A savvy mother-of-two has revealed how she gave her childrens’ tired-looking bedroom a jungle-inspired makeover.
Beckie Watts, 36, from Southend-on-Sea, managed to stick to a tight budget of just £150 – using products from the likes of Amazon, Wilko and The Range.
‘My kids wanted a jungle-themed room so I started with a set of drawers I was given by a customer years and years ago and painted that green with gold handles,’ she said, speaking to money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk.
‘I used the original handles and then spray painted some of the children’s animal toys to turn them into jungle drawers.’
Beckie Watts, 36, from Southend-on-Sea, transformed her kids’ bedroom during lockdown. Pictured, before the impressive makeover
The savvy mother turned it into a jungle paradise which cost less than £150 to create. Pictured, after the transformation
Beckie started with the set of drawers she was given by a customer years ago, and painted them green with gold handles (pictured, after)
Beckie says that her two children (pictured) wanted a jungle-themed room, so she set to work during lockdown
Beckie then went on to explain how she got some feature blue wall paint which cost £6.95 from Wilko and drew, then painted, the tiger stripes on freehand.
‘I found a tiger stripe pattern I liked on Google Images and copied that,’ she said. ‘I actually set it as my screen saver so I didn’t have to keep unlocking my phone.
‘I then wanted to recreate the wallpaper I so desperately wanted but could never afford at about £70 per roll, so I painted the wall white and then painted the spots on with the tip of a paintbrush with the same Frenchic as the stripes.’
She added: ‘The panda came from the fact that my little boy Jack absolutely adores pandas. I made a similar panda face as part of the decorations for his panda birthday party last year so I recreated that.
Beckie and her children were keen to turn the once tired-looking bedroom into a jungle paradise. Pictured, before the transformation
The thrifty homeowner added fairy lights to make the room look that ‘little bit more magical.’ Pictured, after the transformation
Beckie stuck to a tight budget of just £150 using Frenchic paint and products from Amazon, Wilko and The Range. Pictured, after the impressive makeover
The mother-of-two painted a panda on the wall because her little boy jack adores the animal (pictured)
‘The palm leaves in his mouth were because I messed up painting the mouth freehand, so I just covered that with leaves and at the top of that wall were some leftovers from said party.’
The thrifty mother says she did have to order more from Amazon for £9, and used the rest to cover the bed to make the children feel like they were asleep in the jungle.
‘The beds I painted in four different colours as I was worried I wouldn’t have enough mustard to do them both after painting the doors,’ she said. ‘I chose the mustard to resemble a leopard or giraffe.’
Beckie then painted the toy chest, while the drawers under the bed she recycled from a piece of furniture she was throwing out and upcycled to match the decor.
She added a few artificial plants for a bit more of a jungle vibe, then fairy lights to make everything feel ‘a bit more magical.’
‘The total cost was under £150, and I had a budget bedroom using top quality paint and a bit of imagination,’ she explained,
Beckie (pictured) says the project was an ideal distraction during the lockdown, and proved to be a great creative outlet during the stressful time
Beckie added a few artificial plants for a bit more of a jungle vibe. Pictured, the room after the transformation
Beckie says the project was an ideal distraction during the lockdown, and proved to be a great creative outlet during the stressful time.
‘I loved doing this as it gave me something to focus on when the world stopped and something to have some control over with routine completely out of the window,’ she added.
‘It’s been easy with ordering things online or popping to my local Wilko and The Range. It gives me such a great sense of achievement especially doing everything on my own.
‘I have no design experience or anything but the praise from friends for the creative things I do and the response from the jungle room post online has given me the drive to apply for an Art and Design access course at Southend Adult College!’
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, commented: ‘Home renovations are notoriously expensive, but Beckie is proof that you really can do it on a budget if you stick to budget materials and brave the DIY yourself rather than outsourcing it!
‘Her kids now have an amazing jungle bedroom they must absolutely love – and all for under £150!”
Beckie recreated the wallpaper she desperately wanted but could never afford at about £70 per roll by painting the wall and then adding on dots with the tip of a paintbrush (pictured)