Family Use Old Furniture To Make Gorgeous Disco Bar In Back Garden

A thrifty family have completely transformed old furniture from their back garden into a gorgeous disco bar.

The creative project gave the Marsh clan a way of celebrating their mum Christine's birthday in style during lockdown.

Jasmine Marsh, 26, wanted do something extra special for her mum after she rescued her and fiancé Olly, 30, from being stranded on holiday in India due to the coronavirus, by buying them emergency flights back to England.

The young couple - who usually live in Magaluf - realised they wouldn't be hosting Christine in the Spanish sunshine this year, and would have to create a relaxing retreat in the family home in Ashford, Kent, instead.

Jasmine, Olly and her siblings got to work, creating a holiday hideaway with a fully stocked bar, patio, hammocks and outdoor cinema, before the big reveal to Christine.

Jasmine, a glitter and body paint artist, said: "We had lots of inspiration from all the beautiful bars and restaurants that we went to in Goa and mum's birthday was coming up so we wanted to do something really special for her.

"Olly and I live and work in Spain for six months and then go travelling so we were planning on going back home but we almost got stuck in India because of the coronavirus.

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"My mum paid for us to get to England on an emergency flight and we fell into lockdown a few days after - it was going to be the first time in eight years that I was living at home again."

The brainwave came to Jasmine just two weeks before her mum's birthday.

"I was sitting in the garden and at the very back there was lots of waste chucked there," she continued.

"I was staring at it and thought I could do something with my time to make something out of it all.

"Mum was also really upset about having her birthday in lockdown and I didn't know what to do to try and make her day special, apart from throw her an amazing party at home.

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"She usually flies out to Spain to meet us for her birthday but instead we had to bring the beach and bar to her!"

In just a fortnight, Jasmine and her helpers created a bar from an old desk and shelf unit, before fixing, sanding and painting broken chairs and tables previously tucked away in the garage.

These were then assembled below a wooden structure that was already in the garden.

Thoughtful touches like a dream catcher, a reglued broken disco ball and bamboo screens complete the bohemian bar look.

Incredibly, almost everything was cost-free.

A little extra cash spent on items like ambient lights, plants, glasses, stools, a rug and bamboo fire torches came in at a wallet-friendly £248.

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The full breakdown of costs was:

• £48 at local tool shop: Nails, hooks, glue, paint, wood varnish and sandpaper
• £64 at B&M: Plastic cups and wine glasses, decorative bowls and pots, watering can, solar fairy lights, BBQ utensils and plants
• £45 at Argos: Two bar stools and outdoor rug
• £12 at Ebay: Bamboo Fire Torches
• £7 at Amazon: Stencils to spray paint furniture and support beams
• £72 at Electrician (Jasmine's cousin, socially distanced) to fit plug sockets, amazing colour changing lights, and wine bottle lamps.

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Jasmine said: "Our family is really into being self-sustainable so it was so fun for us to re-purpose and make something beautiful out of what was lying around in our garden."

And the lockdown project isn't over yet - the family are continuing to add to it, recently installing an outdoor cinema with a cheap projector and old white bedsheet as a screen.

Mum Christine was blown away by her surprise and shed a few tears when she saw the transformed garden.

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Jasmine said: "On the day of her birthday I did a treasure hunt going round the house, which ended in her going into the garden blindfolded for the big reveal.

"Mum is an emotional person so she was in tears and it's now become an essential space for her during lockdown to sit back and relax.

"It's been an absolute saviour in lockdown for sure."

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What a result. Can we have one of these installed in our own back garden, please?

Topics: Bar, Home, DIY, Family, Life, Garden, Interiors

Mary-Jane Wiltsher

Mary-Jane Wiltsher is a freelance lifestyle and culture journalist. Elsewhere she writes for Stylist, Euronews, PHOENIX and What We Seee.