now to go around the sink because it’s already installed.
‘Overall though we are really happy with how the bathroom looks. It’s a really unique space with a colour palette not many people use in their bathrooms. It’s a daring move to have dark walls but I think I’ve managed to pull it off.’
Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: ‘After looking up Liziqi on YouTube I’m feeling inspired myself. I’m not sure I’d know where to begin if I was going to make my own washstand though, so hats off to Masha for going DIY! I’m in awe of the artwork, the most I can draw is stick people!’
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