A mother-to-be has unveiled her stunning kitchen transformation – which she completed while almost nine months pregnant.
Dearbhaile Cooke, 29, from Belfast, got the keys to her new home when she was eight months gone and was desperate to renovate the kitchen before moving in and giving birth.
But rather than shell out on new units, Dearbhaile spent hours coating the dated pine doors a chic shade of black using Frenchic paint.
Dearbhaile Cooke, 29, from Belfast, pictured, got the keys to her new home when she was eight months pregnant and was desperate to renovate the kitchen before moving in and giving birth
Pictured: the kitchen before its transformation, with pine units, grey worktops and multi-coloured wall and floor tiles
Rather than shell out on new units, Dearbhaile spent hours coated the dated pine doors a chic black using Frenchic paint
Dearbhaile said she is delighted with the end result, and it was worth the many hours she put into painting while nearly nine months pregnant
She and her fiancé Gary also replaced the worktop, tiles and floor – and Dearbhaile, already mother to a 10-year-old son, shared her handiwork on the Frenchic Fan Forum Facebook page, where fellow DIY enthusiasts raved over her stylish makeover.
Speaking to FEMAIL, Dearbhaile – who works part-time as a midwife and an aesthetic practitioner – claimed the laborious paint job helped ‘pass the time’ while she was heavily pregnant.
‘We wanted to have the house a home for our new arrival,’ she explained.
‘We planned on doing the whole downstairs and not worry so much about upstairs until after the baby is born. The house was very dated everything was wood and pine.
Speaking to FEMAIL, Dearbhaile – who works part-time as a midwife and an aesthetic practitioner – claimed the laborious paint job helped ‘pass the time’ while she was heavily pregnant. Pictured: the kitchen and dining area before and after its makeover
‘I did all the painting myself. My dad took all the cupboard doors off for me. It took four coats, and I went through two tins of Blackjack, costing £54.
‘I couldn’t say how long it took but all the hours I spent, it was a lot! I helped my sister paint my brother’s kitchen in the exact same paint as a surprise for his 40th – we did this in one day while he was at work, but there were four of us working together so that was doable!
‘I loved the paint and colour from then. As I had four weeks to my due date I thought it would help pass the end of the pregnancy for me and make these last weeks go quicker; it certainly did! Some days I was there from 11am to 8pm that night.’
The couple sourced a new worktop for just over £200 and bought their wall and floor tiles from a local Belfast supplier, Right Price Tiles. She also sprayed the existing unit handles in chrome
Dearbhaile admitted she was shocked by the reaction on the Frenchic forum, which saw her attract more than 6,200 likes and 645 comments
Dearbhaile, who comes from a family of joiners, told how she and Gary had always planned on tiling the whole downstairs in marble tiles.
Given the kitchen units were made from decent quality wood, she decided to save money by painting them rather than replacing them – and thought the black would compliment her flooring.
The couple sourced a new worktop for just over £200 and bought their wall and floor tiles from a local Belfast supplier, Right Price Tiles. She also sprayed the existing unit handles in chrome.
‘The whole of the downstairs tiles came to over £2,000,’ she said. ‘I think the kitchen wall tiles were roughly £120.
‘We also bought a new sink and taps for £120 from B&Q, and the lights were from Homebase; the dining area one was £120 and the kitchen one £40.’
Dearbhaile admitted she was shocked by the reaction on the Frenchic forum, which saw her attract more than 6,200 likes and 645 comments.
‘My sister Tara introduced me to the forum and she has done some bits around her own house in it,’ she said.
‘I knew it looked good but I wasn’t expecting the reaction I got! It made it even more worthwhile that so many people loved my design.’