August 23, 2020

Beach-Themed Tiny Bedroom Quarantine Makeover with Photowall Sweden + Discount Code

I’ve been saying this in almost all of my previous post, that I really don’t know what I feel about this pandemic in general. This virus is really bad as it took the lives of so many people, I don’t take it lightly as I have 3 persons I know whose lives were cut short and 1 who will continue to live life with a heart problem that wasn’t there before. But whether we want to admit it or not, when the lock-downs were imposed all over the world, a few good things emerged from it. 




Mother nature was able to breathe, in some cities, pollution dropped massively. Since we got confined to our homes, we became more present to the people around us, especially our immediate families. We’ve exemplified cooperation, unity and charity in ways we never could have imagined (that’s the majority’s mindset compared to the self-serving few). We became altruistic and started supporting local to keep our local economies afloat.

We’ve made use of technology more than we used to; to socialize, to work, to do shopping, to get our meals and other necessities, for fitness and for entertainment (Netflix and Tik-Tok blew up, yeah?). With the use of technology, we also went back to basics with home-cooking, gardening and reading. Moreover, people started doing a lot of DIY stuff and learning something new. 




As for me, being confined indefinitely to my humble part-city-part-suburb apartment, my weekdays and weekends at home fly by with doing my day job (which I’m still thankful to keep in these trying times) and doing my usual social media activities and watching Netflix and YouTube for hours on end. I wasn’t cooking, I wasn’t reading books, I wasn’t DIY-ing and I wasn’t learning something new (ok, does reviewing for my UKRN exams count?) I wasn’t even doing a major spring-cleaning type for my apartment either. Because even though I’m working from home, my weekdays are still busy with job tasks and weekends are for my social media management, home photo shoots of food and products sent over to me, writing captions and blogs but mostly lazy-ing around. 

The internet is awash with guides and features on upskill-ing, from home improvements and other DIYs, but I’m just here, liking and scrolling past all them. Until one day, I received this email for a collaboration, that I’ve never thought I’ll ever receive. Photowall, a Swedish wall-art company passionate about creating inspiring living spaces with personality, reached out to me to feature any one of their products. It took me sometime to finally agreed to it. At first, I was not sure if I can embark on such a project, but after some prodding by a friend of mine and my sister, I thought, what the heck, I’ve never done anything like this, and let’s see if I can push myself to squeeze out other creative juices I have in my body. 




Photowall consists of passionate people from Sweden whose hearts beat for design. The idea of Photowall was born in 2006 when brothers Niklas and Charlie Johansson realized that the selection of personalized wall art on the market was relatively limited. They believe that the walls of a room affect how we feel. That's why their mission is to help people fill their walls with great art. Photowall have a carefully selected and diverse range of products including muralswallpaperscanvas printsframed prints and posters. Or you can have your own photos printed as a wall paper, prints, canvas or posters. With passion and attention to detail, it is their pleasure to help people to transform your home and business spaces to reflect your personality. Their products are manufactured in Sweden and shipped worldwide. Photowall is now an established company with its own factory and offices in Skarpnäck near Stockholm, Sweden. 




So, I went over to their website: www.photowall.global and browsed through their products. I must say I got a little overwhelmed with the myriad of stuff that they have in there. Add to that, the number of other influencers and interior designers that they have featured on their websites who created stunning spaces using Photowall products. I am in no way up to their level, or a home designer for that matter. But ok, I am taking a risk on this and doing this is stepping away from my usual comfort zones, but hopefully, I will be able to deliver somehow. 


my choices


I was torn between getting a wall mural or a canvas print. After giving it a lot of thought and browsing for inspiration online, I resolved on getting something from their mural line at www.photowall.global/wall-murals. One down, three to go! Then I the next step was what theme or design to get. I was torn between vintage, tropical and Scandinavian designs. I am so down for anything vintage (I’m a self-proclaimed old-world romanticist) and for tropical (since I live in the tropics in a country with 7000 plus islands) but the Scandinavian style for home interiors is now the trend because of its cozy, calm and clutter free vibe. Most of the furniture or decor you would see in Scandinavian designs are functional. It also has the soft hue palettes, colors that are often found in nature but also with little bit of a high contrast, i.e. lots of dark colors paired with soft tonal colors. Moreover, when It comes to fabrics, they’re heavily textured and most specially the use of lots of light. And when it comes to art, you'll see lots of line drawings, textured abstracts and graphic prints – which you can find a lot at Photowall  after all, they are from the Scandinavian region. 


Deserted Sandy Beach


Treating a wall as a canvas can be a creative outlet for people who want to show more about who they are in the space they occupy. So, as much as I wanted the last 3 themes, I wanted something about what will communicate about me. Thus, I chose this design called “Deserted Sandy Beach” which is an aerial shot of a white sand beach and the sea but looks like an abstract watercolor painting. My friend told me, it was the perfect design for me, because if it’s not so obvious enough, I love the beach so much and my blog uses a lot of watercolor graphics. Moreover, I miss the beach too, because the Covid virus robbed me of my summer and beach trips.




Ordering on Photowall’s website is a piece of cake. Once you pick your design, you just need to enter the measurements of the wall where you will put it up, choose between Standard or Premium quality, customize (optional), check out, pay and wait for your package. I customized mine by flipping the image, as I wanted the sea part on the left side. My package was sent via DHL and arrived in I think almost a week (since I live halfway around the world). It came in a compact box, where inside I found a roll of the mural panels, instruction materials and powder paste. They also have a tutorial on their website on how to put up the wall mural step by step. 



Since I have never done a project like this, I have to buy some of the materials that I think I will be using, like paint roller that I will use to spread the paste on the wall, a cutter and more industrial glue in case the paste isn’t enough. And the rest like the ruler, pencils I have them in my supplies, plus I borrowed my landlord’s steel ladder. The day before I installed the wall mural, I thoroughly cleaned the side of my room where I’m going to put it up and I cut the panels, rolled them up and secured them with rubber bands. 




The next day is the day that I finally put the wall mural up. The panels are numbered so you won’t have a hard time looking for the next panel, I arranged them on the floor so I can easily pick up one after the other. Then I prepped the paste and followed the instructions on the packaging. I mixed everything up and filled my small basin, thinking I needed to use all of it. But I actually used up only one fourth of the solution. 




So, I started putting the panel one by one. I rested in between putting one panel and the next, that’s why I ended up using my entire Sunday afternoon until early evening to finally complete the project. Difficulty level of putting up the mural, I would say it is medium. There were times the panels won’t align properly, and I had to remove and slowly install again. I think the problem there was that my room wall's corner wasn’t that perfectly straight. But I am happy I installed them nicely and there wasn't much bubbles. 




I only used up 7 of the 8 panels, so the excess, I am planning to use to cover my closet doors. I let the wall mural dry overnight before I trimmed the edges using a ruler and a cutter. Since I am such a novice at this, I wasn’t able to trim them impeccably. The mistakes weren’t super super obvious, so I think it’s all good. The wallpaper also stuck to the wall flawlessly, there wasn't any bubble, yahoo! I don't know why, but I find this wallpaper way easy to stick and smooth out unlike the sticker versions. 




I.FREAKING.LOVED. IT! How pretty it turned out, especially when it dried out completely! It was so beautiful and added a lot of character to my then super boring bedroom. I took photos and videos and sent it to my friends and my sister, and they all loved it too! My mom came to my apartment to bring me my daily lockdown food ration and I showed it to her, and she can’t believe it was a printed wall mural. She thought I painted it, or I had someone painted it. I wish I could have hired professional photographers, you know with the complete equipment and lighting, to take photos of my revamped room, because my photos don't give any justice to how beautiful this wall mural is. 


I took this photo at night and with light coming only from my room's fluorescent bulb
this shot has some orange-y tinge on the top part as I took this photo at sunset time, plus I think my neighbor's red roof is reflecting on it. The photos on this post doesn't give any justice to how beautiful this wall mural is. 


Ok, now that I have this eye-catching art piece in my room, it doesn’t mean it ends there right? I’ve started to revamp my room slowly, making the Photowall mural the centerpiece of the space and help with setting the mood. It will also act as a guide on how I will design the rest of the area so it can have a cohesive theme. I didn’t want to spend so much so I’m using and flipping the items I already have, to decorate. 
 

my color palettes and design pegs


I painted my round table and my coat rack white and gathered all my stuff that has beach or coastal theme to it. I also had my sister custom made some pillow covers for me in colors that matches my theme. Plus, I bought those throw pillow covers that have printed designs that kind of have that Scandinavian-slash-Tropical feels. 




I also did some DIY canvas paintings with beach-themed quotes that I hang on the corner column of the wall (which you can check out here My Quarantine Hand-Painted Quote Canvas Art). I’m also thinking of making my own macramé wall hanging to complete that Coastal/Beach-Boho theme that I’m going for. But then again,  all those are for another project, for some other day. I don’t have the time and budget to do the whole bedroom makeover in one go, so I’m taking it one step at a time.




Oh by the way, for the environment-conscious people out there that may raise their eyebrows for the use of paper for these wall murals, I’m happy to let you know that Photowall cares about the environment and they strive to minimize their environmental impact. Every purchase supports their work with Vi Agroferestry, a Swedish development cooperation organization. Together with Vi Agroforestry, they plant around 5000 trees every year in the area surrounding Lake Victoria in East Africa. Photowall considers the environment in every step from production to delivery so they are making products only by order which means no products are stored in a warehouse or thrown out unnecessarily.




My bedroom is not perfect yet, but I will get there, my little lockdown project will be done hopefully when this year ends. This was surely a fun and simple way of shaking up my space to make it look and feel brand new. This collaboration with Photowall was something that I needed to make my rental to feel like home. It also brought forth so many DIY ideas that I want to do in the next couple of months. From watching Netflix and random YouTube videos, I now find myself watching home makeovers and browsing through Pinterest for ideas and inspirations, LOL!




To end this long blog post (something that I enjoyed writing as much as I enjoyed this whole room revamping process); if you’re doing some improvements or adding some artwork to your home and you are interested in any of their products, you, my lovely readers an use my 25% discount code: sandundermyfeet25, which you can use at Photowall.com until the end of September 2020. This discount code applies to all their products. 




Stay safe and healthy, wherever you are in the world!



PHOTOWALL SWEDEN
Nordic E trade AB Box 2032, 
Fraktflygargatan 18, 128 21 
Skarpnäck, Sweden
Contact Nos: +46 8 550 087 31
Email: customerservice@photowall.global
Website: www.photowall.global
Facebook: www.facebook.com/photowall
Instagram: www.instagram.com/photowall_sweden
Pinterestwww.pinterest.ph/photowall



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38 comments:

  1. I like the vibe of your room😍💙 ang sarap sa mata. Bagay to sa mga beach lover😊💙💙💙

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  2. Perfect beach-themed bedroom makeover grabeh sobrang ganda at super cool tignan nakaka relax and this is great idea to everyone thanks for sharing this 👍😍💙

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  3. Perfect beach-themed bedroom makeover grabeh sobrang ganda at super cool tignan nakaka relax and this is great idea to everyone thanks for sharing this 👍😍💙

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  4. Best beach themed bedroom makeover i love the color super relaxing ang sarap matulog kapag ganito kaganda ang ayos ng bedroom love it 👍👍

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  5. Best beach themed bedroom makeover i love the color super relaxing ang sarap matulog kapag ganito kaganda ang ayos ng bedroom love it 👍👍

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  6. Nothing to say, kundi npakaganda lang tlaga 💙💙💙 photowall best pala tlaga, and really love the Theme ate Jen 💙💙

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  7. What an imaginative diy project to bring the beach back home! The wall-art from Photowall Sweden looks fantastic and sets the theme

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  8. I love this theme and the colors are perfect. I am inspired to upgrade my space now.

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  9. I totally relate with you on this pandemic. There are alot of sadness and lost around it, yet at the same time, it allowed us as humans to connect to what was really important and be so much kinder. I also love the wall-art from Photowall! They have such good stuff and I love the beach vibes you are creating! Inspires me to try one of these projects lol

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  10. Wow the photowall looks so beautiful! Will check out their website and take advantage of the 25% discount!!!

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  11. I absolutely love this beach themed makeover. It would definitely liven up your bedroom space which will put you in a better mood. This is a great DIY project that anyone can do. I may have to try this myself.

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  12. Ang ganda! Very relaxing ng color, looks like you painted it on the photos. I love the accents that you placed in your bedroom as well.

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  13. I super love it, Jen! Actually, if you didn't reveal it was ready made, I would've thought you really painted the mural yourself. Now I want to hangout in your room. Thanks, will check this out! <3

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  14. Ang gaganda ng mga designs nila lalo yung sayo. Bilang beach lover, nangungulila talaga ako dahil walang ganap this summer. Parang gusto ko tuloy irenovate yung kwarto ko haha

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  15. I love the idea of bringing the beach into my bedroom. I would love to implement some of these into ours!

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  16. It's GORGEOUS!!! I love that shot and it looks so great up on the wall! Plus, I love the way you styled it. You really have an eye for design!

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  17. Wallpapers are good and cheaper alternative than paint. I love the design you chose! Fresh tingnan at nakaka-miss mag beach.

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  18. That wallpaper is beautiful. The whole room looks very calm and peacful.

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  19. I love how you decorate your room. Your room looks very nice. its nice to sleep in it.

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  20. I love your chosen design of your photowall. I would love to do this kaso hindi namin ito bahay hahaha baka magalit yung may ari and ofcourse sayang yung pinambili kapag lilipat ulit later on.

    But if ever makabili kami ng sariling bahay I will do this too.

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  21. We’re all handling this pandemic differently and you actually summarized the experience perfectly. I super love the wall paper and how you designed your room over all. Totally captures your essence!!

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  22. I love this design! Our youngest daughter just traded bedrooms with her big sister and took over her space themed bedroom. Daily for the last month she has explained that she does not like space anymore and wants a bedroom makeover. This might be the perfect solution!

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  23. HALA OMG THAT IS SOOO PRETTYYY! I'm so obsessed with wallpaper ever since I started a room makeover. Nakailang palit narin ako eh HAHAHA kasi may gusto talaga akong pegs for my room and ang hirap lang ng online eh kasi di mo ma customized yung size. Pero this one is very nice na we can customized the dimension when ordering. Ang pretty pa ng napili mong design. Bagay sa blog branding mo :D

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  24. The photo wall is so you! I love how it turned out and that you also beefed up your room interior. It actually reminds me of Greece because of the color scheme!

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  25. I need a wall like that, since most likely it will be the closest i can get to beach this year! �� It’s also nice to know they’re environmental friendly too! ❤️

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  26. Kudos to you! You have designed your room so beautifully, I would have totally messed it up �� Love it ��

    Thanks,
    Everything Enchanting

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  27. These murals are the coolest wow!!! They look really awesome and they're very easy to install, amazing...

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  28. i fell in love with your room immediately wish i have a bigger room to fix up or sana hindi weird yung shape ng room namin. but for the future will look into this!

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  29. I love what you did to your room! I bet it's relaxing to spend a night there haha lol parang hotel lang? DIY rooms are the best because it gives you a sense of accomplishment after and it really is your own. It's something to be proud of!

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  30. Wow. This looks so cool. We are actually planning to redecorate our house, particularly our room. This looks like a great idea to do.

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  31. Wow! Your wall really looks fantastic! I am in awe with how ralistic the picture is.

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  32. I commend you for your boldness in accepting this collaboration. From someone who has no background in interior design (like you said), you pulled it through. The theme perfectly matches your blog brand, and also a fresh sight this pandemic when we can't afford to bask in the beach or nature. GOOD JOB!

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  33. Oh wow that looks incredible! Such a serene place to relax in now

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  34. This is so beautiful, we are currently renovating and looking at different options for decorating

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  35. Kristine Nicole AlessandraAugust 31, 2020

    You did a great job with decorating your room. That was a good project to do this quarantine period. Looking at that wall would be so calming! Sure to take all that anxiety away.

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  36. Wow! Sobrang ganda po talaga ng design 😍 when I saw this on your instagram/facebook account I taught you painted this. Stickers lang po pala siya para po kasing pininta. Love this so much! ❤

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  37. Nessa.baccayOctober 07, 2020

    The best outcome!!!! ❤❤❤ THANK YOU PO SA IDEA������������������❤❤❤❤❤

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  38. Love it �� ganda ng theme at pagkakagawa from paints to decors ��

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