5 minute read
My new bedroom cost under £500 Laura’s bedroom was dull and dreary so she mixed its period features with fun pieces to create a perfect sanctuary
from Gfgbgvg
I overhauled my bedroom FOR LESS THAN £500!
In desperate need of a new look for her depressingly dreary bedroom, Laura Magee kept costs to a minimum by revamping what she had to create her perfect sanctuary
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About me
I’m Laura Magee and I live with my husband, Jonathan, and cat, George, in a four-bedroom Victorian property in Belfast. We’ve lived here since September 2018. My room...
MY PROBLEM BEDROOM When we moved in, the bedroom had horrible blue walls and a cream carpet, and it was really quite dreary. I wanted the space p to be bright and airy and full of fun statement décor.
HOW I MADE IT WORK I lled the room with a collection of art, furnishings and textiles to bring my own sense of style and colour. I love mixing and layering textures, such as linen bedding with sheepskin throws and cotton pillows.
MY FAVOURITE PART The replace is such a beautiful focal point, but I also love the bay window, where I often sit to ick through magazines.
Before
With a tight budget and limited time, Laura focused on making a big impact with as few resources as possible. Restoring the oorboards, painting the walls and upcycling furniture she already owned were quick and cost-eective ways of giving her bedroom a whole new look
Style idea
Highlight period features by painting in a contrasting colour
TOTAL £450
Style advice
Three simple tricks to try in your own home
REPURPOSE WHAT YOU CAN
It’s no good writing a wish list of designer items that take you way over budget; you’ll just end up feeling disappointed. Instead, make a list of non-negotiables to invest in, and from there you can gure out what you’re willing to compromise on. Browse second-hand shops and online selling sites like Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree for more aordable yet good-quality items. You could even sell unwanted items yourself and use the funds to upgrade your space. Follow Laura’s mend more and buy less attitude and revamp what you already have. If tted wardrobes or cupboards are in good nick and aren’t sacricing unnecessary space, consider sprucing them up with paint, paper and new handles. Not only is this a more ecoconscious option, but it can be time- and money-saving too. Also, rip up grubby carpets that might be dating a scheme and restore original
BE REALISTIC WITH
YOUR BUDGET
oorboards underneath.
STYLE FROM THE SCREEN Watch your favourite movies and TV shows for design inspo. This can be especially helpful if you’re inspired by interiors from years gone by or exotic destinations, as you can hone in on the little details that complete the scheme. ‘I watched The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Great Gatsby for décor ideas,’ Laura reveals. There’s plenty of places o screen to spark your imagination too. Trips to restaurants or exhibitions, visits to friends’ homes or magazine cut-outs and social media can all stir up some great design ideas.
Laura’s goal was to enhance the period features in her bedroomusing paint in considered colours. The dark grey she selected for the replace and wood trim contrasts with the white walls and makes them stand out
Lots of plants is key to Laura’s soothing bedroom scheme. Potted houseplants create the fresh and airy feel she was aiming for, while also adding calm and softness to the space
Style idea
Prioritise how a nished room will feel, as well as how it will look MY EXPERIENCE
My motto for the bedroom revamp was ‘decorate, don’t renovate,’ as it already had really great bones. There were good-quality, sturdy wardrobes that were fully functional, a beautiful original replace and incredible bay windows. All of the elements were in place, they just needed a little tweaking.
Visually, the room was drab and outdated with blue walls and a cream carpet. We had everything crossed that the original wooden ooring beneath the carpet would be in a good enough condition to leave exposed and, luckily, it was. We had it patched up and lovingly restored – our biggest challenge, owing to the age of the oorboards – and it instantly added warmth to the room.
As the walls on the ground oor of our house are quite dark and dramatic, I decided to go light and fresh in the bedroom with a colour palette of pink and grey with elements of green. I chose Farrow & Ball’s Wimborne White for the walls, which took three coats in order to cover the original blue paint, and Down Pipe to highlight the replace and wooden period features.
We already owned most of the furniture and accessories when we moved in, and I sourced curtains, plants, artwork and new handles to spruce up the wardrobes and give our space that art deco meets modern retro mash-up I’d been hoping for. All in all, the makeover took around a week from start to nish. It’s had a big impact on my life – there’s nothing better than waking up on a Saturday morning, sipping a coee and watching the sun stream into my dream space.
My shopping list
¯Walls painted in Wimborne White modern emulsion, £49.95 per 2.5l; trim painted in Down Pipe modern emulsion, £49.95 per 2.5l, both Farrow & Ball ¯For a similar bed frame, try the Flora metal double bed in Black, £251.95, Furniture in Fashion ¯For a similar rug, try the Sigrid Geometric
rug, from £89, Dunelm ¯Bedding, £80, Soak&Sleep ¯For a similar mirror,
try the large metal wall mirror, £44.99, Casa Chic
¯For a similar plant stand, try the Salix large planter in Brass, £35; Starkey table lamp, £45, both MADE.com ¯For similar bedside drawers, try the Blush Pink and White bedside table, £103.50, Furniwork ¯For a similar side table, try the
Odyssee marble and gold metal side table, £110, Maisons du Monde ¯Emerald leopard print, from £18, Wonder & Rah ¯Soft velour pompom edge cushions, £12 each; pompom edge cushion, £12, both Next
