I copied Mrs Hinch and transformed £5 IKEA stool into stunning side table

If there's anything the internet has shown us it's that doing up a house doesn't have to cost a fortune.

The web is awash with ideas for sprucing up rooms and furniture on a budget and, with most people's finances tighter than ever, there's even more demand.

Mrs Hinch is never far from the headlines when it comes to home cleaning and design and has come up with some budget-friendly creations over the years.

Read more: £1.79 Home Bargains buy loved by Mrs Hinch cleared annoying moss from my garden in such a simple way

In need of a new side table, I decided to copy one of her savvy ideas using a cheap stool from IKEA.

She bought a Marius stool from the retailer and transformed it into a stunning side table using some spray paint on the legs. For the top she stuck down one of her own rattan placemats from the former Hinch range at Tesco.

Showing off the end results, Mrs Hinch, whose full name is Sophie Hinchcliffe, wrote on Instagram: "Not bad for a £4 Ikea stool. You can spray paint the frame to match your own decor of course and my Hinch place mat is £3."

The stool has since gone up a little bit in price, but is still a bargain at £5, and, while her Tesco range is no longer available, I picked up a similar Fox and Ivy mat from the supermarket for £3.50.

Rather than chalk paint, I used silver metallic spray paint for the legs, which cost me just £2.50 for a 400ml tin from Poundland.

It was so easy to do. I did one coat on the legs, let that dry and then did a second coat to make sure it was all covered. The spraying itself took less than five minutes.

Mrs Hinch paired her side table with a separate tray table, doing a similar thing to IKEA's £15 Gladom table, and attaching a rattan tray to the top. With the smaller stool fitting snuggly underneath, she had her own nest of tables.

But I'm happy with just the one and think it looks pretty impressive considering what it cost. Plus I've got lots of the spray paint left for my next venture, whatever that may be.