Children's bedrooms

Master bedroom

With bulky fitted furniture, Zara and Alex decided to rip everything out and start again. ‘ There was only space for a small double bed, but we already had a king size that we’d made from scratch using recycled pallets,’ she says. ‘We even signed it on the bottom, as it means a lot to us.’ Local carpenter, Luke Berry, built a tall three-door wardrobe instead of a four-door design that freed up more space for the bed. ‘I pencilled everything on the wall beforehand to make sure it fitted perfectly,’ says Zara. Having bedside tables with some breathing space around them was another must for us. ‘We found these compact bedside tables from B&M. They’re perfect, and we love having the wall lights on either side.’

En suite

Zara has given her en-suite shower room a quick-fix makeover until the couple can afford to rip it out and start again. ‘We painted over the cream and brown tiles to give the room a fresh look,’ she says. ‘ This led to black on the top part of the walls, sloped ceiling and cabinet. New gold handles and a gold tap contrast well and a wallpapered ceiling has finished it off. It looks so much more expensive and has a bit of a Japanese vibe. Every time we walk into the room, it feels like a luxurious hotel.’

‘Ever since I was young, I’ve always loved decorating my bedroom and I used to spend everything I earned on home décor’

Style idea A dark ceiling balanced out with white below will give your room a cosy, cocoon-like feel

‘I really wanted the girls to have similar bedrooms so there were no arguments, but with slightly different touches for their ages and personalities. When I saw the wallpaper from Lust Home, I just fell in love with it and the different colourways meant each bedroom would have a different feel. In both rooms I’ve painted a contrasting colour on the walls to half height because it’s more at their level. It makes them feel like the room was designed for them and they’re in a smaller, cosier space. Looking from the landing through their doors it looks really smart, too.’

WHAT I LEARNED...

Before decorating, make a moodboard. It’s a good way of checking that the scheme works. It’s also useful to share it on Instagram to show how things can go together that you wouldn’t think would work. The finishing touches and added extras come later once the main elements have been put in place.

In my last house, my style was a little crazier, so I had loads of different types of cushions. This time I wanted more of a sophisticated look by having the same cushions at either side and then a couple of feature cushions. I think it works.

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‘Cushions from our last house set the bohemian tone in here and led to the Rose Gold Tropical Leaves wallpaper, from Wallpapers4Beginners, and muted pink glass ceiling light,’ says Zara. ‘Rather than going for a pretty boho look with white accents, we added black touches for a more sophisticated hotel vibe’ Striped vinyl stickers behind the sink from Get Kooky, a new tap from Victoria Plum and Lick wallpaper on the ceiling have given the en-suite bathroom a whole new look

‘My cousin had this personalised fabric flag made for Honey as a gift,’ says Zara. ‘ The hand-painted scalloped border brings a bit of fun to the room’ Zara wanted a warmer colour palette in Honey’s room, to reflect her name. She knitted the throw herself with yarn from Woolly Mahoosive. ‘ When Honey turns one, I’ll get her the same bed as Bobby but in pink,’ she says. ‘ The giraffe from B&M was originally in Bobby’s room but it suits a nursery setting better’ The IKEA bed can be extended in two stages from a cot to a mid-size toddler bed, and then a full single. Quirky touches include a sign from Neon Dream and a ‘B’ cushion from The Bebe Hive