The transformation of three neglected bedrooms has been revealed in touching pictures.
Award-winning Chelsea interior designer Katharine Pooley, whose client list includes former Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed and his daughter, teamed up with London child poverty charity The Childhood Trust charity for the project in Romford, Essex.
Their ‘Decorate A Child’s Life’ programme sees them renovating the dilapidated and squalid bedrooms of children living in poverty across greater London.
The home, which was riddled with mould and asbestos, belongs to an unemployed couple and their 10 children.
Katharine transformed three of the bedrooms that slept seven of the 10 children, including one room for four boys under the age of five.
There was no carpet, no space to do homework and one of the bedrooms did not have a ceiling.
Chelsea interior designer Katharine Pooley, whose client list includes former Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed and his daughter, has teamed up with London child poverty charity The Childhood Trust charity. She transformed the bedroom of three Romford boys under 5 (seen)
The boys, part of a family of 10 whose parents are unemployed, lived in a neglected flat in Essex which was battling asbestos and mould. The rooms were given new ceilings and flooring, with each room boasting its own theme. The boys’ room got new bunk beds
Builders and painters were drafted in to make the rooms safe and livable, before Katharine was drafted in to redesign and redecorate the bedrooms.
The first room, which houses four boys under the age of five, was bare with no blinds or flooring, housing a few metal beds and graffiti on the wall.
The team painted the walls dove grey and adorned them with silver star stickers, adding a grey carpet and cheerful polar bear rug to match the walls.
Making the most of the space, they fitted in two wooden bunk beds and a matching desk and cupboard, pulling the look together with star embellished bed covers and nude curtains.
Meanwhile the room housing two girls, aged six and 11, was cramped with two single beds, peeling wallpaper and no carpet.
The room housing two girls, aged six and 11, was cramped with two single beds, peeling wallpaper and no carpet
Introducing a carpet and wooden floor, Katharine removed the two beds and decorated the new white bunk bed with colourful bedding, matching it to a spotted rug
Award-winning Chelsea interior designer Katharine Pooley teamed up with London child poverty charity The Childhood Trust
Introducing a carpet and wooden floor, Katharine removed the two beds and decorated the new white bunk bed with colourful bedding, matching it to a spotted rug.
Adding a personal touch, she adorned the walls with stars and put in a cute lampshade for character.
Meanwhile the third bedroom, which belongs to a 14-year-old girl, had a mattress on a floor of broken tiles and a bright pink wall.
Giving it a a more grown-up spin, the walls were painted nude and a single bed with crisp white sheets added, along with a bedside table and cute lamp for warmer lighting.
Moving the bed around meant there was space for a desk to do homework and make-up on, while the room was completed with neutral curtains, carpeting and a rug.
The third bedroom, which belongs to a 14-year-old girl, had a mattress on a floor of broken tiles and a bright pink wall
Giving it a a more grown-up spin, the walls were painted nude and a single bed with crisp white sheets added, along with a bedside table and cute lamp for warmer lighting
Elsewhere finishing touches include a colourful beanbag, a magazine rack and a feature wall.
So far Katharine has worked on projects in Brixton, Newham, Romford, Notting Hill and Croydon.
The initiative, which is entirely volunteer-led,aims to scale up the programme, accessing more children and transforming more disadvantaged children’s lives and bedrooms each year.
The first room, which houses four boys under the age of five, was bare with no blinds or flooring, housing a few metal beds and graffiti on the wall
The team painted the walls dove grey and adorned them with silver star stickers, adding a grey carpet and cheerful polar bear rug to match the walls
Elsewhere finishing touches include a colourful beanbag, a magazine rack and a feature wall
The neglected teenage girl’s room had a dirty chest of drawers, no flooring and a mattress on the floor
Moving the bed around meant there was space for a desk to do homework and make-up on, while the room was completed with neutral curtains, carpeting and a rug
The home suffered from Asbestos, mould, and one of the bedrooms did not have a ceiling
Katharine Pooley Partners With The Childhood TrustDuring renovation. The home is seen from the outside