Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Latest Issue
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Autumn Winter 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    1. Life
    2. Homes and Interiors

    The all-too-real emotional rollercoaster that is doing DIY

    Flatpack: It isn't fun.

    Delphine Chui's avatar
    By Delphine Chui
    Published 17 December 2016 In Features

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    DIY
    (Image credit: REX/Shutterstock)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Flatpack: It isn't fun.

    There's a reason that flatpack building and general fixing stuff is an actual job that you can employ people to do for you - and it's because DIY projects can break even the strongest of us.

    There's an excitement that comes from a home decor weekend where you decide that you will not be beaten by a house issue. Your tiles need grouting? Not an issue. Your doorframe needs polyfilla? Cool. You need a new wardrobe? Umm.

    But no, you will not fork out a day's wage (or more) on someone to build it for you. You are independent, you are smart and you are a boss. The world of homeware is your oyster and you are totally fine. In fact, you are PUMPED.

    http://giphy.com/gifs/JltOMwYmi0VrO

    You may like
    • A woman doing yoga, stretching, and helping her partner to stretch I Stopped Doing These 7 Things to Feel Less Stressed—and the Difference Was Almost Immediate
    • A woman lying on the sand at the beach; two friends playing; a woman holding a bunch of flowers leaning out of a car Health Doesn’t Need To Be Serious—Why You Should Prioritise Fun and Joy as Legitimate Health Metrics
    • Health Writer Ellie-Mae Hammond trying the NS I Tried the ‘NSDR’ Relaxation Technique for 6 Weeks—Can Finding Time to Do Nothing Really Boost Our Energy?

    And then the confusion hits in. What are these smiley weird shaped IKEA illustrated people trying to tell you exactly?

    http://giphy.com/gifs/kim-kardashian-keeping-up-with-the-kardashians-kuwtk-fedROfsbYZJ5u

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You read and re-read the instructions but you're still like...

    http://gph.is/2aNpZE9

    You're trying to keep your cool but it's really hard when these words make literally no sense.

    What to read next
    • Wedding planning I Love My Fiancé, but I Resent the Emotional Labour of Planning Our Wedding
    • Wicker husband: Alexander Skarsgård and Olivia Coleman in the new film Wicker Move Over Regular Men and AI Boyfriends, The “Wicker Husband” Has Arrived
    • A woman drinking a cup of tea in bed 5 Everyday 'Life Admin' Habits That Are Secretly Exhausting You

    http://giphy.com/gifs/kristen-wiig-ghostbusters-melissa-mccarthy-TC3Y19Y0BuTdu

    No. That screw does NOT fit in. It is not 'simple.' You need a break. No. Actually, you DESERVE a break.

    http://giphy.com/gifs/bethenny-frankel-rjEsxgyHk0j5u

    And, it's OK because you're going to stay positive and they wouldn't sell it as flatpack if you couldn't build it yourself. It's common sense.

    http://gph.is/1ZFfnda

    You've managed to complete half of it now and the world is good again.

    http://giphy.com/gifs/americanidol-american-idol-xiii-idoltop5-1guRIRPEIRoM3izBroY

    But this second half (the bit you've been intentionally avoiding) makes 0 sense.

    http://giphy.com/gifs/nickatnite-friends-rachel-green-l2R0c7Xc0YVwAjTtS

    You decide to have a mini breakdown in the comfort of your own space...

    http://giphy.com/gifs/cravetvcanada-community-cravetv-l2QZWOgzaWBt4VWZW

    Before calling for help because this job cannot be completed alone.

    http://giphy.com/gifs/blackandsexytv-26ybvIKLuiPUQWL8A

    After many a try and some teamwork, your friend/partner/colleague/grandma/dog manage to come up with a solution and you're like...

    http://giphy.com/gifs/gotham-jDUcqlx13bIZi

    And you start realising that wasn't that bad, after all.

    http://gph.is/1aRHMGm

    Until you remember the first half of this whole interaction and you decide to never go near a homeware shop again.

    http://giphy.com/gifs/hulu-fox-the-mindy-project-l2Sq19fT9BPnEmCdi

    (Until next time, because, you know, #interiorgoals)

    Delphine Chui
    Delphine Chui
    Social Links Navigation
    Read more
    A woman doing yoga, stretching, and helping her partner to stretch
    Wellbeing I Stopped Doing These 7 Things to Feel Less Stressed—and the Difference Was Almost Immediate
    A woman lying on the sand at the beach; two friends playing; a woman holding a bunch of flowers leaning out of a car
    Wellbeing Health Doesn’t Need To Be Serious—Why You Should Prioritise Fun and Joy as Legitimate Health Metrics
     
     
    Health Writer Ellie-Mae Hammond trying the NS
    Female health I Tried the ‘NSDR’ Relaxation Technique for 6 Weeks—Can Finding Time to Do Nothing Really Boost Our Energy?
    Wedding planning
    Relationships I Love My Fiancé, but I Resent the Emotional Labour of Planning Our Wedding
     
     
    Latest in Homes and Interiors
    Barbie's DreamHouse Is on Rightmove
    Homes and Interiors The Barbie DreamHouse Is on Rightmove, But What Does Female Home Ownership Look Like in 2026?
    Laura Deller, Photographed by Jane Russell.
    Homes and Interiors How I Found Myself Again as a Stay-at-Home Mum
     
     
    Former fashion model Helen Dzo Dzo Kaptur (in white lace), Nelda Linsk (in yellow), wife of art dealer Joseph Linsk, and actress Lita Baron (in white sunhat) at the Kaufmann Desert House in Palm Springs, California, January 1970. The Linsks are the current owners of the house. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Getty Images)
    Homes and Interiors Move Over Swimming Pools, Every Rich Person Wants an Analogue Room
    7 Ways to Create Space in Your Home and Inner Life for 2026
    Homes and Interiors 7 Ways to Create Space in Your Home and Inner Life for 2026
     
     
    Latest in Features
    The end of signature scent
    Fragrance The End of the Signature Scent—Why Fragrance Monogamy Is Falling Out of Fashion
    Why We Hold Onto Things From Our Past: A Collection of Sentimental Keepsakes, Old Photographs and Letters
    Relationships Why Is It So Hard to Throw Away Things From Our Past?
     
     
    Dakota Johnson brown cords listing
    Fashion Dakota Johnson’s Easy Brown Cord and Ballet Flats Look Is One I’m Bookmarking for Autumn
    A mug of coffee; a pile of pumpkins; autumnal leaves.
    Wellbeing The Autumn Energy Slump Gets Me Every Time—So I Asked Experts How to Feel Less Run Down Without Overhauling My Entire Life
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.