Redecorating Children's Bedroom on a Furlough Budget
By Joanna Landais
REDECORATING CHILDREN’S BEDROOM ON A FURLOUGH BUDGET
I would pay good money to find out how many skips have been hired since the beginning of lockdown. Never have I seen so many yellow containers displayed almost symmetrically across my neighbourhood. Everybody is doing it…and some have even progressed on skip number two at this very time. Clearing sheds, breaking prehistoric cupboards or other wooden structures (not that I am looking in other peoples’ skips…but honesty who doesn’t) and of course digging up gardens in preparation for The Great British Summer!
Then, there is another group of pale heliophobes who just like myself perceive working in scorching heat as real and utter torture. We like to prioritise our immediate surroundings and are quite happy painting INTERNAL walls, hanging pictures and just being available for those packages being left at the doorstep by Amazon. Sadly, working indoors increases the risk of accidental wine spillage but since pre-lockdown panic buying, chances are we are stocked on vinegar and soda crystals to salvage that grey carpet!...
Now if you once decided to parent small people (and there is nothing wrong with rethinking this decision during lockdown..) you will know that homeschooling comes with strings attached: 9 am PE lesson with Joe Wicks followed by never-ending snack making, one-hour walks and must-do bike rides. All this, along with picking up 1000 Nerf-Gun bullets on your way to the bathroom, doing laundry, folding laundry (which seems to be a devil’s job in this weather as it dries just too quickly), leaves you little room for any DIY jobs.
My advice, Don’t be a Susan! Option A is to let the kids loose so they have an opportunity to cause some unsupervised chaos as you carefully apply that masking tape (as a matter of fact according to Policy Expert Insurance, over the course of childhood, children could be costing you on average £739 in damage to furniture and furnishings, spills, spots and stains around the house) – since the Lockdown 2020 I would round it up to £1,000. Option B, say hello to the best babysitter ever invented, television! And don’t feel guilty… if we can binge watch 7 episodes of ‘Normal People’ in one sitting, kids can happily sit still through a couple of SpongeBob SquarePants. After all, a sea sponge who lives in a pineapple with his pet snail Gary in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom gets even me thinking…
So, grab your paintbrushes as there has never been a better time to redecorate your child’s bedroom! Giving them new, fresh space should, in theory, make them spend more time in that very area giving you an extra 30 minutes for some exquisite laundry folding accompanied by refreshing sipping on G&T. If the budget is tight, or tighter to what it could be outside of lockdown read up on how to transform your child’s bedroom for not more than £400. Tried and tested on my son Oscar, his bedroom and my very own, heavily mortgaged semi-detached home in south-east London.
IT’S A MESSY AFFAIR
Yes, everything needs to be moved out of the way. Sadly, most areas are probably occupied by other lockdown family members, but this part is essential to avoid accidental spillages. Floor protection is your friend and no matter how much it sticks to your bare feet, be persistent and get used to it. I used Wallpaper Remover in spray (£6.60) and spent 2 hours stripping back our dinosaur wallpaper using stripping tool from Amazon (£5.97). Casualties included my manicure which also ended up looking like that stripped wallpaper…I then decided not to bother with my nails anymore.
CHOOSE YOUR ROLLER WISELY
Onto the big job where choosing the right roller is essential, and I don’t mean just ‘size’. Invest a little more in a good roller, and you will save yourself on that third ‘COME ON’! coat of paint. Long-sleeved mohair rollers look cute and fuzzy but if you are painting a nice smooth plastered wall, you will be better off with a smooth foam roller. Hairy rollers are best for textured walls or an artexed ceiling popular in the 1970s. Needless to say, 50 years later and you will not find many artexed ceilings in Architectural Digest. Life, however, likes to test me and our 1930’s house is of course covered in Artex so I purchased both types of rollers from my local hardware shop for just under £20. If you don’t manage to finish your painting before bedtime, my most motherly tip is to wrap your used roller in a plastic bag until next time – this will save you on washing the roller every time, also saves on cleaning your kitchen sink which above all is the most annoying part…
BUYING PAINT ONLINE IS A TRICKY BUSINESS
With hardware shops reopening you are in luck! Purchase tester pots before making those important decisions! And do, because choosing the wrong undertone can be a costly mistake. A good rule of thumb is to pick your paint as the last thing. Even though it’s the first thing you apply it’s always easier to find the right shade of paint that will complement existing furniture and accessories rather than the other way around. I matched my paint to our Marvel Action Heroes wallpaper by Littlewoods.com (£17.99 per roll, we used two). The background was mostly blue and soft green, so I chose ‘Deep Space Blue’ for the ceiling, and ‘Cabbage White’ for the walls. Built-in wardrobe and accent stripe were painted in ‘Teresa’s Green’ – all by Farrow & Ball and all with blue/green undertones to achieve a cohesive feel. If you are struggling to see undertones you can place different whites next to each other and compare them against pure white. (remember, skirting and any other woodwork will require an eggshell finish). Paint was the biggest investment at £130 however buying good quality paint will not only ensure low toxicity in your child’s environment but will also save your sanity as coverage tends to be much better.
WHEN KIDS IN BED, PRE-ORDER YOUR FURNITURE
As you probably know by now even Amazon has delays when it comes to shipping, try ordering ‘temporary tooth filling’ and you will see three week delivery time!!! – not ideal if you happen to lose your front tooth at this time but fellow people of lockdown 2020 I understand are testing alternative methods including chewing on Baby-Bells and skilfully crafting their missing teeth out of the waxy wrappings.
On that note, lockdown furniture is also in demand and waiting times can take up to 21 days! First thing is first, pre-order as soon as you have an idea of what kind of bed you are after. I chose single, adult-sized bed for my seven-year-old son as he is growing in front of my eyes. This also facilitates a few nights per year when my husband receives ‘not sleeping next to you’ treatment and gets to camp in children’s’ beds. Yes, he calls it ‘CAMPING’! Our bed came from Argos ’Elin Single Bed’ for £139 excluding the mattress. It has a practical upholstered headboard and is fairly low hence works well against our not so tall 1930’s ceilings. I dressed the bed with Marks & Spencer cotton bedding for £35 and purchased a yellow bed throw from eBay for £25. I have to say, tucking in that bed throw is one of the most satisfying activities of my lockdown life – of course, this comes with strict instructions of not approaching my perfectly made bed at any point throughout the day except bedtime… In reality, I tuck and retuck that bed throw more times than I probably realize.
GET CREATIVE AND USE WHAT YOU’VE GOT
Wise, old words… whether it applies to female flirting techniques or purposefully reusing your existing furniture! Pinterest is full of hacks and ideas and most of them require really basic DIY skills. Inspired by it all, I revamped our 100- year-old side table from IKEA which sat in my office for probably 10 years now. I bought a roll of self-adhesive film and replaced old legs with their modern counterparts. Both items from eBay came up to £30. I also used one of the old apple crates that I had found in our shed. A lick of red paint later, I went wild and printed ‘NERF GUNS ONLY’ stencils which I carefully cut out with children’s scissors – that’s a skill in itself! I dabbed over it with orange paint sample I had leftover and added four wheels out of respect for my carpet. Remaining furniture include our old chest of drawers by Habitat which now blissfully holds all Lego in the bottom drawer! Also, picture rails from IKEA which are perfect for displaying books and Star Wars weird people… Yellow chair by Home Base was only £65 and is just the right size for children. Finishing touches included personalised print by ‘Not on The High Street’ £30 and wall clock from Lidl, £3.50.
