Mini-Bedroom Makeover

Niall's dad passed away this year.  Niall's parents raised four kids in a two bedroom house.  The bedroom they had shared for almost 40 years was full of memories, and hadn't been done up in a really long time.  Niall's mom had purchased paint and wallpaper a while ago, saving it for when the time would come to redo the room.

Niall's mom had been putting pennies away for a long time to go visit family in Australia, so some time after the funeral she went on the trip for about a month.  Niall and his siblings decided to surprise his mom by making a few changes while she was gone.  (We hinted at it and got her go ahead and feedback on what she'd like.)

I took 'before' pictures when we were clearing out the house after Niall's dad had passed away.

Niall's mom had already bought new wallpaper for above the bed (it was the only wall she wanted papered.)  She wanted to keep their headboard, but thought painting it white would be nice.  So we did.

And now?  A new look!  

Some of the walls needed the old wallpaper removed, so we went up (we live about 60 miles away) on weekends and would work on the room while our kids slept next door.  One of the best parts of the surprise was working with the family.  Niall's brother removed the carpets, arranged for new ones and helped paint.  Niall's sister and her partner wallpapered and painted.  It was like a baton relay over several weeks, where everyone would help when possible. We separated Niall's dad's belongings and boxed up things we weren't sure about, for Niall's mom to go through later.

The walls, ceiling and skirting got new paint.  We also got new carpet for the room.  The floor mirror opens and has jewelry storage inside.  

The closet/wardrobes doors weren't working.  We repainted them and fixed the hardware so they now slide past each other.

We got rid of things that we had permission to dispose of.  After Niall's mom got home to her surprise, she has continued to 'freshen up' her room, getting curtains, accessories, linens and hanging pictures to her taste.  Her sister has even come up from London a few times to help with the makeover!

It was a fun, messy, hard, feel-good project and we hope Niall's mom enjoys her bedroom!