Kids bedroom renovations

As is well documented on the blog over the last number of years, we have been undertaking quite a mammoth renovation project. Having now completed the sittingroom, the kitchen extension and the garden it is finally time to turn our attention to the upstairs bedrooms. We promised the boys we would do their room first as they have been so good and so patient while the rest of the works were going on.  I must admit I am quite impressed at how firm they are in setting out what they want from the room. They were absolutely adamant they wanted bunk beds which I didn’t have any objection too.  Their bedroom is quite an unusual shape so we went for custom built bunks but with some added rails around the top bunks as I know my two daredevils only too well!!

The room was totally re-plastered as we put in extra insulation so I needed it to disguise the extra boards that were put in.  We also went for bespoke storage again from the same company who built the beds.  All we have left to do is choose the finishes.  The boys wanted carpet but for loads of reasons I wasn’t in total agreement. Their strong argument was that is was cosy and soft while I felt it was a little too susceptible to environmental factors such as dirt, spills etc. I eventually won this argument but only on the basis that the could select the wallpaper for the room. We were always going to go for a cool, a little out there feature wall in their room. It is their sanctuary so armed with this confidence off they went searching for cool funky wallpapers.

Children’s bedroom wallpaper

I must admit I was pleasantly surprised at the myriad of option available for wallpapers for the bedroom especially for kids bedrooms.  I had been getting ideas from pinterest throughout this entire renovation and unsurprisingly there was just tonnes of inspiration there. After a tonne of research and debate we narrowed down our selection to 3 different wallpapers from Wallpaper from the 70s. Anybody who knows the boys will not be shocked by the theme!! Yep – you guessed it! Superheroes feature strongly in the selection.  Their top three are below: All pic credit is Wallpaper from the 70s webpage.

Aren’t they just fab? In terms of price point they are €35.90 which works out around €6.90 per m2 and they ship to Ireland within 5 working days or you can order express delivery. I know for some people they might not be keen to order online without seeing the product but you can order a sample.  The boys still can’t decide which one but I my own personal favourite is the third one. I  just love it and it will fit perfect with the colour scheme of the bed and wardrobes.

Blinds

Maybe its just me but a room really isn’t finished in my mind unless the windows are dressed and by that I mean good quality practical blinds.  On our research for the kids room renovations we came across Make My Blinds and they could not be more perfect…just check out the superhero range! They actually stock a really wide range of blinds for all rooms from bedrooms to office to nursery and conservatory. They even cater for some of the more obscure window types such as skylight or tilt and turn windows.  In the past I have found it challenging to source blinds for our skylights.

My kids must totally take after me, once they pick a theme they commit 100%!! You can order free samples from Make My Blinds and take my advice on this from experience, I would stretch the budget for the black out fabric. One of mine equates bright with no sleep so the rooms needs total darkness to get him to sleep which is obviously challenging in the summer months.

Another thing I noted with Make My blinds is that all of their blinds are child safe coming with a clear clip to hold the chain taught and against the wall so there are no free-hanging cords, vitally important in our house anyway.

 

Downstairs toilet

As part of the renovations we retro fitted a down stairs toilet into quite a teeny space. While we have limited head room the benefits of a downstairs toilet are huge for me. Its not plumbed in yet and we still have to paint it but while helping the boys pick their wallpaper I stumbled across a number of stunning options for the bathroom feature wall from the same site. Anybody that knows us will now we do like a bit of the surprise factor and love the idea of the downstairs toilet while small having that surprise wow factor. Just how utterly stunning are the below front runners?

As before picture credit belongs to the Wallpaper from the 70s webpage. I don’t know why but I absolutely love that wallpaper is making such a come back. I personally think wallpaper adds a depth, warmth and style to a room that paint just can’t do. I find with wallpaper you can express that bit of individuality and creativity. Downstairs we have totally embraced minimal neutral tones but upstairs we have added much more of our own personalities. Wallpaper can add so much more than any monotone colour wall can. While I might need a bit of practice to get used to hanging wall paper I cannot wait to get started on the boys room and in time the downstairs bathroom.

Exciting times ahead….