Room For Improvement Challenge

You may have seen a few entries across the blogging community and Twitter for the Room For Improvement challenge hosted by Money Supermarket? Well, I was also asked to take part in the challenge – to improve a room in my house for £50 or less. I like a challenge with a deadline and I like it even better when your spending someone else pennies, oh yes! So I happily took part and began scribbling in my notebook.

I chose to improve our kitchen, mainly because I spend most of my time in there and it was in need of a bit of attention. We rent our a little house on the hill (or Wuthering Heights, as I call it) and although we have great landlords who let us run wild, there is only so much, as renters, you want to spend on a property.  

As you can see in the before picture, our galley kitchen is pretty nondescript with grey work surfaces and vinyl grey flooring. So with my £50 in my back pocket (who keeps money in their back pocket?) I began the mission – the mission to accessorise!

I started with the floor buying an outdoor rug from Ikea, ideal for cleaning any spillage, but bold and contemporary to give the kitchen a lift into 2013. With black and white in mind I then focused on what colours I would use within the rest of the room. I had a beautiful screen print given to me as a gift from my friend and colleague, Julia Ogden, so I decided to get this framed and have it as a centre piece to the kitchen, picking colours from it to use in the rest of the room. Hello, red and turquoise!

I then went about focusing on the little spaces within the kitchen that we use every day (tea and coffee station, toaster and kettle and utensil area) and then added a turquoise place mat under each. I bought a monochrome soap dish to tie in with the rug, which sits under a vintage floral print dish, to make a washing up tidy area. I like the little details!

Next up, I scoured the house for things that could now live in the kitchen – it’s good to have a change about and reuse what you already own. I tidied up the fridge door with a simple print and the radio has moved to the kitchen with my Rob Ryan vase, both sitting happily on the windowsill. Finally, a room isn’t complete without a new plant and to cater for all the senses, I bought a room spray to make it smell yummy. So, did I come in under budget?

Rug, £9 via Ikea // Frame, £8.25 via Wilkinson // Soap Dish, £3 via Wilkinson // Room Spray, £4 M&S

Dish Drainer, £2.25 // Red Bowl, £1.95 // Place Mats x 4, £4 via Wilkinson // Plant and pot, £5 M&S

Utensils, £4 Wilkinson // Lilies, £4 via local greengrocer

Total – £45.45

Whoop! Well under budget. I bought myself a carton of Ribena and Snickers bar to celebrate. Yes, I am twelve. Fancy having a go yourself? Check out the #roomforimprovement on Twitter for lots of inspiration on how to improve a room in your house!

♥