Did you follow our revamp of R’s room over on my Instagram? As much as I loved her nursery, it was looking worn after nearly 4 years and was in need of a bit of TLC. Plus we needed to give her some incentive to stop making midnight visits/crawling into our bed and instead sleep through the night in her room, so we decided to what any parent would do in desperate situations: bribe, sorry- incentivise her with a brand new bedroom with pink walls (her non-negotiable).
We had so much fun playing around with new materials as well as just using what we already had. And I had so many messages about the room I thought it might be easier to just share the details on my blog in case you wanted to come back to it for your own use!
So here’s how we revamped her room with less than £200.
Rearranging furniture
She has the box room in the house, which can just about fit in a single children’s wardrobe, a 2x Kallax unit and a cotbed. It’s a snug 2.52m by 1.83m so there’s not much space to play around with, but a bit like that Reel/Tiktok audio- I thought it could be better. So the first thing I did was play around the the positioning of the furniture. Now she’s older I wanted to create a space for her to be able sit and play (something the old set up was missing). It’s remarkable how a simple change like moving her bed to under the window would make such a huge difference and open up the space. The new position also meant that the door could open out much further (where before it would knock on the bedframe) which also made the room feel more open and spacious.
It’s such a simple thing to do and I think it is single handedly the thing that made the biggest difference to the room. Plus it’s free!
The only issue we had was that her bed was now against the radiator. So I bought a radiator cover and put some radiator foil behind it to reflect as much heat back into the room. She loves it as it keeps her nice and toasty at night time. We were a bit worried about how much the cover jutted into the room (space being precious and all) but it was hardly noticeable.
We bought ours from Plumbworld for £51.60 (making it the 2nd most expensive purchase we made for the room).
Space Saving Tips
Furniture
We didn’t actually buy any new furniture for this room but I thought I’d mention two of the existing features which helps us managed storage in this small space. For one thing, our cot-bed has under-bed storage drawers. This is a lifesaver and means we can store random seasonal things (swimming floats, costumes etc) and bedding in her room. The second is the classic IKEA Kallax unit (2×1) which I created a seating pad for this using foam from Dunelm years ago, making it a ‘multifunctional’ bit of furniture. I made it in the hope it would be a reading nook but she barely spends any time sat on it but it does look nice. Underneath we store toys and books.
And something Taufiq did more recently is that he built the IKEA wardrobe up to reach the ceiling to make it look ‘fitted’ and maximise the storage upwards.
Decorative storage
As well as your standard furniture, there’s lots of ways to add more decorative- but still practical- storage. Shelves are great for this. Again, she already had two large wall mounted shelves from before which hold some books, photos and her night light (a 3D moon my brother got her). But she has a lot of books, and bedtime books are part of our routine (currently negotiated down to 3 books a night!) I saw this popular IKEA hack with their Bekvam spice rack and knew it would be perfect to add some extra book storage, use otherwise dead wall space, and look pretty! These were £3.50 when we bought them, but seem to have gone up to £4.00 now. Just a warning if you have very little kids and place them up higher, larger books might fall out when little hands try to reach them- so either keep them low or put smaller books in the higher shelves.
Another way we maximised the space we have was by hanging her laundry basket on the back of her door. I can’t take credit for this as this was all Taufiq’s idea but it’s so smart. When the door is open it’s tucked out of sight and it’s not using up any precious floor space. Our’s is an old one which she was given as a gift (still sold at H&M for £14.99), which I hung up on the door with two Command Hooks.
Making it fun!
Wallpaper
Ever since I joined Spoonflower as an Ambassador I knew I wanted to use their wallpaper somewhere in the house. But I would say we’re not really naturally wall paper people? The idea of committing to a print scares me. But when it comes to R’s room we decided to just have fun with it. So we got a roll of the Peel & Stick wallpaper and decided to cover her wardrobe! I was heavily inspired by this gorgeous reading nook from The Otto House. I just love the use of a busy wallpaper to highlight a space.
But instead of the nook, we went with the wardrobe. This particular the Peel and Stick/removable wallpaper has a texture a bit like contact paper and honestly, it was so easy to apply and looks so good. It’s one of the things people love the most when they come and see the room. We used less than 1 roll for the wardrobe (I think I got the longest roll in case we didn’t have enough).
You can head to my Spoonflower Collection to see the rest of my shortlist of wallpaper designs here. (Don’t forget to use my code: POMEGRANATE20 for 20% off)
We went with the Leopard Jungle print by Viv Design – we all loved the fun, bright design but also felt it would still suit her as she got a bit older. This was the most expensive item in the room revamp- but by far the most impactful. Well worth it! It hasn’t peeled away and when we have tested it, it has come off without leaving any residue/damage (but of course make sure you test it first on your furniture).
Paint
You know I love a bit of colour blocking, so I couldn’t resist the chance to add a feature scalloped wall to her room. We went to our local B&Q and used their colour cards to match the paint to the wallpaper (Valspar- I think in Peachy Pink? But I’m not 100% sure!). I cut a semi circle stencil on my Cricut Joy and traced around that to create my scallop before hand painting the arches.
Just a note on painting because I got so many messages about this. I started using painting pads after seeing them on @Thehousethatcolourbuilt account. I used them for our dining area’s pink ceiling and became a full convert after that. I used this set from Harris (around £15) and I will never go back to rollers! It’s so much quicker, tidier (no annoying flecks of pain everywhere) and gives a lovely smooth finish. Plus they’re easy to wash! The only thing I would say is make sure you pat off excess paint in the tray before applying to the wall. This will avoid any drips.
I know what you’re thinking. You don’t believe me. I promise Taufiq was the same until he used it too. Another thing to note though is that does require a bit of wrist strength so if you have weaker joints/prone to painful wrists you might need to take breaks or avoid using the hand pad.
Finishing touches
The finishing touches were really fun to source and make. I searched high and low for the right size mirror and eventually found this one from H&M. It’s just the right size and has a storage area for R’s clips and hairbands. We secured it using the old wardrobe doorknob for a little more added interest. I also put it low down to help with R’s independence- so she can see herself when getting changed. Plus it feels like her very own dressing table, which she obviously loves.
Alongside that I made some animal doorknobs using £1 wooden door knobs from B&Q (I’ve linked through to the only ones they have online and it looks like they may have gone up in price?), scrap leather, superglue and my trusty Cricut Joy. I initially found some wooden ones online but they were over £15 each so I went the DIY route instead!
You don’t necessarily need the Cricut in this project- you could hand paint them instead. See the Reel below to see how I made them.
Here are the Cricut image numbers in case you want to recreate this: #M8B6CEC9 , #M87834C1 and #M319B2325 (I just used the mouth/nose part of this)
I have to admit, I was scratching my head trying to figure out how to attach them to the wall and had a eureka moment scrolling through Instagram and used Sugru. If you havent used Sugru before, I really recommend the stuff. We usually have a pack in the house for random bits and bobs. Here’s another Reel if you want to see how it worked!
She uses these all the time for hanging her handbags, necklaces and toys. While I use them to hang up outfits for the next day. But really, I just love how they add a bit of whimsy to the room!
The final touch I made was a punch needle rug. I’m not going to go into detail with this right now but I basically DIY’d a custom rainbow rug for her room because I couldn’t find anything the right size/colours! But like I said, I’m gonna keep you hanging for details on that one!
Room done in under £200!
To say I’m happy with the revamp is an understatement. It has completely changed how the room is used- not only does she sleep through the night (ok, so we still needed to incentivise her with a lego set), but she proactively goes to her room to play- something she never used to do! It’s bright, airy and FUN. I would never have dared to decorate like this before but it is so worth it.
I also really love how we didn’t actually change all that much: the main furniture is still the same, the artwork still the same, her baby mobile is still up, the cushions and curtains are the same. Just a few extra bits of storage and decorative touches transformed the room in such a dramatic way.
Hopefully this has inspired you to get a little creative with your space (for little ones or grown adults!)
Let me know if you use any of these tips and tricks or design ideas in your own space!
Love,
