"Pinterest-worthy": SA Student’s DIY University Room Makeover Impresses Mzansi

• South African student kea.selemane shared a DIY tutorial showing how she renovated her university res room from scratch
• She tackled the wallpaper installation herself after the person she paid to do it scammed her
• Her step-by-step renovation video caught fire online, with viewers calling her work gorgeous and asking to hire her

A South African university student turned her plain, uninspiring res room into a Pinterest-worthy retreat using nothing but hardware store finds, determination and a healthy dose of patience.

Kea Selemane, who goes by @kea.selemane on Instagram, shared a DIY renovation video on 10 October 2026 that quickly gained traction online. Her starting point was blunt:

"My res-room is ugly but it doesn't have to stay ugly."

From scam to stunning

The project did not begin smoothly. Kea had originally paid someone to install the wallpaper for her, but that person never delivered. Rather than give up, she went to the hardware store, picked up the supplies herself and figured it out as she went.

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She documented every step, from cleaning the walls and measuring out wallpaper lengths to applying glue directly onto the wall rather than the paper itself, a tip she stressed over the instructions printed on the packaging. She also warned viewers to scrape out air bubbles using a book or flat surface as they go, and to use a Stanley knife carefully when cutting around objects.

One of her more creative solutions involved hiding an unsightly intercom on the wall using an artificial pot plant. She also incorporated a shoe shelf, originally bought to store her collection of nearly 14 sneaker pairs, as a pop of colour in the space. Warm LED lighting finished off the look.

The result, as she put it in her caption:

"Dare I say my room is Pinterest-worthy now? 🤭"

Mzansi wants to book her

View the Instagram video below:

South Africans in the comments on her page were thoroughly impressed, with many asking where they could get the same wallpaper and LED lights:

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@lathi.co.za said:

"Should've called you in the beginning of the year 😩😩"

@the.gr8nash reacted:

"Nah you've cooked 😭🫵🏽"

@ntharile_modiselle shared:

"Okay 😮 looks like a lot of work but I'll try to do it 🔥"

@fit.mrs.allen said:

"A gorgeous DIY girly 😍😍"

@ellen.gatesss declared:

"It's settled, I'm hiring you next year! 😉"

More Briefly News stories on renovations

• A South African TikTok creator says some applicants have lost US refugee status over false details, raising questions about Orania, resettlement and the programme.
• Nqobi-Mfundo Nkosi’s home renovation video stunned South Africans, showing bare rooms transformed into stylish spaces praised for their warmth and love at home.
• A Limpopo housing project with more than 500 units has faced over a decade of delays, with electricity still outstanding and corruption allegations under review.

Source: Briefly News