A mum has transformed her drab family home into a pastel pink paradise.
Haylea McDonald, 36, from Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, has spent the past four years designing and creating her dream home.
15
15
The creative beautician and her husband, James McDonald, 41, have shelled out more than £25,000 on pink items and rose gold renovations, including a new kitchen and conservatory.
It was her lifelong obsession with girly color that inspired the home’s makeover.
She said: “I was a ballerina when I was younger and always wore pink outfits – it was always my favorite colour.
“It’s my thing, it’s what I’m known for and it’s something I never grew up with.
FABULOUS BINGO: GET A FREE £5 BONUS NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED
“I love French country houses, but find them bland, so I wanted to take that style and add my own twist to it.
“I’m not a fan of Barbie-style super shiny pink.
“I don’t think my house is ugly.”
However, her husband was not always on board with feminine decor and needed convincing.
Haylea said: “I think a lot of girls would have their dream house if they weren’t living with someone who puts their feet down all the time.
“I’ve always loved pink since I was young – we’ve been together for 18 years and he met me like this.
“I wanted to be different – initially I just wanted a pink door but he said no.
“Then one day, I think he got sick of me asking for it and ended up painting it himself.
“We are known to be different and now a few houses around the village also have pink doors.”
Haylea shows off her dusty pink palace on Instagram and although the responses are overwhelmingly positive, the beauty therapist admits some aren’t happy that men live there too.
She said: “There have been some comments about my husband – some people tell me my man is not a man because he lives in a pink house.
“Others don’t believe I live there with a child because it’s so clean.
“Overall I’ve been very lucky because most people love it – there’s just the occasional nasty remark.”
Every room, including the garden, matches mom’s cotton candy aesthetic, except for her son’s bedroom.
Mason, 6, is the only man in the house that Haylea can’t convince with the pink theme.
PRIZE BREAKDOWN
Kitchen and accessories – £16,000
Outdoor pergola with pool table – £5,000
New Canapes —£3,000
Paneling and painting -£500
Outdoor bar with pink tiling – £500
Pink Accessories -£1000
Pink kitchen organization and storage £250
Total – £26,500
Haylea said: “He complains from time to time but he’s very laid back.
“I don’t want him to be intimidated – his bedroom is gray and white but I’m adding orange terracotta pieces to his bedroom so it doesn’t stray too far from the theme.
“Luckily he doesn’t really care and sees that as a good thing – it’s good to be different.”
The couple have already spent over £25,000 since buying the house four years ago, but she says there is still work to be done.
She said: “Every day off we have we do something for the house.
“We’re only halfway there – we want a loft extension for another floor and there’s still a lot to do.
“Everything is planned – I want to add pink cabinets and a pink tiled bathroom with a golden shower.”
While Haylea admits she spent a fortune on the makeover, she’s proud of her clever ideas that saved her money.
She said: “I did the sofa with a pair of curtains – some wacky pink things are hard to come by, so we had to do a lot of things ourselves.”
“I look on Instagram and there are a few pink companies I like to buy from, but I also like Primark, they are the best for cheap candles and accessories.
“I love Home Bargains as much as everyone else, but everyone ends up getting the same things and I love being unique.”
Haylea is now thrilled with her dream home and has even encouraged other women to follow in her footsteps.
She said: “I have received messages from women who have shown pictures of my house to their husbands.
“They used my photos to show you can have a pink girl’s house in a non-sticky way.
“Your home should reflect you and mine does – I’m so happy about it.”
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
For more home stories, find out we’ve transformed our dated home into a dream home on a budget – we’ve never DIYed before and added £45,000 to the value
Plus, I transformed my drab, worn-out bedroom into a cozy space for under £100 using bargains from ALDI, Wilko and IKEA.
This savvy woman is transforming the kitchen from dull to fabulous with bargains from Amazon and Dunelm and it’s saved her £1.3k
Comments are closed.