After a stellar season, Madison Keys had a somewhat larger reward in mind than the enormous silver cup or plate typically awarded to the champion of a major tennis tournament.

In this week’s issue of PEOPLE, Keys, 25, explains, “I had a really great summer in 2017; I won a title [the Stanford Classic], and then I made the finals of the U.S. Open, so I thought, ‘Why not buy a house?'” The interior design-obsessed athlete already resided in a small flat in Orlando, but she was desperate to furnish her first true residence.

“Decorating is my way to relax and be creative,” says Keys, who is currently ranked 13th in the world and is competing in her 11th U.S. Open. (On Saturday, the seventh-seeded player was forced to withdraw from the tournament after suffering a neck injury in a match against Alizé Cornet.)

Growing up in Florida, she states, “I would watch HGTV all day long. When I was 13 years old, my mother entered my room while I was rearranging my furniture in the middle of the night. Now that I have my own space and can make breaches in the walls, everything has been amplified.”

Keys found her ideal first home in a new development, where she “got to start from scratch, pick my lot, and all of the finishes,” as she explains. “I walked through the model residence roughly eighteen times. I had taped items out on the floor before the plasterboard was installed.” The only obstacle was her professional tour schedule, which left her with little time to examine tile samples. “From my closing to my next tournament was five days,” she recalls. “To be frank, it was a complete failure. I concluded the deal and then boarded a plane.”

Even though she was out of town, she was still eager to begin adorning. The following months were spent by Keys, a proud and disciplined bargain hunter, searching furniture websites for her ideal pieces. “Because I had so much time between commencing construction and moving in, I began scouting websites for sales. “I participated in Black Friday, President’s Day, and everything else I could think of,” she explains.

Another inventive trick she used was repurposing pieces for rooms other than the one they were intended for. “My large black and white workstation in the closet is actually a kitchen island from World Market. It cost $280!” she discloses.

While Keys was travelling, she sent her treasures to her mother’s home in Iowa for safeguarding. When it was eventually time to move in a year later, she had everything shipped in at once.

During the offseason, she was also able to complete several hands-on initiatives. “My mother and I installed the floral wallpaper together in the dining room,” she says. (For a comparable look, shop for Khristian A. Howell’s Une Femme wallpaper!) “It is not flawless. “If you look closely, you can tell that it was created by first-timers, but I love the statement it makes, and the mere thought of this four-hour project makes me laugh,” she says.

Another do-it-yourself project in the living room adds glitz. Keys found a large vase at TJ Maxx, sprayed it with gold paint, added floral foam, and filled it with decorative feathers to create an eye-catching accent that adds height and colour to an empty corner.

The wall behind her bed is painted grey within her chamber. “I love dark colours so much that I have many dark accent walls,” says Keys. Etsy is one of her favourite sources for inexpensive wall décor, as evidenced by the fact that all of the wood pieces displayed are from there. (Shop Hexagon Shelves by Crafted Glory Design for a comparable look!)

During this year’s coronavirus pandemic, she stayed indoors significantly more than usual. In a typical year, Keys spends between 18 and 22 weeks at home. This is the longest period of time I’ve ever spent there.

However, more leisure at home allows her to refine her design. She confesses to giving in to her 13-year-old habit of rearranging things, and has been asking her tennis player boyfriend Bjorn Fratangelo, whom she has been dating since 2017, for assistance.

“I continually move items. “It drives him crazy, but I find it hilarious,” she says with a chuckle. “I love the pieces I own, and because of my personality, I enjoy mixing and matching!”