Creative mum in lockdown transforms kids’ room into jungle paradise for £150

30 June 2020 at 0:00 pm

Beckie Watts, 36, transformed her kids’ bedroom in lockdown
The jungle paradise cost Beckie less than £150 to create
She stuck to a strict budget, sourcing affordable materials from Wilko, Amazon and The Range

Many of us who’ve never even put up a shelf before are finding ourselves transformed into creative masterminds during the time spent at home in lockdown.

Beckie Watts, 36, a mum of two from Southend-on-Sea, used her time in lockdown creatively and productively.

She transformed her kids’ bedroom into an amazing jungle paradise, sticking to a tight budget of just £150 using Frenchic paint and products from Amazon, Wilko and The Range.

Beckie told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: "It all started with Frenchic! I had painted my kitchen in their incredible paint and I had some of the green left over called Victory Lane.

"My kids wanted a jungle-themed room so I started with a set of drawers I was given by a customer years and years ago and painted that green with gold handles.

"I used the original handles and then spray painted some of the children's animal toys to turn them into jungle drawers.

“I had to Frenchic the whole room after that! I got some feature blue wall paint from Wilko and drew, then painted, the tiger stripes on freehand with Frenchic paint called Loof, which costs £6.95 for a 150ml pot.

"I found a tiger stripe pattern I liked on Google Images and copied that. I actually set it as my screen saver so I didn't have to keep unlocking my phone.

"I then wanted to recreate the wallpaper I so desperately wanted but could never afford at about £70 per roll, so I painted the wall white and then painted the spots on with the tip of a paintbrush with the same Frenchic as the stripes.

"The panda came from the fact that my little boy Jack absolutely adores pandas. I made a similar panda face as part of the decorations for his panda birthday party last year so I recreated that by again using the same Frenchic paint.

"The palm leaves in his mouth were because I messed up painting the mouth freehand, so I just covered that with leaves and at the top of that wall were some leftovers from said party.

"I did have to order more from Amazon for only £9 and then used the rest to cover the bed. I wanted them to feel like they were asleep in the jungle.

"The beds I painted in four different Frenchic colours (Dazzle Me, Loof, Hot as Mustard and Victory Lane), as I was worried I wouldn't have enough mustard to do them both after painting the doors. I chose the mustard to resemble a leopard or giraffe.

"I definitely would have done as I am now using the rest to decorate my bedroom. One 750ml tin goes incredibly far!

"I then obviously had to paint the toy chest as there was no way I could leave orange pine in that room - the drawers under the bed are just recycled from a piece of furniture I was throwing out and upcycled to match the bed.

“I added a few artificial plants for a bit more of a jungle vibe, then fairy lights because fairy lights make everything magical!

“The total cost was under £150, and I had a budget bedroom using top quality paint and a bit of imagination!”

Beckie says the project was an ideal distraction during the lockdown, and proved to be a great creative outlet during the stressful time.

"I loved doing this as it gave me something to focus on when the world stopped and something to have some control over with routine completely out of the window,” she adds.

"It's been easy with ordering things online or popping to my local Wilko and The Range. It gives me such a great sense of achievement especially doing everything on my own.

"I have no design experience or anything but the praise from friends for the creative things I do and the response from the jungle room post online has given me the drive to apply for an Art and Design access course at Southend Adult College!”

Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, says: “Home renovations are notoriously expensive, but Beckie is proof that you really can do it on a budget if you stick to budget materials and brave the DIY yourself rather than outsourcing it!

“Her kids now have an amazing jungle bedroom they must absolutely love - and all for under £150!"

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