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my home in one photo
'I had to get creative to keep the costs down': Mum-of-three Linda shares her kids' Disney-inspired playroom
Linda Duffy stuck to a budget of €400 when decorating – and got her kids in on the project too.
EACH WEEK, WE ask an Irish person with a passion for interiors to share one photo of their favourite spot in their home.
Linda Duffy lives in Limerick city with her husband Gavin and three children; Emilia, six; Max, four; and Cora, two.
“We bought our house almost five years ago and we were so happy to be able to move out of our apartment and into a home with a garden and enough room for everyone,” says Linda.
This week Linda (@makedoanddiy) chatted us through her favourite spot in her home: her children’s playroom.
What do you love about this part of your home?
The kids to have somewhere to make a mess. It’s so nice to have a place to clear all the kid paraphernalia into at the end of the day so we can have our house back. We were first time buyers, and a playroom was high on the list of priorities. We had previously been living in a small apartment with a toddler so we were determined that our new home would function better for us!
What was your inspiration when you were putting the space together?
My inspiration from this room came from other beautiful playrooms I saw on Pinterest, but also from the film Up – I wanted this room to have an adventure theme. We have a mountain wall mural, and the kids made paper hot air balloons to go over them. I also made some canvasses with images and quotes inspired by the film.
Talk us through some of the objects in the photo.
Pride of place is our IKEA Kallax storage unit with blue and white fabric storage boxes. I love this unit – it stores so much stuff. Each of the drawers (theoretically) stores a different type of toy and it makes it easy for the kids to tidy up (again, theoretically!)
You can also see a large indoor/outdoor rug on the floor, warmer than bare wood for little feet in the early mornings. It can also be can be taken outside and washed with the hose as needed. Given that my wherever my kids go, stickiness follows, that’s a regular occurence.
How well does this photo reflect the rest of your home?
Pretty well. Even though it’s a room for children, the playroom is in keeping with my personal style too. The main colours are muted grey with black and white thrown in, and then I’ve added fun colours with accessories that are easy to change. This is an approach I’ve adopted in the kids’ bedrooms too, keeping the overall setup child-friendly while also staying true to my own taste and style.
The other way it reflects the rest of our home is that this room was decorated on a very tight budget. The whole room, including furniture, cost less than €400, and I had to get creative to keep the costs down.
Be honest: how much tidying did you do before taking this photo?
It’s definitely a tidier room than it used to be, but obviously this is not how it usually looks. I try to do a sneaky clear out of toys the kids have lost interest in every couple of months, and we’re cutting down on how many toys come into the house for birthdays and Christmas.
Do you have a spot in your home that you’re particularly proud of? Do you enjoy styling the different rooms in your house? Are you always adding and changing little things to make your space stand out? If so, we want to hear from you! Email amy@thejournal.ie with a few lines about yourself and your home for a chance to feature in My Home in One Photo.
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