PARROT PARTY

Some people spend a lifetime deciding on whether to come out of the closet or not but I have just spent the morning in the closet having a parrot party.  More on that in a mo. 

Unable to remodel my existing cupboards into one big walk-in wardrobe due to the way in which the loft space was originally converted into bedrooms, I’ve had to make do with giving the old cupboards a bit of a face lift.

 

BEFORE - boring cupboards

DURING - being enlarged

AFTER - transformed with IKEA doors

An economical way of updating cupboard doors is to buy them from IKEA.  The Vikedal mirror doors look very smart and IKEA also have an extensive range of fibreboard doors in different styles and finishes that you can buy individually.  I’ve gone for the white shaker style Grimo door to complement the mirror doors.  Good on the purse with quality that is far better than making them from MDF.

BEFORE - ready to decorate

 

AFTER - freshly painted interior

IKEA also sell a wide range of interior wardrobe fittings such as pull-out drawers or trays like these from the Komplement range that can be easily added to your own MDF frames.  Just build a cube then screw in the side runners to make your own customised wardrobe interior.

IKEA pull out drawers & trays to customise interior

 

So where do parrots feature in all this?  In a secret, tropical aviary created on the back wall of each wardrobe. 

Browsing round Homebase the other day, I spotted this wonderfully exotic parrot wallpaper and had a bit of a light bulb moment.  Why not use it for a feature wall and to line the insides of the cupboards? 

Fresco Amazon wallpaper

And here it is, adding a bit of a designer touch to the inside of the closet.  It’s our very own parrot party.

Start in the centre of your wall space

Cut side sections to fit either side

Secret aviary in the back of the closet

AFTER - totally tropical flavour

And after a long morning of cutting, pasting and pattern matching, it's time to chill out on the beach at nearby Bracklesham Bay.

Bracklesham Beach

Enjoying a bit of exercise and fresh sea air 

It's a beautiful spring day at the seaside