I’m obsessed with mermaids, so I transformed my home into an ocean-inspired paradise
A WOMAN who is ‘convinced she is half mermaid’ has transformed her home into an underwater paradise after falling in love with the ocean.
Bianca Spruit, 45, has spent the past eight years adding special, sea-inspired pieces to her home to transform it into a paradise any mermaid would envy.
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Her passion began when she first went diving on holiday at the age of 20. She has been hooked ever since.
And while some might find Bianca’s obsession crazy, her husband embraced it and learned to dive himself.
Speaking to Ruggable, she said she immediately felt “at home” in the water the first time she went diving.
Bianca said: “When I was 20, I went on a random holiday to Ayia Napa with my ex-boyfriend’s friends and a friend from my student days.
“For a few days the club visits went well, but I soon got bored and decided to go diving.
“I’ve always been a water rat and wanted to give it a try, so this was my chance.
From the moment I went underwater it was like I had found my home… Now that I was convinced that I was a bit of a mermaid my husband had no choice but to learn to dive and he loved it.
Bianca Spruit
“From the moment I went underwater, I felt like I had found my home!
“I didn’t actually see much on that dive, but the feeling of calm and weightlessness had me hooked from the start. As soon as I got back to the UK I signed up for my first diving course.
“Nowadays, in addition to being a leadership coach, I am also a diving instructor and have worked at diving schools in the UK, Thailand and Australia.
“Now that I’m convinced I’m part mermaid, my husband had no choice but to learn to dive and he loved it!”
Bianca from Leeds said she loved the feeling diving gave her. As she can’t dive as often as she would like, she wanted to do something special to recreate that feeling more often.
This inspired her to transform her home.
She said: “As a leadership coach, I talk to clients all the time about the importance of work-life balance and the passion to escape the hustle and bustle of work.
“For me, diving is a form of relaxation, but I don’t do it enough.
“By transforming my home into an underwater paradise, I could enjoy the peace and beauty of the underwater world without having to dive.
“When I first created a vision board for my coaching business, I found that not only did I see a lot of images and quotes that clearly related to my love of developing people, but I also had a lot of images of the ocean as inspiration.
By transforming my home into an underwater paradise, I could enjoy the peace and beauty of the underwater world without having to dive.
Bianca Spruit
“I thought it was logical that my home would reflect all my different sides. That’s why I have all kinds of books and inspirational pieces about leadership at home, but my passion for diving also had to be expressed.
“I wanted my home to reflect not only my passion, but also my personality.”
In the beginning, Bianca’s house was “livable”, but “far from what we wanted”. So over the years, she and her husband renovated it themselves and transformed it into their dream home.
Because her husband is a carpenter, they were able to take on odd jobs to keep costs down. They also took on the structural parts of the renovation and took a course to get to know new schools.
“The previous owner of this house was an elderly lady. The carpets were swirling floral patterns and the walls and ceilings had five layers of wood chip wallpaper. It was liveable, but far from what we wanted.
“Because my husband is a carpenter, he took the lead in designing the structure of the house and did all the woodwork, tiling, plastering, brickwork – you name it – while I worked alongside him as his laborer.
“Although we did most of the work ourselves, we hired an electrician and a plumber to take care of the technical aspects when necessary.
“When it came to decorating our home, we wanted to make sure we were as resourceful as possible.
“I even took a short course in glass fusing so I could create my own glass ‘wave’ and a glass underwater scene. Both sit in our bathroom window and sparkle when the light shines through.”
“When shopping for home accessories, we stayed flexible and grabbed bargains when we saw them, and took advantage of off-season sales.
“We also repurposed some of our furniture, such as our daughter’s chest of drawers. We put underwater wallpaper on the bottom and added some beautiful shell handles to the drawers. It cost us around £50 in total!
I can’t describe the happiness and peace that diving brings me, so this was more than a home project for me
Bianca Spruit
“Dust was a major issue during the build process. When you do it yourself, you not only have to consider the amount of time you spend, but also the amount of time you spend in a messy, dusty house!
“We did what we could with the dust cloths, but most of it was just plodding along.
“When it came to budgeting for this project, my husband was naturally very optimistic about price, so I would quietly add a hundred or more to what he told me each thing would cost!
“By doing this, we stayed under budget overall. The decor was actually a very small part of the budget because it was so DIY.”
Bianca says her home brings her so much happiness every day and she is proud of how hard she and her husband have worked to make it where it is today.
She added: “I can’t describe the happiness and peace that diving gives me, so this was more than just a home project for me.
BIANCA’S RENO TIPS
BIANCA has shared her top advice for anyone considering carrying out a similar renovation
The point is to create a realistic budget and always have a plan B in case of unforeseen circumstances.
She said: “My advice to everyone is to make sure you plan your budget and add a little extra to it.
“There will always be something unexpected that happens.
“It’s much better to come in under budget than not have enough to finish it.
“And have fun with it.
“Whatever your passion, use it as fuel for your creative flair and make it truly your own.”
“Every time I look at one of my photos on the wall, I am taken back to that specific dive and it gives me so much joy.
“One of my favorite pieces is the canvas in my bathroom that depicts a transparent crab that I found alive on the belly of a large starfish in Samoa!
“This dive took place during my two-year solo trip around the world. The photo brings back so many memories of that special time in my life.”
But she explained that she doesn’t think it will ever be “finished” and that she wants to continue decorating her home for years to come so that it looks exactly like what it is like in the ocean.
Bianca said: “Our home transformation has taken years because we keep adding new things as we find them.
“I don’t think it will ever be ‘finished’. When I’m diving, my favorite thing to do is to stay in one place for hours, just observing.
“The more you look, the more you find. That’s how it is with decorating our home!
“We think we’re done, but often when we’re somewhere new, we find something spectacular that just MUST be added!”
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