A woman has poured £25,000 into transforming her home into a Barbie-inspired ‘pink palace’ – and admits her love of the colour is so intense that even her power drill is pink.
Over the past eight years, Sarah Wilkinson has covered almost every inch of her five-bedroom house in shades of pink, from the kitchen and staircase to the fridge, bathroom and garage door.
But for the 46-year-old, the colour scheme doesn’t stop at the decor.
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Every item in her wardrobe is pink, as is her hair, while her laptop, mouse, keyboard, suitcases, power strips and DIY tools have all been given the rosy treatment too, as reported by Luxury Property News.
Her BMW features pink wing mirrors, pink badges and a pink personalised number plate – but Sarah’s ultimate dream is a car that is pink “from top to toe”.
While some people think she is “a little mad”, Sarah says embracing the colour means far more to her – it represents the freedom to finally live exactly as she pleases.
“I’ve loved pink for as long as I can remember,” said Sarah, an event consultant from Sandhurst, Berkshire.
“But it really came into its own after I came out of a long-term relationship where my partner at the time wasn’t supportive of it.
“When I got my own place, I finally had the freedom to decorate exactly how I wanted, and I ran with it – into my home, my wardrobe, and eventually my hair.
“Bit by bit it stopped being just a favourite colour and became my personal brand – the thing people notice first and remember longest.”
Sarah, who grew up in North Wales, now lives with her husband and their distinctly un-pink cat.
Her 16-year-old stepson stays with them every other weekend, though Sarah says he tends to “roll his eyes” at the decor.
She started giving the house its makeover soon after moving in eight years ago.
Some rooms have even been redone twice after Sarah found a shade or finish she liked better.
In total, she estimates the project has cost her around £25,000.
Her biggest single expense was roughly £5,000 on pink Venetian plaster for the en-suite.
Sarah said: “I’d always rather save up for the one piece I really love than settle for something that isn’t quite right.”
Even everyday appliances have to meet her pink standard.
A Smeg kettle and toaster in exactly the right shade set her back about £250, and the kitchen is filled with pink gadgets, utensils and accessories.
“Even the small stuff – my power strips, and yes, my power drill – is pink.
“Even my kitchen roll and garden hose are pink.
“If there’s a pink version of something out there, chances are I’ve found it.”
The house is now up for sale with a guide price of £725,000 at the time of writing.
The detached property spans around 1,699 sq ft and offers up to five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a 20ft lounge and dining room, a spacious kitchen and breakfast room and a landscaped garden.
The pink theme starts before buyers even get inside, with both the exterior and garage door painted in Sarah’s signature colour.
Photos of the interior reveal a pastel-pink kitchen, pink stairs and doors, matching dining chairs and a fridge surrounded by coordinated accessories.
There is, however, one escape from the sea of pink.
Her husband Tim has his own deliberately pink-free “man cave”.
“His office, which we call his ‘man cave’, is proudly pink-free,” Sarah said.
“It’s important to me that he has a space that’s entirely his in what’s our home together.
“He’s very used to packages arriving that he doesn’t know about with something pink inside.
“He hasn’t vetoed a particular purchase, but there have definitely been some shades of pink that have been vetoed.
“Aside from that, he’s embraced the pink from the very beginning.
“He genuinely loves what I’ve done with the house and loves living in it, and he’ll happily put on a pink shirt for date night.
“Having a partner who supports and embraces this side of me so wholeheartedly really is wonderful.
“My mum calls us ‘the little pink couple’.”
Sarah’s eye-catching style turns heads outside the home too.
Strangers have stopped her on the Tube to praise her outfits and tell her she has “made their day”.
One of her favourite moments came when a little girl walking past the house turned to her mum and shouted: “It’s Barbie!”
Sarah said: “Those small interactions are what make it all worthwhile.”
Her friends are split between adoring the house and thinking she’s a bit bonkers.
“Some friends absolutely love it, others think I’m a little mad – and I get asked for photos constantly,” she said.
After photos of the house surfaced online, one friend even suggested she try selling it straight to Mattel, the company behind Barbie.
Sarah says she has occasionally faced judgement at work and believes people have made assumptions about her based on her appearance.
“I know there have been a few assumptions made about me behind my back,” she said.
“Though it’s genuinely rare, I’m sure there’s more said that I never hear.”
But she has no intention of toning it down.
She said: “If someone’s decided the best use of their time is leaving unkind comments about a stranger who’s just being herself, that says far more about them than it does about me.
“I’m a firm believer that everyone should be free to express their own individuality.
“No matter if you are pink or different in some other way, it’s okay to be different and you don’t have to be like everyone else.”
Despite eight years of decorating, Sarah’s pink wishlist is still growing.
“The big dream is a car that’s entirely pink from top to toe.
“I see them online and get properly excited every time.”
She also hopes her next home will have a pink roll-top bath, and has been inspired by someone she follows online who built an all-pink home bar.
Sarah and Tim are planning to move to Herefordshire for a quieter life in the countryside.
“The move is purely for a lifestyle change and we are hoping to go to Herefordshire for a quieter country life,” she said.
“It will still be pink, though.
“I know tears will be shed when I leave.”
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