Her home would not look out of place in the glossy pages of some famous interior design magazines. Yet single mom Emma Parkes renovated her rental cottage on a budget of just 2,000 pounds (approx. $2,600), doing all the work herself. When 49-year-old Emma and her two children, Poppy, 18, and Ralph, 8, moved into their new house in August 2020, it was painted entirely in magnolia. But Emma, who works full time in special-needs education, wanted the family’s home to be a happy, color-filled place. Located on a small farm on the outskirts of a Shropshire village in England, the three-bedroom semi is a “Duke of Sutherland” cottage, a house style typical of the English county. Ready to let and in sound condition, Emma immediately saw its potential. “I’ve always had an interest in interiors and felt that, although the cottage was beautiful, it would still benefit from some …