Unique DIY Creations are a fun an inexpensive way to spend an afternoon. You’ll be surprised at what you can knock up from just a few bits around the home.

The Shabby chic style is timeless and has never gone out of fashion, it can add elegance to any room. The look is unstructured and is all about throwing together different pieces in a light pastel colour palette. You may even have a diamond in the rough under your nose just waiting to be whitewashed and restored! That’s the beauty of shabby chic style – it’s budget-friendly and easy to acquire. By the time we have finished with this tutorial you will be begging for your grandmother’s old furniture! Here is how to get the look in under 40 AED.

Here’s what you will need:

• An old piece of furniture

• Sand paper medium grit – 1 AED

• 2 colours of oil wood paint (top colour and colour showing through) – National Paint has 1 litre cans for 14.9 AED

• A paint brush – 4 AED

Steps:

1. Lightly sand the piece of furniture

2. Wipe clean with a cloth

3. Paint the item in the under colour that will be showing (in this case the blue)

4. Leave to dry.

5. Paint the item in the top colour (in this case off white)

6. Sand off areas where the item will have naturally distressed- vary the amount of the paint showing and VOILA!