We wanted something cute, cosy and Scandi-inspired

Hoping to avoid colour clichés when decorating her two-year-old daughter’s room, Aimee Worrall selected a neutral palette and natural tones, with DIY details for a low-cost scheme

Aimee Worrall chose a neutral palette with DIY details for her daughter’s new bedroom

When they bought their first house in August 2017, Aimee, 28, and her partner, Ezra, 29, were excited by the prospect of being new homeowners. ‘We were renting a very similar Victorian property in the Worcestershire area,’ explains Aimee. ‘This three-storey house ticked lots of boxes for us, especially as it was close to the train station, which is handy for Ezra’s work. The previous owners had done a lot to modernise the house, but over time we realised every room needed some attention.’

The couple got to work on their new home, painting and decorating the space from top to bottom and sharing their ideas on Instagram @houseofwaffle. When Aimee was expecting Etta, they decorated a nursery for her, but, after two years, Etta had outgrown her space and the room desperately needed updating.

‘It looked like a baby’s room and it wasn’t practical for a toddler either,’ says Aimee. In November 2020, they hatched a plan to turn the nursery into a bedroom, fitting the task around childcare and full-time jobs.

STEP ONE The previous owners had used this space as a bedroom for two young boys, so it had bunk beds, a desk and a wardrobe. ‘The room is quite small, and it was overcrowded with furniture so felt even smaller and darker!’ says Aimee. One of the first big changes was to move a long, cumbersome radiator that took up a whole wall, limiting what could be put into the room. ‘Positioning the radiator under the window gave us more options with the

room’s layout. It was a no-brainer!’ says Aimee. Her mother’s partner made bespoke built-in wardrobes for the awkward alcove to maximise storage space. With the layout sorted, Aimee turned her attention to the décor and decided on a gender-neutral colour palette. ‘I wanted to avoid any stereotypes when picking colours for Etta’s room. I looked for earthy, dusky tones and natural textures, like those in Scandinavian homes. I wanted to repurpose as much as we could to save money and for environmental reasons, too,’ she says. The starting point for the colours was a framed Kid Of The Village mermaid print, which hangs above the little fireplace. ‘I matched colours in the print for the walls and these tones sit so well with macramé and rattan. Overall, the scheme came together quite naturally.’

STEP TWO As they were squeezing the decorating around busy work schedules, they decided to split the project into two halves. The first part was painting the walls to cover the mural that was part of the original nursery décor. Then, Aimee painted the colour-block wall with a scalloped edge. ‘I used Etta’s wooden rainbow play set as my template and marked the arches with a pencil. Then, I painted it by hand,’ she shares. ‘I liked it so much that I decided to follow the paint effect to the other side of the room.’

Originally, Aimee wasn’t going to paint the chimney breast, but when she hung the mermaid print above the mantle, she felt that it needed a background colour to draw attention to the artwork. ‘Painting the whole wall and the wardrobe in the same colour made the space feel lighter and brighter,’

she says. Next, Aimee repositioned the furniture in the room, moving Etta’s cot bed to the other side of the room so that it faced lengthways. ‘This gave us more space to fit in a little IKEA storage unit for Etta’s toys and clothes and gave her a surface to host tea parties,’ she says. ‘That unit used to be in our downstairs pantry cupboard and was filled with shoes that we never wore. As it wasn’t serving any purpose, I moved it in here, cleaned it up and it was good to go.’

STEP THREE Once the room was painted and the essential furniture was in, it was time to add the fun decorative details to spark Etta’s imagination. Aimee hung artwork on the walls, and installed hooks for the macramé planter. ‘I’ve always wanted to put real plants in here, but they needed to be up high so Etta couldn’t reach them. I fitted a wooden bracket to hang it out of harm’s way,’ says Aimee. Above the bed, Aimee hung a linen canopy to create a cosy feel at bedtime. Bookshelves were installed at toddler height, so that Etta can reach her books when she wants to practice her reading. ‘She’s really into reading, so I wanted her to have a mini library in her bedroom. We put them up low down, so she can reach them easily,’ shares Aimee.

STEP FOUR As a finishing touch, Aimee upcycled an IKEA mini kitchen to give to Etta as a Christmas present. ‘I found it on Facebook Marketplace for £20 and spent a few months renovating it. I spray-painted the tap and sink black, decorated it with dowels, painted the legs and added new half-moon handles. There are even hooks to hang her teacups,’ says Aimee. ‘She absolutely loves entertaining herself in her kitchen!’

Now the room is finished, Etta likes nothing more than to sleep under her canopy. ‘The room feels very cosy and bright now. She loves playing in here, especially as all her toys are close to hand. It’s turned from a room that was used just for sleep, into a multifunctional bedroom that’s perfect for a toddler.’

Before Splashes of colour keep the neutral scheme in Etta’s room fun. Draw attention to period features, as Aimee has, with colourful prints and bright mantelpiece accessories Aimee combined Scandi-style furniture, tactile textures and earthy tones for a light yet cosy bedroom

Continue the natural theme with wicker accessories. This purse-friendly lampshade is from IKEA, and beautifully complements the starburst mirror Use scalloped edges and circles to create a restful atmosphere. Metallic bunting and a mirror from Tiger help to bounce light around the bedroom

Aimee personalised IKEA’s Duktig toy kitchen, which she bought second-hand, with paint and dowels so it ties in with her scheme. It’s given Etta something special on a budget – the whole look cost just £30

Keep greenery safely out of reach from little hands with a plant hanger. Crafter Aimee made her macramé hanger herself: ‘I did a twohour workshop and haven’t looked back!’

Consider height levels when creating a room for a toddler. Aimee placed breakables higher up and toddlersafe items, like bookshelves, lower down, so Etta can help herself to books Aimee was creative with paint and upcycled existing furniture to keep costs down. ‘Just be brave and give it a go,’ she says. ‘Our biggest expense was the canopy for £50’