The two were excited to have a house that was theirs to do whatever they wanted. LEEDS, UNITED KINGDOM: THIS STYLISH gay couple have spent just six-thousand-pounds transforming their old nineteenth-century home into a trendy, minimalistic retreat - raising the value of the property by over THIRTY-THOUSAND-POUNDS. Photographer Tom Sheard and his partner, Stanley Dru from Leeds, UK, bought their first home together in December 2018 for L120,000. As the property was in dire need of modernisation, the two set about designing their perfect home. Although the duo had never done any DIY before, they were excited about having a blank canvas to work on, where they could do whatever they wanted. They began trawling through Pinterest and YouTube, looking for inspiration and tutorials, where they taught themselves how to go about renovating their 1800s, three-bedroomed, terraced house. Their goal was to create a space that was minimalist yet classy with hints of colour that would contrast with the white and grey tones found throughout. The pair believe over the course of four years, that they have achieved the look they wanted and are proud of their accomplishment. Tom and Stanley?s most expensive project was the kitchen, which cost L4,000 to complete. In order to complete their ideal kitchen, they stripped the work surfaces and replaced them with an oak wood work surface (L1,500) which gives the kitchen a rustic look. They replaced the plain, grey floor tiles with black and white patterned tiles (L600) giving a unique look to contrast with the grey appliances. They also added shelving to the walls (L90) giving themselves more storage space and a place to put decorations such as plants and crockery. The look was completed with additional plants placed on the work surfaces, along with rustic chopping boards which tie in the simplicity of the kitchen. Tom and Stanley decided to paint over the original, tired mantelpiece in the living room with an elegant and classy white pain