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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Jade Culver & Ryan Fahey

Student spends under £1,200 on transforming flat into vibrant homage to the 70s

A student has revealed how she spent just £1,130 to renovate her one bed apartment into a vibrant homage to the 70s.

Isabella Bondo, 24, has decorated her home with bright oranges, bamboo furniture and floral prints.

The social work student, from Odense, Denmark, even has a wardrobe packed to the brim with flared jeans, polo necks and vintage dresses.

Isabella said: "I've always been fascinated with 60s and 70s fashion since I was young and was eager to be able to style my first home to honour that era.

"I just love all of the bright colours from the oranges and maroons to the yellows.

"When I first moved into my flat, I already had a vision of how I wanted it to look, as I hated the boring grey carpet and white walls that came as a default.

She used Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration (Mercury Press & Media Ltd.)
Isabella has been "fascinated" with 60s and 70s style and culture since she was young (Mercury Press & Media Ltd.)

"I followed a lot of Instagram accounts and Pinterest threads for inspiration."

Isabella spent five months renovating her flat last year with bargains she found through Facebook Marketplace and local charity shops.

She said: "I tried to decorate my flat on a budget, so scoured thrift shops and items on Facebook to try and get cheap vintage furniture.

The room is almost unrecognisable from the way it looked before (Mercury Press & Media Ltd.)
She found bargains on Facebook Marketplace and in local charity shops (Mercury Press & Media Ltd.)

"I just love bamboo furniture, as it's how I imagine most houses were furnished during the 60s and 70s.

"I got a bamboo dining table for £45 and four chairs to match off of Marketplace for £160.

"I found a tulip lamp from an independent shop on Instagram for £200, which was probably the most expensive part of the renovation, but it's beautiful and really lights up the place.

"One of my favourite pieces is the orange space age shelving unit I have underneath my television to store records and trinkets, that was £115.

"I got a bucket of yellow and orange paint to do a feature wall in my bedroom and the living area and combined it cost about £40."

Isabella also picked up a range of other items to add to her 70s paradise including wall plants for £4, two shag rug carpets for £100 and an orange tan couch for £250.

Her wardrobe is packed with almost £1000-worth of vintage clothes (Mercury Press & Media Ltd.)
She tries to shop sustainably and only buying clothes from thrift or charity stores (Mercury Press & Media Ltd.)

Her finishing touches include a range of floral prints and cat pictures, making her home completely unrecognisable.

She has transformed her flat from drab and plain with white walls and grey carpets, to bright and interesting.

She added: "All of the colours make for an incredible airy and bright space which I love.

"I added lots of plants to the space as well, which gives it that freshness and makes it smell amazing.

"I have two cats who just really fit into the space as well as they are both orange, a lot of people seem to think I bought them to match the decor!

Alongside her passion for 70s decor, Isabella also has a wardrobe worth more than £1000 packed full of vintage styles and fashionable items.

She said: "I try to be as low impact and as environmentally friendly as possible, so try and get all of my clothes from thrift stores.

"Thrift stores are my favourite place to get flared jeans from, which I wear daily.

"I also try and buy my tops and dresses from independent sellers, or second hand online.

"If something rips, I always try and fix it if I can."

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