shared bedroom on a budget

We went to our little cottage in the country recently, and boy what a tired and dirty little house she is.  Every wall and ceiling was cracked, the painting prep took absolute ages and we went through tens of gap filler tubes.  But finally she is starting to look a little more loved.  The first room we finished was the girls room.  I love the idea of them sharing when we are away on holiday and I was inspired by gorgeous matching beds each with their own reading light.  

See the before below - in this picture the dirty green walls already have their first coat of paint, and that truly ugly pendant!

Everything in this little house is being done on a shoe string budget and this room is no exception.  The bedspreads are from Miss E's room (which is being updated to suit a teen), the curtains are from a long ago bedroom, the carpet was made by my Granny and has been with me for years.

The rest are strictly budget finds: 

• Ikea single beds bought on ebay and headboards upholstered.  With foam, plywood and fabric each bed makeover cost me around $50 and each bed cost only around $90.
• The dresser is a $57 ebay find which I repainted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paints (diy instructions still to come).  It is so pretty in its new soft grey colour and gives the girls plenty of space to pack away their clothes.
• The reading lights are Ikea Ranarp wall lamp at $30 each.  I love them above each bed and it means Miss E can read into the night without disturbing her smaller sister.
• The old velvet cushions I have had for years and updated with blanket stitch detail.

I love the finished product, pretty but not precious, with a lovely mixture of new and old, and best of all pretty easy on the pocket.