Mum Saves £600 Creating Garden Themed Bedroom For Daughters
- Anna, 36, wanted to create a garden themed bedroom for her daughters
- Bargains include pictures frames for under £5, £12 ivy garlands and £7 wardrobe handles
- By doing the painting and decorating herself she saved around £600
It can sometimes be difficult to create the exact bedroom your child wants, but one budget-savvy mum has managed to transform a plain space into a relaxing room without breaking the bank.
Anna Oliver, 36 from Liverpool and mum of two children aged 7 and 3, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: ‘My daughter asked for a garden themed bedroom so that started the ideas swirling in my brain!
‘Instagram helped to confirm in my mind that I wanted a pink and green colour scheme. Although my daughters are only young, I wanted the room to feel a bit more grown up but still delicate and feminine.'
The first step was to purchase supplies. Anna managed to pick up a number of items on the cheap from budget stores such as B&M, eBay and ASDA.
First up was the wardrobe, which was given a makeover. ‘I painted it using Frenchic paint in the shade Dusky Blush, which cost £15.95. I also replaced the handles with new ones from eBay for £7.'
Anna then invested in a rug for the room while browsing eBay, purchasing one for £59.99. Then it was time to hit the high street. ‘I got the bed covers from ASDA for £10 each, and the circular pink cushion and basket are from B&M. While I was there, I also got all the frames for under £5 each. The artwork is from Burnt Peach, Geri loves EMI and eBay.’
One of the key features in the room is the ivy garlands draped along the tops of the walls. ‘I’m asked a lot about those,’ Anna said. ‘I bought a pack of faux ivy garlands on Amazon for £12 and stuck them to the wall and ceiling using white tac.'
Before the room could be decorated, it needed to be stripped back. ‘We replaced the old rotten window for £390 and got a plasterer in to skim all the walls and the ceiling for £340. We also had a new laminate floor fitted, which cost £450 including the fit.
‘I invested in furniture that would last, so I paid £500 for the beds and mattresses, and £100 for the chest of drawers. We painted the ceiling white and one wall in a colour match of Mizzle by Farrow and Ball which was £25, saving £20.
‘We avoided professional expenses where possible. For example, we stripped the walls of wallpaper ourselves, and by not getting a painter decorator in we probably saved ourselves around £600.’
There were some obstacles which had to be overcome. ‘We had a leak from the chimney which resulted in the ceiling staining and needing to dry out over the wintertime before we could paint it.
‘When inspecting the leak in the loft space the ceiling got damaged and had to be repaired and replastered so that pushed things back too.’
Now that the project is over, Anna is happy with the outcome. ‘There's nothing I would change, which is actually a surprise as I'm a perfectionist!
‘We had a plasterer in who was brilliant but the rest of the work we knew we could do ourselves and save money in the process.’
Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: ‘Anna has done a great job saving money on this impressive bedroom transformation. By doing the painting and decorating herself, she has undoubtedly saved hundreds of pounds.
‘By taking some extra time to work on jobs she felt confident to do herself, Anna has managed to use the money she would have spent on professional costs to purchase some durable, long-lasting furniture for her daughters. Nice one!’
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