Mum Turns Cluttered Bedroom Into Relaxing Haven Using £3 Leather Hack
● Julie, 32, turned her cluttered room into a Scandinavian-style haven
● She picked up a £3 leather strip from eBay to make her own furniture handles
● Other bargains include £5 cushions and just £20 on artificial plants
● LatestDeals.co.uk Co-Founder Tom Church offers tips on decluttering
It’s easy for bedrooms to become neglected, especially when you’ve got children taking up most of your time, but giving this space a makeover can transform it into a relaxing haven - and there’s no need to rack up a huge bill doing it. One mum who knows a thing or two about budget makeovers is Julie Pentelow, a teaching assistant who has transformed multiple rooms in her house in a Scandinavian style.
Julie, 32 from Swindon with two children aged 5 and 2, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: ‘I was inspired to transform our bedroom after seeing people in Facebook groups giving their spaces a new look. I wanted to achieve something similar so I decided to give it a go myself!
‘After browsing the internet for different ideas, I fell in love with the Scandinavian design, which I used for my kitchen and bathroom makeovers. The minimalist style provides a lovely sense of escapism, so I wanted to make my bedroom feel like that.’
Picking up supplies proved to be a simple task, with plenty of items being obtained at a discount. Julie also managed to get crafty as she worked on the project. ‘I picked up Dulux paint for the walls - I used the shade Overtly Olive on the main wall, and the shade Almond White on the other walls. The tubs were £26 each from B&Q and I used 3 tubs in total.
‘I really liked the look of leather pull handles on furniture, I saw these used a lot in Scandinavian style makeovers. I made some myself by ordering a strip of brown leather from eBay for £3 and cut the handles to size myself. I used gold notice board pins to make it look like the fastening of the handle and stuck them into the drawers with a bit of extra glue for stability.’
Julie didn’t have to spend too much more on decorations. She picked up some artificial plants from B&M and IKEA to make the room feel more homely, spending no more than £20 on these overall. She purchased a small artificial potted plant for the headboard and a taller artificial plant to go next to the bed.
Fortunately, Julie’s existing furniture was largely compatible with the new style she was going for. She already had some white bed linen which complemented the whole look nicely. Furthermore, she was also able to keep the bedside tables, just adding some nice tealight lamps to add a warm glow to the room.
Julie added: ‘I already had some of the cushions I used on the bed, but the others I got were only £5 each and I spent £15 in total at Home Bargains. I made use of warm yellow tones to make the room complement the cooler white and grey shades nicely.
A lot of the makeover came about simply from Julie clearing the clutter. Beforehand, there had been items in various places on the chest of drawers, bedside tables and bed, but taking the time to find homes for each item made the room look bigger and feel more relaxing straight away.
Adding mirrors on the walls helped with creating a feeling of space in the room, and using some storage boxes to organise everyday items on the tables ensured that Julie was able to make better use of the space she has available.
Julie has received plenty of compliments from family and friends now that the makeover is complete. She said: ‘We’ve saved hundreds by decorating ourselves and it now looks like we have got a new bedroom!’
Tom Church, Co-Founder of money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk, said: ‘Julie has done a great job at transforming her bedroom, proving that you don’t need to break the bank to make a difference.
‘Even if you don’t have the time to do any painting or look into home decor, simply clearing the clutter can make a room look much bigger and feel less chaotic. It’s easy to dump things on the side and never get around to putting them back where they belong, especially when you’ve got a busy lifestyle or small children to focus on.
‘Simply adding a mirror can work wonders if you want to create a feeling of space. A good rule to follow is to pick a mirror which is roughly two thirds of the size of any furniture you plan on hanging it above. If you’re choosing one for your bedroom, it can also work well to go for one which is full-length so you can check your complete reflection before heading out.’
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