I was contacted recently by ThinkMoney to join in with their campaign ‘The Great Escape‘. The campaign centres around the 3.3 Million UK adults that are still living with their parents because of not being able to pull together the funds required to move into their own space.

Think Money will be providing one very lucky young adult the chance to make their ‘great escape’ by providing the funds needed for a deposit, first months’ rent and £1000 to kit out their new space. Great idea, no?

They’ve asked me as well as a few other interior design bloggers to create a dream room using a budget of £1000. I thought it would be easy but creating a glamorous space on a budget was quite a fun challenge especially when you are considering furniture, lighting, rugs and accessories! And yes, I could have just used Ikea for everything and I’d have been all set. But where’s the fun in that?

No, I decided I wanted to create my own ‘dream room’ – something I would be happy to live in myself. And while Ikea is absolutely fantastic, you don’t want to fill your entire home with the same things everyone else has world-wide!

The winner of the competition (competition entry details can be found here) will be able to choose a room scape from all the bloggers taking part.

Here’s my room…

Now let’s break down the whole scheme.

I decided to keep the colour palette simple – black, white, grey and gold. I think it’s sophisticated and timeless and when it’s time to move into bigger/different digs down the line, I think all these pieces will stand the test of time. I am in love with the Vinci gold sofa bed from Made.com. It’s very similar in design to our own Yoko sofa bed in our Man Cave and folds out to create a sofa bed if you have overnight guests – so it’s not only beautiful, but it’s practical too, especially if you have a one-bedroom flat!

The light fixture is from Isme – it’s gorgeous geometric shape mimics the look of much more expensive fittings but it’s simple to fit as it’s just a pendant! This means no electrician is needed and you don’t need to annoy any landlords! (Update: An eagle-eyed reader just informed me this is now £10 off on sale! Even more savings!)

The side chairs were a challenge – yes there are chairs out there for less than £100 but honestly, they look like something that should be in the waiting area of an insurance office. No, we needed something that was more grown up and glam. And as flats are normally smaller spaces, why not use two replica grey Ghost Chairs from Cult UK? They take up less space visually, they are easy to keep clean and they are a design classic – perfect!

The coffee table was found after endless searches for something unusual with good lines but still had a contemporary touch. I love the hex shape and the slim mid-century style pin legs of this one from Zespoke. The glossy black is stunning but it comes in a myriad of colours and wood finishes too.

The cool metal wall art is from Isme as well. It’s unusual shape gives texture and interest to the walls and the reflective surface will bounce around the light too. Plus, it’s only £31! That’s bang for your buck right there. Sure you can find canvas wall art for less but this makes so much more of a statement!

The rug is from Urban Outfitters (they have quite a selection of inexpensive rugs so do check them out) and I chose it for it’s cool geometric pattern which of course is incredibly trendy right now, but the soft grey and white colour scheme gives it classic good looks.

I splurged a little on that lamp from Mail Order Lighting! It’s fabulous, comes with a great black shade and the pineapple design is just so fun. Every room should have a little splurge right? I’m actually considering a pair of these for my office.

Finally, the sideboard. While I probably would have tracked down something on eBay for myself, I decided to check out what was on offer from retailers instead to make things a little easier for our winner. This one from Very actually comes with silver handles but how much cooler will that black gloss look if you spray painted the handles in gold? A really simple DIY that anyone can do and suddenly turns it into a statement piece. Perfect for setting the TV on, rather than the horrible TV stands that are currently available in the UK market. And a nice tie-in to the glossy black coffee table, giving the room a nice mix of masculine and feminine touches.

Of course, I had to include a couple plants in there from Ikea (see? I got Ikea in there somewhere!) as well as patterned and textural cushions and a cool little candle as well from H&M Home.

I did go over budget by a fiver but surely the bank of mum and dad can swing you a fiver, right? Maybe they’ll actually give you a tenner just for getting out of their hair and you can head down to the pub to celebrate! ;)

If you had £1000 to create a room, what would you do with it? What would you prioritise and what would you want to include? I’d love to hear how you would have tackled this one!

If you’d like to join the competition and make your own great escape, please do check it out here.

Please note, I was not compensated by Think Money for my involvement in this campaign. I just thought it was cool and wanted to get involved!