I was embarrassed to have people in my ‘tacky' council house kitchen – so I got it replaced without forking out myself

The Sun

30-04-2025

A WOMAN who was left feeling 'embarrassed' by her council house kitchen has shared how it was replaced without having to pay for it herself.
Naomi Wells, from the UK, took to social media to show off her kitchen transformation, paid for by the council.
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In the clip, Naomi revealed that her kitchen was replaced a year ago and she was still loving it as she showed before and after pictures of the room.
"Before and after of my council kitchen makeover, fitted by the council," she said.
When Naomi first moved in she said the kitchen was 'old and tired looking.'
The paintwork was peeling off, the countertops were chipped and many of the cupboard doors were broken.
The previous kitchen was painted in white but it had been so long ago it looked grubby.
The countertops were a dull grey colour and the door handles were a 90s, cheap plastic.
While the replacement of the kitchen was predominantly paid for by the council, Naomi did invest in her own tiles, sockets and door handles so it would suit her aesthetic.
The doors of the cupboards had been replaced with a fresher white look and the countertops were updated to have a dark marble-effect style.
Naomi replaced the bulky white plug sockets with sleek silver ones and used more modern tiles for the backsplash in the kitchen and finished it off with black door handles for a modern look.
The window above her sink had been so rundown it was letting a draught in, but after it was resealed and tiled it looked much more pleasing to the eye.
Council Lounge Makeover with B&Q buy
On the other side of the kitchen her boiler was on full display and the paint along the wall had been peeling off.
She said: "I used to be so embarrassed of people coming into my home and seeing it like this."
But after giving it a revamp with her new tiles and Dulux's Egyptian Cotton paint, it made the space look much bigger.
Many of the electrical wires were placed on the exterior of the wall and cased in plastic trunking, which Naomi said looked 'so tacky'.
How to do your council house up on the cheap
Take inspiration from pricier shops and head to B&M, Home Bargains for interior decorations.
Head to YouTube for easy to follow tutorials on how to decorate rather than paying for professionals.
For a quick glow-up for your floors or anywhere with tiles, opt for stick-on vinyl to save on costs.
A lick of paint does wonders to make a room feel brand-new.
Switch out kitchen cupboard knobs for modern ones instead of buying brand-new cupboards.
Thankfully, the council redid the electrics and put them inside the walls for a cleaner look.
Now Naomi was finally happy with her kitchen and added: "So grateful the council agreed to replace the old kitchen."
The clip soon went viral on her TikTok account @ naomilouisewells24 with over 96k views and 1,300 likes.
People were quick to take to the comments and congratulated Naomi on her new kitchen.
One person wrote: "Looks lovely!! Can I ask what you used to cover the boiler pipes. Mine is the same."
Another commented: 'You have made your home look lovely now, I'm also in a council property. I had to get gloss off a bedroom ceiling when I first moved in."
"You have made it look lovely and homely," penned a third.
Meanwhile a fourth said: "Wow that looks so much better!"
"Looks so good,' claimed a fifth.
Someone else added: 'After 23 years I've just been approved for a new kitchen as my previous one looks like something out of the 90s."