How to transform a tiny home through DIY

  Nyambura Ndiba's container home. (Courtesy)

A DIY master, street-smart, self-taught interior designer and businesswoman, Nyambura Ndiba can repurpose anything she lays her hands on.

Her container home combines creativity and innovation. When you go upcountry, we all think of putting up concrete structures that cost an arm and a leg. Not Nyambura, though. In her early 30s, she owns a 500-square-foot double-high container home in Kiambu, which cost her Sh300,000.

Having been brought up in the city, the idea came alive whenever they visited her country home when she was young. The country home is situated at a 17-acre land in Kiambu, where her parents were born and raised.

Nyambura is an avid fan of tiny homes, and she borrowed a few ideas from the show Tiny Homes.

When she purchased the container, she began to put together her dream country home, which has become her major DIY project. This has evolved with time, and she has inspired thousands of her community followers on Instagram.

Nyambura is an unapologetic maximalist whose space screams boho and eclectic vibes. Reclaimed materials appear in her home, where all items are DIY projects, including her electronics.

The accent concrete wall doubles up as her fireplace. She painted her chimney white and blue, making it authentic and attractive.

Her open-plan home has expansive windows, giving the space an airy and fresh feel. Once inside, one cannot tell they are in a container.

 Nyambura's container home combines creativity and innovation.

Retro art pieces on the walls and the mellow yellow theme tie her eclectic boho interior home together.

She used plywood to demarcate her space, blue gum for her ceiling and mabati for the roof of her home.

A wooden staircase leads to her master bedroom, her pergola and two other rooms.

Craft and wild imagination enabled her to repurpose almost every item in her house, from furniture to accessories and electronics.

With the help of a carpenter, Nyambura assembled pallets to make sofa seats for the dining table and living table.

She upholstered the cushions with navy blue covers. The furniture only cost Sh7,000. After some time, she repurposed the seats again to comfy sofas with mellow yellow upholstery.

She used PVC tiles in light oak colour on the floor, making the space warm and spacious.

She decorated her walls with white 3D tile pattern wallpaper, giving the walls personality. She adorned the walls with retro pictures for the nostalgia of the 80s, and the macrame woven art pieces are simply mind-blowing.

Nyambura does not like hanging her family pictures on the walls but cuts her favourite pictures from t-shirts and magazines and frames them. She is big on art, especially psychedelic art.

She has a Mandala carpet with vibrant colours and lovely detail. "I bought this carpet in Uhuru market. By the way, I sourced most of my stuff from Gikomba and Uhuru markets. I am pretty frugal when it comes to decorating my home," she said.

Her dining table, also made out of pallets, is grey. Tiny creative stools and a comfortable bench create the perfect dining space with friends.

An exciting feature in the dining area is her sink. She bought a stainless steel bowl, had a fundi to drill a hole, and fixed it as a sink with a tap. The bowl is held with a wooden tray. It's filled with sand and cowrie shells from Turkana and covered in glass.

The frame of the mirror at the sink is made out of a tyre and painted gold. Below the sink is a repurposed cabinet inherited from her mother.

Her kitchen has mellow yellow curtains that add colour to the white walls. "Believe it or not, my kitchen counter was a teller from a demolished bank my dad bought ages ago. It was in storage, and I took it and repurposed it," she said. Her kitchen is spacious, airy and functional, with bar stools to entertain guests when she is cooking.

Nyambura transformed her white boring-looking fridge by skillfully painting it a vibrant yellow mellow colour. A huge chandelier hangs from the roof. She repurposed her pendant light fixtures with a mukima tree from her garden. She had a fundi drill holes and made the pendants functional.

Upcycled cabinets and some walls in her home are covered with Formica for her preferred finish. "Best secret is formica. It is affordable and gives your home a great aesthetic," she said.

Her toilet is all glass. When asked why she had a transparent toilet, she responded, "Well, this is my space, my sanctuary. One has to comply with my rules."

Her master ensuite bedroom feels like a real doll house. She painted her walls terracotta pink. Her headboard is green, and the bed is made of pallets. Her bed is pretty functional and comfortable. She weaved the tassel chandelier using white knitting thread, transforming it into an understated, boho, eclectic space. Her dressing table has a vanity mirror and a functional sink with little shelves for her cosmetics, which she made herself.

Her patience and prowess in mastering her skill to be a DIY expert is exceptional. Sometimes, she opens her space to the public as an Airbnb. Nyambura does interior design for homes on a budget and rents her grounds for weddings and parties. She plans to start a tiny home movement. Support her and follow her on her IG @nyamburatinyhomes for more DIY inspiration.

Watch the Art of Living show every Sunday at 6:30 pm and watch this episode on the KTN YouTube channel. Give feedback @missnailantei