Running around, cleaning up after the kids, it seems only fair that Mums should have a calm space to retreat to. One savvy mum decided to create her own 'Mum Cave' in which to do just that. And at a cost of just £17.
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Jessica Pool from Shrivenham, Oxfordshire decided to utilise the storage space under the stairs. Transforming it into a space she could retreat and relax with a cup of tea.
Before the Mum cave makeover, the cupboard under the stairs was a sea of coats, old toys and cleaning supplies. 'I decide to make it because it was just a dumping ground and I got fed up with sorting it out all the time,' Jessica explains.
She'd originally planned to turn it into an extra space for her children to use. But with three children running around she decided that a space where she could indulge in some R&R was more urgent.
'I thought it would be somewhere for the children to go but then I thought no – they have their bedrooms,' Jessica says. 'Sometimes us mums needs somewhere we can escape to and still be near the children to look after them.'
'You hear about man caves and toy rooms, but I'd never hear of a mum cave,' she adds. 'I suffer from postnatal depression and I felt like I needed somewhere I could take myself without inflicting my mood on the children and then I can come out and be mummy again.
Jessica transformed the space in one day, spending just £17.
She started off by clearing out the cupboard, taking all the rubbish to the tip. If we didn't believe in the power of a Marie Kondo style clear out before, we are completely onboard after this transformation.
She then painted the walls a soothing shade of turquoise, and added in a new set of shelves, costing £17 in total. The rest of the room accessories were sourced from elsewhere in the house.
Jessica used a leftover piece of carpet to create a cosy walkway into the room, on top of hardwood floor. She placed a bean bag in the far corner with a grey slogan cushion so that she has a spot to collapse into whenever she needs a moment to herself.
A bedside lamp stands on a side table, filling the room with a gentle glow. The rest of the room is free from distractions, including phones.
'It's a non electronic cupboard so I don't take my phone in there. I go in there for headspace and to recharge,' Jessica explains.
The mum of three finished off her oasis with a small cactus, candles and framed photos of her family.
'It's improved my quality of life drastically. Today if I've felt a bit annoyed I'll go in there,' says Jessica. 'I've explained to my children that it's my space. I've told them they can go in there, but it's more for me than them.'
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Have you been inspired by Jessica's Mum cave transformation?
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