MY OWN PINK WORLD I’m living the dream
Heidi Marler, 49, from Purleigh, has spent the last four years turning her house from drab to fab using every single shade of pink…
Walking to my local charity shop, sporting my finest ‘80s inspired outfit, I suddenly burst out in a hot sweat before making it through the door.
OMG! I’m obsessed, I thought – spotting a dreamy glass table in prime view.
And as I got closer, the sweats didn’t stop, especially when I saw the bargain price tag – a tenner!
Knowing that the table was originally £300 from Selfridges, it was the perfect addition to my décor at home, there was no way that I was leaving it behind.
My mind was racing with plenty of ideas...
Would it go next to the pink sofa? Could I put my fuchsia leopard head planter on top?
I needed it to have the ultimate wow factor, especially if it was going to fit into my recreation of Del Boy’s flat from Only Fools and Horses.
Which was certainly a world away from how my aesthetic had been in the past…
With plain, bog-standard magnolia walls, a brown sofa that actually cost a fortune and my ex-partner not wanting anything on the walls, if anything, the house was boring and uninspiring.
Deep down, I felt like I couldn’t really express my interior skills to their full potential – I had shades of pink and all things leopard print burning away in my brain.
Growing up in a council house maisonette with my mum, Sandra, always changing the vibe and doing the house up, her love for animal print and pastels stuck with me.
She made our home into a mini Buckingham
Palace and I knew that I wanted to do the same.
With a love of all things pink, even putting a beautiful cerise nail varnish on my lips as a kid, as I couldn’t get a lipstick in that very same colour, it showed how much I lived and breathed everything bright pink.
I’d always dreamed of having my very own pastel haven.
So when me and my ex split, what would have been 17 to 18 years ago, it was a chance for the colour to come creeping in. Starting with sherbet blues, dusty fuchsias, mint greens and a real shabby-chic feel, I slowly but surely found my feet, incorporating more shades of pink into the living room, bathroom and bedroom.
I started the pink process properly back in 2019.
And before long, I found out I was a self-confessed bargain hunter, buying something new for my theme every single week – posting my latest finds on Instagram. ‘What have you come home with now?’ my kids Harriet, now 30, Frank, now 27, and Nancy, now 22, would say rolling their eyes. From flower shapes, blocks of pink plastic, dollhouse style furniture, neon signs, big, bold prints, a lip shaped phone, sweetie shaped pillows, a pink sofa to replace the brown one, gingham print bedsheets, a leopard print rug, a pink Hoover and even a gold toilet seat that makes the downstairs bathroom a little bonkers, it’s easy to tell what my favourite colour is!
And I had to be pretty particular with the shades that I picked.
This wasn’t necessarily a Barbie Dreamhouse, hot pink was something that I wouldn’t really entertain, the hues had to work with the rest of the décor, too.
Only, instead of not being allowed to place things on the wall, I had free rein this time, something that my hubby Gary, now 53, supports more than ever.
Yet, we do have to keep the door to his dressing room closed – that’s the only room in the house that
hasn’t been blessed with a touch of pink quite yet.
I know that my style isn’t always for everyone – especially with a collection of old and new pieces, but my house certainly has that wow factor.
It’s all very lovely, but don’t you get a headache? You ain’t normal, my followers have commented.
However, I take that as the most beautiful compliment – to me, pink is normal! It’s just how I think. If I was constantly surrounded my beige, grey and white I wouldn’t be able to cope.
I’ve been there and done that, it’s not for me in the slightest.
You’re probably thinking why has this nutcase popped out another shot of her pink crap… well I’m gonna tell you – one, it’s my Insta, two, because I post what I want and three, I don’t actually care, I typed, creating another sassy caption for my followers.
Only, by sharing my décor on social media, I’ve been invited to events and even been gifted things for free – accepting the bits that I love the most.
I never thought I’d be somewhat of an influencer, with over 81k followers on Instagram – it’s amazing!
And as a result, after saving up my hard-earned cash, I’ve been able to finish off the kitchen with the perfect details...
Meg the pink Smeg and my bright pink Kitchenaid.
I had to wait years for the Kitchenaid to be released in that exact shade!
Fuelling my shopaholic habits, I’ll scour charity shops and car boot sales regularly– buying on instinct.
I can’t even remember some of my best bargains, they have all just moulded into one now.
And I’ve been able to live out my Del Boy dreams, with a stocked-up bar cart in the corner of the living room, too.
I don’t really upcycle anything, even though I have done in the past, but I will get hands on if I need to – waiting until Gary leaves so I can crack on with it.
Most of the time he doesn’t even realise that anything has changed at home, he’s oblivious to it all.
‘Nanny, you go into the kitchen and we’ll get all of this out,’ my granddaughter Dollie often asks.
She loves to use all of my crockery and décor to play with – it’s like she’s got her very own dollhouse items.
And even though they may groan or roll their eyes, my family and friends love the house!
Despite spending four years to get everything how I want it to be, I’m nowhere near done yet.
We are currently in the process of having the bathroom re-done and the ultimate dream would be to have pink shutters put up, maybe even a new sofa, too.
Some say that my home is everything Barbiecore and although I don’t really see it myself, it’s a good hashtag to use to attract more views – especially as the world is still going crazy for pink after the Barbie movie, even now.
All I can say is, if you’re not into pink, then this certainly isn’t the place for you!
Follow Heidi on Instagram: @home_n_tidy_with_heidi
Beige and grey just isn’t my thing