Mum Of 3 Saves £100s Creating Colourful Playroom With 40p Bargains
- A mum of 3 has saved £100s creating a playroom for her boys
- Carrie, 32 recreated her kids’ artwork on the walls to give it a unique look
- Most of the project was completed using 40p paint samples
- She got creative and used bowls or cups as stencils for the murals
It’s easy for our homes to feel overrun with kids’ toys, even if you try to get them to tidy up after themselves or stick to playing in their rooms. If you’re lucky enough to have a dedicated playroom in your home, this space can easily become the most neglected area in the house. You tell yourself you’ll clear it out, but you never get around to it!
One mum of 3 managed to not only organise her playroom but also transform the plain space into a colourful haven for her little ones to run around in. Carrie Kline, 32 from Minnesota, USA, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: ‘I’m a mom to three little boys so we spend a lot of time playing down in the basement playroom. I didn’t like how our basement felt dull and cold - it wasn’t a space I enjoyed being in.
‘I wanted the space to feel colorful, fun, happy and creative for them (and for me!) Therefore, I chose a colour palette that made me feel calm and happy - lots of earthy browns and greens - and just started brainstorming fun ideas.
‘Anytime I work on a home project, one of my main goals is to think of ways to maximize the space. One of the main things I wanted in this playroom was creative and aesthetically pleasing ways to store all the toys so they weren’t all constantly being dumped on the floor at once!
‘I also wanted to find ways to display some of my kids' artwork and to ensure lots of space for running and jumping (having three little boys, we need lots of movement space.)
‘The room had an awkward nook built into the wall that had always felt like such wasted space. I decided to build shelves directly into that space to store many of the kids' toys so they weren't always on the floor at once.
‘Something that initially stumped me about the room was the electrical control panel on the wall. I never liked how it looked but wasn’t sure what I could do to hide it. I’ve seen lots of people place large art pieces over electrical panels before to "hide" them but the positioning of my panel on the wall made it an awkward place to hang something so I knew that idea was out.
‘The idea to paint it came suddenly. I had literally JUST finished building the built-in storage shelves and was looking at the whole space and had a light bulb moment. I decided I would try to disguise the panel with paint! Spoiler alert: it worked!
‘My boys love to play with toy cars - so about a year ago when we first moved in, I turned a second-hand coffee table into a car table. I painted it full of roads, car parks, and dirt piles for them to drive their toy cars on. Since then, this has probably been their favorite thing to play with in the playroom - so when I was brainstorming ways to cover up the electrical panel on the wall, I decided to paint a little “building mural” to not only cover it - but to also look so cute paired with the car table - almost like it was a teeny little city.
‘On another wall, I painted a mural that was based on my 2 and 4-year-olds’ art. I took some of my favorite art pieces that they’ve created and repainted them on the wall to make an abstract design. It adds such a playful vibe to the room and they were SO PROUD to see their designs on the wall. I want to teach them that even at a young age - their art and their creations are special and what they have to offer the world is valuable.
‘On another wall, I added some frames and routinely swap out their original art pieces in those as well. It’s their space - I believe they should have a special place to display their work.
‘Most of what I’ve done in the playroom was done using only paint. It's incredible the changes you can make to a space using only paint! I shop primarily at Home Depot and something I always do is check the “Oops Paint” section. This is paint that they made by accident or that someone else forgot to pick up and they sell it at very discounted prices.
‘I can get sample-size paints (220ml) for only 40p! Oftentimes, these sample sizes are more than enough to paint a fun mural - I painted both the “abstract” wall and the “building” wall using only sample-size paints!
‘Other supplies I needed were painters tape (around £8 for a whole roll), good-quality paint brushes (I swear by the Zibra brand brushes, available in the UK for around £10 per brush) and rollers (I just buy the generic version at whichever store I’m at). All of these supplies I already had on hand from previous projects so I didn’t need to purchase them for this project!’
There were some additional supplies that Carrie picked up, too: ‘For the built-in I made, I got a 4x8 inch sheet of plywood which cost £60 and three 8-foot pieces of 1x4 inch common pine for £15 in total. I also used silicone caulk to give the final product a seamless look - I had this on hand - and I made the pegs out of a three-quarter inch wood dowel which cost £4.
‘The total amount that I spent on the built-in shelves was around £78. Had I hired someone to build this for me it would have easily cost me hundreds!
‘Another wall in the basement I turned into a board and batten "grid" style accent wall. All I purchased for the grid wall was one 4x8 sheet of plywood for £25 - the nail gun and nails I already had on hand.’
Once Carrie had the supplies, it was time to start building. The shelves came first. ‘I started off with lots of measuring. Homes are almost never completely square so it’s best to always measure and check your measurements twice before making any cuts!
‘After carefully measuring, I used my circular saw and ripped down my plywood to make sides and a ceiling that would make up my frame for the shelf. I cut them to the perfect size so they fit VERY snugly and then attached them to the wall and ceiling with screws.
‘Then I ripped down some shorter pieces to make the shelves - again, with lots of precise measuring. I attached these to my frame pieces using screws and wood glue. Then I used my table saw to rip my 1x4s in half. This was cheaper than buying multiple 1x2's. I then used these pieces to attach to the fronts of my whole shelf frame to give it a much more professional and finished look. I attached these with wood glue and a nail gun.
‘Then I filled all the nail holes and screw holes with wood filler, caulked every single seam and spot where the wood connected to the wall, lightly sanded, primed, and painted. The result is a shelf that looks like it was built into the wall when the home was built. It's hard to believe it's the same space as the before pictures!
‘On the front of the shelf, towards the bottom, I added a 1x4 inch with wood glue and a nail gun. I drilled holes in it and cut dowels to fit inside the holes to make a little peg rail so the kids could hang things there as well.
‘For an added touch, I used a Sharpie paint pen and drew vertical stripes on the bottom portion that give the visual effect of shiplap.
‘Next was the mural hiding the electrical panel. First, I primed the entire wall, including the metal electrical panel with two coats of primer. Then I used my regular wall paint and painter's tape and started painting rectangles to make up the buildings. This was a very simple project but time-consuming. Most of the time was spent waiting for the paint to dry before I could add the next layer.
‘I kept the designs simple, yet whimsical and used the color palette that I was already using in the room. When I did the round shapes, I traced bowls or cups with a pencil first and then used the pencil line as my guide on where to paint.
‘I then moved on to the kids’ abstract art wall. For this project, I primed the whole wall and then painted it white. Then I gathered a bunch of my children's artwork, chose some of my favorite pieces and then tried to paint it the exact same way they did on my wall - creating a fun pattern of various designs of theirs. I used my same playroom color palette to give it all a cohesive look.
‘For the grid wall I started out by doing some calculations to figure out where each piece needed to go to make each square the exact same shape. Then I made pencil marks as my guide. Next, I measured and cut each piece out of my plywood with my circular saw and attached them with a nail gun. Then I caulked around every single edge (this was the most time-consuming part) and filled all the nail holes. Then I primed and painted!
‘For me, the biggest challenge is always finding the time to work on my projects. I am a stay-at-home mum to three little boys aged 1, 2 and 4. I choose to only work on projects while they are taking a nap or after they are in bed so I can give them my full attention when they are awake. I never regret this decision, I value my time with my children more than anything - but it can still be a challenge when you’re in the middle of a project and everyone starts waking up so you have to stop.
‘There's also the fact that I have to be okay with my home often looking like a total disaster because I’m almost always in the middle of some kind of project! It's worth it! It's a passion!
‘The fun thing about DIY projects (especially ones involving mostly paint) is that at any point when I get tired of it, I have the power to change it myself. I’m constantly changing things around my house and trying different designs.
‘I’ve learned to trust myself - even when my idea seems wacky to other people. I'm the one who lives in my house so as long as my family and I love it, that's all that matters. Even when a project doesn't go as planned - I always learn something valuable along the way.
‘The reason I started doing DIY projects two years ago was that as a family of five with one income, we just cannot afford to hire someone to do these sorts of projects. I know that if I want something done it will almost always be so much cheaper to do it myself and I really enjoy the challenge of figuring it out.
‘Now that I have discovered my passion in DIY and home design - I hope to one day make a career out of that when my children are a little older. In the meantime, I started an Instagram and TikTok account to share my projects and inspire others.’
Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: ‘I love how creative this project is - the room looked ordinary before and now it’s got a truly unique feel. Carrie is clearly very artistic and it’s a great idea to use inspiration from your children’s artwork. Her sons will be proud of this room for years to come.’
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