A mum-of-four was sick of the “boring” magnolia colour scheme in her council house, and decided to give it a “pink makeover”. Now her husband has joked he’s moving out
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TikToker transforms fridge from white to bright pink
A woman who was sick to the back teeth with the magnolia colour scheme of her “boring” council house, decided to do something about it, revamping her home with a full-blown “pink makeover”.
However, she says her husband hates the shade so much, he’s previously joked about moving in with the neighbours, but has now come to expect, and accept, a new pink addition every time he comes home.
Mum-of-four Kara Southall, 39, managed to spruce up her kitchen for £318, her living room for £92, and her bedroom for £56. She spent a further £23 doing up her wetroom and bathroom, including a £7 shower curtain, £3 shower mat and £3 hand towel.
She’s even taken her pink paint pot to the garden, spending £300 on turning it into a pink paradise, but says her home is not “pink enough” yet.
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Image:
Kara Southall)
(
Image:
Kara Southall)
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Kara, from Felixstowe, Suffolk, says she mostly upcycled or purchased items at car boot sales to keep within her £600 budget, and says she also bought plenty on sale at Homebase.
The bargain lover managed to get hold of pink curtains for £5, and pink wallpaper for £1 a roll. Back in 2021, she even painted the front door pink and says it now makes her smile whenever she gets home.
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Image:
Kara Southall)
Kara’s husband, Darren, 44, arrived home from work one day only to spot pink cupboards through the kitchen window and wasn’t exactly the biggest fan.
Alarmed by the sudden explosion of pink, Darren texted Kara in dismay, jokingly threatening to move in with the neighbours. However, he doesn’t mind too much, as long as the quirky look makes Kara happy.
(
Image:
Kara Southall)
(
Image:
Kara Southall)
Unlike her husband, Kara is said to be obsessed with all things pink, even dying her hair to match the decor after taking up burlesque dancing helped her become more confident.
Kara, who is mum to Kieran, 20, Kyle, 19, Erin, 13, and Shay, 10, first created her Instagram page – @theonlywayis_pink – back in 2020, to share all about how she was dealing with her mental health.
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Image:
Kara Southall)
Nowadays, Kara uses social media to share content about the mess and realness of a family home, and keeps followers updated with her various pink-themed DIY projects.
Having recently joined TikTok, again under the username ‘The Only Way is Pink’, Kara, who has gained more than 58,000 total likes and counting, will regularly share footage of her various transformations. One clip of her fridge makeover clocked up 9,000 views in just two days and has since grown to 300,000.
(
Image:
Kara Southall)
(
Image:
Kara Southall)
Kara’s TikTok page has led to thousands of strangers falling head over heels with her “pink council home”, and she says her “Welcome to my house” and “fridge makeover” clips have gone “mental.”
Although she does have to contend with the occasional negative comment, she found the positive feedback greatly outweighs the negative.
Kara said: “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!”
Kara was recently given a fibromyalgia diagnosis, and so she does experience days when her pain prevents her from doing the household chores she loves, and she’s been candid about this struggle with her 10,000 Instagram followers.
According to Kara: “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.
“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.”
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