A MUM-OF-FOUR has revealed how she transformed her council home into a pink haven on just a £600 budget – even though her husband didn’t originally like the colour.

Kara Southall, 39, from Felixstowe, Suffolk, was fed up with the magnolia walls she’d stared at since moving into the property she’s rented from a housing association since 2013. 

So she set about giving the living room five different makeovers but has never been happy with it. 

Then, in 2020, after enlisting on a burlesque course to boost her confidence, she decided to start giving her home a pink transformation on a very tight budget. 

Kara told MakeTheHeadlines.co.uk: “It was all magnolia when we moved in and I had lots of ideas but not a lot of money so it has taken time and everything has always been done on a budget or saved up.

“I used to hate having my photo taken and I’d rather hide in a crowd than stand out but after doing a burlesque course six years ago, I started to not worry about what others thought.

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“I dyed my hair bright pink and started introducing pink into my home. I’ve been doing it gradually so my husband Darren could get used to it. In 2020, he went to work and came home to a pink kitchen! 

“I still remember him texting me from outside the house as he could see the cupboards were bright pink through the window and he joked that he was going to move in with the neighbours. 

“I just love the colour, it makes me happy!” 

Now Kara has revamped her ‘boring’ kitchen for £318 – her living room for £92, her wetroom and bathroom for £23 and her bedroom for £56.

She also gave her garden a pink makeover for £300. 

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Kara says she’s obsessed with pink and dyed her hair the colour too – all after taking up burlesque dancing allowed her to become more confident.

She said: “I painted the front door last year pink and it always makes me smile when I come home. No one bats an eyelid now when they notice something else is pink.

“I think they have all got used to it! I am proof that you don't need to spend loads of money for home decor. 

“Sometimes I make things myself like the decorative screens near my garden sofa were mirrors from Home Bargains – I simply took the mirrors out, sprayed them and fixed them to the wall. Proper decorative screens cost a lot and I didn't have the money.”

Kara, who is mum to Kieran, 20, Kyle, 19, Erin, 13, and Shay, 10, says her husband Darren now expects something to be changed to pink when he gets home from work. But Kara insists he’s not bothered as long as it makes her happy. 

I dyed my hair bright pink and started introducing pink into my home

Most items she has upcycled or bought at car boot sales. Her pink curtains were £5, her pink wallpaper cost £1 a roll and she buys a lot on sale at Homebase. 

Kara said: “If I see something I like I will shop around or if it's cheaper in another shop and I can change the colour myself, I’ll do that. 

“Car boot sales are fab for most things – especially people on a budget. I do hunt around for bargains and I love nothing more than going to a carboot and that's where I've got some bits like my pink curtains in the bedroom were £5.”

“My garden sofa cost under £40 as we reused old seat cushions and there’s a large white lantern that cost me £2 at a carboot then I sprayed it. 

“My wallpaper in my bedroom cost £1 a roll and I only used 2 rolls. I picked it up in a sale at Homebase.

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“Then my dressing room chair in my bedroom I upholstered using old curtains and the rug was only £3.

“Luckily, my hubby is handy. He built the bar at the back of the garden himself. He wasn't keen on pink at first but I definitely think it's grown on him!”

In 2020, the mum created her Instagram page and shared how she was coping with mental health. Now she shares the dirt, mess and realness of a family home.

Kara was recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia so there are days where her pain stops her from doing household chores; she shares this with her 11,000 Instagram followers. 

Kara also recently joined TikTok as ‘The Only Way is Pink’ and she shares the pink makeovers of her council home. 

No one bats an eyelid now when they notice something else is pink

She hit 9,000 views in two days on her fridge makeover – it has now grown to 300,000 views and her account has had over 58,000 likes in total. 

She revealed her pink kitchen cost just £318 – and she used pink Fablon to transform it. 

Kara has been gradually ‘pinking’ her living room too and it has currently cost her £92 on curtains, cushions and accessories but she insists it’s not “pink enough” yet. 

Then her wet room cost £13 in total – including a £7 shower curtain, £3 shower mat and £3 hand towel. 

While her bathroom only cost £10 to give a pink makeover as she picked up the blinds for free on Facebook Marketplace and painted her bath rack with a dusty blush paint. 

Kara said: “I started documenting myself cleaning the house as I do enjoy a good clean with the music on while showing the dirt, mess and the realness which I found more people liked.

“I get messages daily from people thanking me for showing real homes and mess and how they feel so much better about their homes because of me. 

My hubby wasn't keen on pink at first but I definitely think it's grown on him!

“Just before Christmas I was also diagnosed with fibromyalgia so I can get behind on housework and I have days where I can’t do a lot due to pain.”

Kara’s TikTok page has gone viral with thousands of strangers falling in love with her “pink council home.”

She said her “Welcome to my house” and “fridge makeover” videos have gone “mental.”

While she does receive the odd negative comment, she says the positives outweigh the negatives.

She added: “I’m just hoping to help others realise to do what they want in their house to make them happy. It doesn’t need to matter to anyone else. I’m literally just a mum trying to do her best and I love the colour pink!” 

One user wrote: “I love that, I love all the pink in your house, everywhere in my house is pink.”

Another commented: “I love that everything is pink!!!!! GOALS.”

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A third wasn’t so impressed, writing: “Tragic.”

But Kara responded: “Well I like it and that's all that matters. If we all liked the same things the world would be boring!”

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