shared bedroom on a budget

We went to our little cottage in the country recently, and boy what a tired and dirty little house she is.  Every wall and ceiling was cracked, the painting prep took absolute ages and we went through tens of gap filler tubes.  But finally she is starting to look a little more loved.  The first room we finished was the girls room.  I love the idea of them sharing when we are away on holiday and I was inspired by gorgeous matching beds each with their own reading light.  

See the before below - in this picture the dirty green walls already have their first coat of paint, and that truly ugly pendant!

Everything in this little house is being done on a shoe string budget and this room is no exception.  The bedspreads are from Miss E's room (which is being updated to suit a teen), the curtains are from a long ago bedroom, the carpet was made by my Granny and has been with me for years.

The rest are strictly budget finds: 

• Ikea single beds bought on ebay and headboards upholstered.  With foam, plywood and fabric each bed makeover cost me around $50 and each bed cost only around $90.
• The dresser is a $57 ebay find which I repainted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paints (diy instructions still to come).  It is so pretty in its new soft grey colour and gives the girls plenty of space to pack away their clothes.
• The reading lights are Ikea Ranarp wall lamp at $30 each.  I love them above each bed and it means Miss E can read into the night without disturbing her smaller sister.
• The old velvet cushions I have had for years and updated with blanket stitch detail.

I love the finished product, pretty but not precious, with a lovely mixture of new and old, and best of all pretty easy on the pocket.

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playroom storage...diy Ikea hack

This is a long overdue update of the playroom storage that we started last year.  We finally decided on a storage combination of Besta cupboards from Ikea, creating lots of easy to reach storage, a place for the TV, topped with a broad display shelf to use as an easy to change gallery.

To hide the sides and tops of the Besta carcasses we created a three sided box for the TV area, and ran the top piece right across all the units.  We used a good quality plyboard which has a lovely layered edge detail, with all the cabinets in high gloss white it needed a bit of detail to lift the whole design.  Very pleased with the result, nobody would guess its a mostly Ikea installation.  

This is what it looked like before and during - a hot mess

Musical instruments finally have a place off the floor, safe but easy to reach.
There is plenty of storage, although we do seem to have filled it all already.  

We may add shelves for books or display, even a few more cabinets, above the display for shelf.
For now I am loving using it for display.

To make your own:
We used Besta 128cm high units and a 120cm wide Besta TV unit as the base.  They are easy to install and reasonable on the pocket, and just the right depth for storage, books and the TV.  All cabinets cost around $700.

Once they were installed we made the 3 sided plywood box the TV sits in.  The sides were joined using my fabulous Kreg Jig, with the holes on the outside of the uprights.  All joins are neatly hidden from view.

Attaching the top shelf was trickier because of the weight and length of the piece.  We ended up placing the 3 sided box on the TV unit and pulling it away from the wall.  Then we positioned the top shelf on the box using the cabinets as a support, see below.  You can see the Kreg predrilled holes facing on the outside of the box.
The sides were then attached to the top with the Kreg, working from the back to the front, and sliding the TV stand back into position as we worked.  I do love my Kreg!

This is our second Ikea hack, see our entrance cupboard here, such fun to do and so satisfying.
We will never be afraid to build our own built in furniture again, I highly recommend you have a go too.

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Guest cottage essentials...beautiful basics and luxe delights

I dream of having a little cottage in the countryside where we can retreat from the city a few weeks a year.  One day when this dream comes true, I plan to share it and rent it to other country loving city dwellers.  As much as I love renting other peoples cottages, there always seems to be one bit missing from the kitchen, bathroom or bedroom that I miss from home.  So I thought I would put together my essential list of beautiful basics and luxe extras.

Eat & drink Essentials:

• Jars of tea bags and sugar are so welcoming, everybody wants to pop the kettle on for a cuppa when they have just arrived.  The glass jars from IKEA (top left) have a rubber seal and will keep dried goods fresh and ready to use.
• I really don't like mismatched crockery and cutlery.  I would rather have a whole set that is clean and simple than several more expensive sets combined together.  Is this just me?
• Guest houses often forget to include a salad or serving bowl with serving spoons, always annoying.  And they also often forget smaller bowls to serve snacks in.   Just because I am on holiday does not mean that I want to eat straight out of the packet.
• I would also make sure the fridge contained: fresh milk, fresh eggs, a pat of butter.

All Eat & Drink Essentials are from IKEA, except the kettle and toaster which are from Appliances Online.

Prep essentials:

One of the joys of holiday is having time to cook and enjoy a meal with family and friends.  I almost always miss something that I think is essential from my kitchen.  My basic necessities are just that, the bare bones that I need to cook enjoyably, and holidays should be about enjoying yourself after all.

• Prep cannot even start without a good chopping board and a sharp knife.  I almost always wish I had brought my own super sharp knives along, cutting a tomato with a blunt knife is no fun at all.
• I am always using my microplane zester (far left).
• The rest covers most dishes from breakfast to dinner, baking to casseroles.  
• I should probably have included some mixing bowls too...

Every thing except the microplane available from IKEA.

Cooking essentials

• When it comes to cooking you can't beat a good set of pots and pans.
• I can't cook with out my tongs anymore, how did I ever turn something on the grill before, or serve pasta for that matter.  
• You have to include an egg slice for those lazy cooked breakfasts.
• Lots and lots and lots of clean dishtowels.  

Every thing here from IKEA.

Luxe additions: 
A good casserole pot would be a good extra addition, I do love a casserole in winter.  
A few disposable roasting pans, nobody likes cleaning up on holiday.

Luxe items you will find in my cottage's bedroom and bathroom:

• Lovely soaps at every basin, in the shower and at the kitchen basin. (I was given my Molton Brown by The Home but you can find them online)
• Trinket boxes to store your jewellery, watches and phones in at the bedside on on the bathroom cabinet. (Dante boxes from Country Road)  
• A thick plush bathrobe for every guest, they don't cost much and make you feel so pampered. (Soybu Spa Robe)
• Lots of a clean towels.  When they are frayed and marked they must go (a pet hate).
• Hurricane lantern to create safe candle light in the bathroom or bedroom.
• Lovely bedlinen, this selection is from Pottery Barn.  Its worth buying new sets every year to make sure your guest know they will always have a bed that is fresh and inviting.  Watch out for good deals to replenish your sets on The Home, even if its simply for your own bedroom or guest room.

Luxe items for the kitchen:

• A good olive oil, local if possible - this one from Coriole
• Salt and pepper, I love the packaging of these grinders from Nomu  
• A few concentrated stock pots, these ones from Knorr are my personal favourite
• A Nespresso machine and milk frother.  I really love my morning coffee and all people need to is bring pods of their own choice.  Love this red version, the Pixie

One day when I have a little cottage of my own, these are the essentials it will have.  Let me know if I have missed any of yours.
One day...

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I like to think Ikea got the idea from me

Spotted this desk and children's work space layout in the hot off the press 2014 Ikea catalogue.
Looks a little familiar, me thinks Ikea stylists might be looking in the pages of this little blog for inspiration.  This is Ikea's directly below, scroll down to see mine or check out the original post Where Miss J & I work which I posted in March 2013. 

The workspace Miss E, Miss J and I share in the family room.  How is that for a similarity! 

Don't worry Ikea, imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.  It is possible that I saw a similar layout in a previous catalogue, but I am notching this score up to me.

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