Instead of spending a fortune reupholstering a sofa, why not go for a garden room look with reeded wood instead? Claire Douglas, owner of Claire Douglas Styling, transformed her old budget sofa by encasing the frame with dowel rods, painted in a forest green tone. She then popped the back foam fillings into huge cushion covers and laid a matching throw over the seat cushions.

Is it uncomfortable? "Nope, because you don't sit or even lean on the dowels," Claire tells us. "The sofa cushions are still there to provide all the comfort, so it's no different than a rattan sofa".

47 genius tricks to give your old stuff new life