Rita Hill showed how to give a little girl's bedroom a fresh new look. The owners did the room up a few years ago, but it was looking a bit tired and in need of a makeover. The walls were dark and the paint was peeling. The dark Persian rug on the floor was more suitable for an adult's room. The black bedheads were also too severe for little girls, and the duvet covers were tatty and did not match. There was no storage, and a rickety bookshelf between the beds left no room for anything else.

Bright new room

Colour scheme: A white and orange colour scheme was chosen to open up the space and create some light. The feature wall was painted with Dulux 'Encounter' (bright orange) and the other walls with Dulux 'Vivid White'.
New blind: The old, tatty paper blind was replaced with a white, mini PVC venetian.
Beds: New bedheads were made from craftwood. They were painted white and new 'Strimma' wall lights from IKEA were attached to them. New duvet covers made from hand-painted single bed sheets completed the transformation of the beds.
Storage: Backyard Blitz builder, Scott Cam, made three storage cubes for the girls. The cubes provide storage for the girls' books, and also double as bedside tables.
Toy hanger: This was made by cutting a sheet of Masonite to the desired size. The Masonite was then covered with a piece of brightly coloured backing felt, with felt pockets in contrasting colours sewn on. The top section was painted with Dulux magnetic paint. The hanger was decorated with cut-out flowers stuck on with fabric glue.
Blackboard: A sheet of Masonite was box-mounted so it would sit out from the wall. The middle section was painted with chalkboard paint and the border was painted with magnetic paint. Plastic cups were attached to the bottom to hold chalk and magnets.
Rugs: The Persian rug was replaced with three brightly coloured 'Ringum' rugs from IKEA.

Further information

Most products used are readily available at hardware stores and craft stores.

For full details on this makeover, see the December/January edition of the Burke's Backyard Magazine, available at newsagents for $4.80.

Copyright CTC Productions 2001