Mum Designs Gorgeous Blush Pink Girls’ Room With Budget Buys
- Lisa Carlisle, 33, aced the eye-catching blush pink sibling room makeover on a £700 budget – including a brand new carpet
- Added space-saving furniture and playful accessories from affordable ranges, snapping up “bargains wherever possible”
- Her daughters are “super happy” with their new-look bedroom
Sibling rooms can be a challenge to decorate, but there are lots of ways to be creative on a budget.
This gorgeous blush pink girls’ bedroom is a case in point. The room was designed by Lisa Carlisle, 33, a stay at home mum from Lincolnshire, who wanted to create a trendy new space that her daughters Millie-June, 11, and Lacey-May, 8, would love.
Together with her husband Graham, she set about giving the room a thoroughly modern makeover while keeping a close eye on the cost.
“I wanted the room to look as spacious as possible, modern and, most of all, to be more suitable for their ages,” says Lisa.
Ditching the bunk beds in favour of single beds was the starting point for the transformation.
“My girls didn't like the bunk beds and neither did I,” says Lisa. “After chatting to the girls about colour schemes, they both agreed that they wanted the walls to be pink. That's when I started looking at themes.”
Lisa began searching for blush bedroom inspiration on Pinterest and a budget DIY group she’s a member of on social media.
“That's when I came across the Dalmatian spot wall stickers,” she says. “I showed my girls a few pictures and they loved them.”
The rest of the design, including the eye-catching mountain-effect feature on the lower half of the walls, evolved from there.
“I didn't want the walls to be plain, and I’m not good at wallpapering, so I decided to paint them,” she says.
“My husband and I started by stripping off the old wallpaper. Then, we sanded the wall to remove as much glue as possible. Next, we painted the walls white. However, we quickly noticed that the paint had started cracking. After a bit of research, we realised that we should of used a primer to seal the wall. We used a product called Zinsser Bulls Eye 123 Primer Sealer before painting it white again.
“To create the mountain effect, we had to consider the best way to get the straight lines,” she continues. “We had taken this approach before on another project and had paint seep under the masking tape we used, so we had to find a way to stop that from happening.
“We painted along the bottom edge with our white base colour, using a roller to seal the FrogTape. Once that had dried we added the colour – a shade called Powder Pink by Dulux – and removed the tape while the paint was still wet.”
The careful approach did the trick by creating a neat line. The final step for the walls was placing the Dalmatian stickers.
“This took time and patience,” says Lisa. “Overall, the whole process was relatively easy, although the cracking paintwork was frustrating.”
Once a new carpet had been laid, it was time to bring in the new furniture.
“The room isn't very large, so I also had to think about how everything would fit into the space,” says Lisa. “I used an app called Room Planner, which helped me recreate the bedroom in 3D and allowed me to visualise how single beds would best fit.
“I chose storage beds so the girls didn't lose any toy space. Plus, I knew they'd look better with low footboards.”
The beds, desk, chair and bedding were ordered online, and the rest was bought from high-street stores with the help of Lisa’s sister.
“We love hunting for items,” she says. “For me, that's the best part, as well as buying all the accessories that complete the room.
“The beds cost £119 each from Very, but I opened an account and got a 30% discount so they were £83.30 each,” she reveals.
https://www.latestdeals.co.uk/vouchers/bandm
“When decorating a bedroom from scratch the cost soon adds up, so I always try to find bargains wherever possible. When shopping online I usually search for discount codes, a new customer deal or a newsletter sign-up deal.
Lisa’s furniture and accessories shopping list
- Bedding, £10 from Dunelm
- Dalmatian spot cushion, £8 from Homebase
- Round cushion, £8, from B&M
- Luna Brushed Blush Blackout Eyelet Curtains, £30 from Dunelm
- Dalmatian spot wall stickers, £20 for 1,206 from ebay
- Uriel Feather Pendant Shade In Pink, £23 from Iconic Lights
- Desk, £80 from IKEA
- Chair, £40 from ebay
- Beds, £83.30 each (originally £119 each from Very, with 30% off)
- Plush Heart Dreamcatcher, £5 from B&M
- Cat plant, £6 from ASDA
- Pink desk mat, £15 from Amazon
- Light-up vanity mirror, £17 from Amazon
- Koala and pig picture clip stand, around £3 from ebay
- Under-bed baskets and bin, a few pounds each from Home Bargains
Even the artworks were made on a budget.
“My sister used an app called Canva to create the pictures,” says Lisa. “I added the 'Girls Can Game Too' and 'But First Make Up' text to the pictures and printed them on Snapfish. This also helped to save me money.
“The project took about three days to complete in total and cost around £700, which included the new carpet,” says Lisa. “I'm glad we decided to do it ourselves. The cost for a professional interior designer would have been out of our budget.”
“I'm very happy with the end result, seeing how beautiful it looks after all our hard work is a great feeling. My girls are super happy with it too, which is the most important thing.”
If you’re planning a similar sibling room makeover, take this advice:
“My top tip would be to use your space wisely. Apps helped me to double check measurements to ensure I had the perfect layout,” she advises. “Also, make sure you utilise the space with storage boxes and baskets. You can save space, where possible, by opting for thinner furniture designs, such as desks.”
Tom Church, Co-Founder of money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk comments: “Designing a kids’ room is an excellent opportunity to be creative. What’s more, there are some amazingly affordable home furnishing and accessories ranges to choose from.
“Lisa has kept a firm handle on her budget by doing it herself rather than calling in the pros.
“Plus, making the most of deals, such as discount codes and new customer sign-up offers, can make a big difference to the overall cost.”
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