Mum transforms ‘dumping ground’ kitchen diner into stunning kids’ playroom – and she even did wood panelling for cheap
A MUM has revealed how she has turned her kitchen diner - which had become the family’s ‘dumping ground’ - into a stylish playroom.
Sarah Grace, 26, from North Lincolnshire, spent four days giving her kitchen dining area an incredible makeover in order to fully utilise the space as a kids' playroom.
The crafty mum wanted to create the dreamy playroom to make family life "easier" by having a safe space for the kids to play while she was in the kitchen.
She felt this "new room" would enable her to keep an eye on her children while still doing things in the kitchen.
Sarah, who is mum to Hendrix, four, and Tilian, one, shared her incredible before and after transformation photos on Facebook.
She wrote: "From messy neglected kitchen/diner to kitchen/playroom. Much better for our family!"
The post instantly raked up lots of comments and likes with many strangers left impressed by Sarah’s DIY skills.
The mother admitted the kitchen diner room had become a family "dumping ground" and said it was often "messy" and "neglected".
Sarah said: "I decided to create the playroom to make family life a little easier.
"I wanted to create a safe space for the children to play while I could get on with bits and bobs like cooking and washing without them being disturbed from their play.
"I'm passionate about play and good quality toys for my children to learn through play and I've always wanted a fully dedicated space for them to do this.
"The kitchen diner was in need of some love, it was plain and just a bit of a dumping ground!"
Sarah said the room was never fully used and she struggled to get it to "feel nice" with the dining table in there.
She admitted she "never loved" the room and just saw it as a space to sit and eat.
The mother said the room ended up messy most of the time after being used daily for meals and kids crafts at the table.
She decided to turn the "neglected" kitchen diner into a stylish playroom - this way she could keep an eye on Hendrix and Tilian while doing things in the kitchen.
Sarah added: "I got inspiration for the room from Facebook groups and Pinterest one day and then I was determined to give the room a makeover.
"I started by emptying and cleaning the room and buying all the things I needed.
"I also measured strip wood so it was ready to go up straight away."
Sarah went shopping and bought clearance wallpaper from B&Q for £9 a roll, Wilkinson’s paint for £12 a tin and strip wood with no nails glue from B&Q for £40.
She also bought bargain accessories from Ikea and Argos - including £17 curtains, a £15 hanging plant and a £15 lamp shade.
Keen to add a touch of luxury to the room transformation - Sarah bought a fluffy rug from Littlewoods for £120 and a sofa bed from Wayfair for £150.
Sarah gave the room a stylish makeover - including testing her DIY skills while creating the on-trend panelling effect.
She said: "Once I started - the actual decorating took four days.
"I hung the wallpaper halfway down the wall. Once it was done I got the strip wood up to create the paneling effect, I used no nails and a few tacks to hold it up.
"Then I painted everywhere! It took three coats and felt like it took forever.
"The hardest part was definitely making the fake panelling. I ended up sitting with my foot against the wood at one side and hand on the other to try to get it to stick and not ping off.
"But the easiest part was putting it all together!"
Sarah then organised some of Hendrix and Tilian’s toys into minimalist boxes and displayed a stylish rainbow theme dotted around the display unit.
The mother said she is impressed with her outcome - but thinks she will always be tweaking the room and adding little touches to complete the decor.
But most importantly, she said her sons absolutely "love" their stylish new playroom next to the kitchen - and now she can keep an eye on them.
She said: "The boys absolutely love the room. Hendrix couldn't believe how lucky he was to have a whole room just for the toys!"
Facebook users were left impressed by Sarah’s complete room makeover.
One wrote: "It’s so much better even though it was still decorated well!"
While another simply commented: "Wow."
A third added that the makeover "looks fab" while another praised Sarah’s efforts and declared they "love it!"
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