A woman transformed her bedroom with floor-to-ceiling hot pink shag walls inspired by Jayne Mansfield — take a look inside

Charlie Leanna Murphy's company and studio, The Pink Penthouse, is based in San Marcos, Texas.

Several picturesque buildings wrap around the town square in San Marcos, Texas, but none quite like The Pink Penthouse. 

Beyond the stark black exterior, the company and creative studio founded by Charlie Leanna Murphy is a kaleidoscope of opulent chandeliers, mesmerizing rose vines stretched across the walls, and — of course — the color pink! While the entire property is striking, it's the upstairs bedroom decorated with floor-to-ceiling pink shag and a pink glitter door that went viral on the internet.

"At first, I had posted a picture of my room and people started hating on it," Murphy, 42, told Insider. "I was just like, 'If you think this is crazy, wait until you see how I take care of it daily — you're going to shit your pants.'"

Murphy is involved in several business ventures, including owning a custom car shop with her husband, magazine publishing, and is the host of a podcast. She spoke to Insider to share the renovation process and how an old Hollywood starlet inspired the bedroom's design.

 

Murphy said actress Jayne Mansfield inspired the bedroom's walls.

According to Murphy, actress Jayne Mansfield influenced the bedroom's shag walls. The iconic bathroom in Mansfield's Los Angeles mansion — which later became known as the Pink Palace — was decorated with pink shag on the floors, walls, and ceilings. 

"I loved her home, and ever since I saw her pink shag bathroom, I've wanted a pink shag house," Murphy said. "In every room of this building, there's shag in some way. I'm making the dream come true." 

Murphy noted that she mimicked the headboard on Mansfield's bed, which was designed with mirrors shaped like a clamshell.

"If you look at her headboard in her bedroom and you look at my headboard in my bedroom, you can see how I found a modern style."

It took around two months to install the shag fabric on the walls and cost as much as $5,000.

The renovation process started in October and was completed by December. 

Murphy said installing the shag walls should've taken two to three days, but it took longer due to supply shortages and shipment delays. The initial shag fabric Murphy used was discontinued and moved to clearance during the process.

"I was like, 'Oh my God, if I have to replace this shag with a different one, I'm going to freak out,'" Murphy said. "But we ended up finding enough for it to finish that part, and then I had found some other pieces in north Austin that my friend went and grabbed for me to finish the room."

Murphy said she spent between $4,000 to $5,000 to buy enough fabric for the bedroom.

The bedroom's other project, the sparkling pink glitter doors, took about one week. Murphy purchased gold glitter paint from Home Depot, bought lots of pink glitter from Hobby Lobby, and then mixed the two together to achieve the shimmering color.

"I would glitter the doors in the morning, let it dry, and then after lunch, I would glitter it again," Murphy said and shared she repeated that process until it was complete. "It took about a week because it took about four to five coats of glitter."

Murphy installed the shag fabric onto the walls in sections, which came in handy when she hit a bump in the road.

Murphy said she used rolls of shag fabric purchased from JoAnn Fabrics and Crafts.

"I had three-foot-wide panels of the shag, and I cut them," Murphy said. "I started at the ceiling and cut them down at the floorboard, then stapled it into place."

She added that the shag is easy to remove from the walls for a deep wash, or it can be pulled off and replaced — a fact that proved helpful when bad weather struck.

"The window in the bedroom broke and the weather was coming through," Murphy said. "I had to replace some shag and fix part of the window that I didn't realize was messed up. It set me back some money, shag, and time."

The bedroom was also decorated with vintage finds.

Murphy explained that a number of the items inside the studio are vintage items she found for the space. The two light fixtures on either side of the bed are vintage Italian swag lamps from the mid-century, Murphy said.

"I found them on Facebook Marketplace," Murphy said. "My oldest daughter sprayed them gold, and then she repainted the flowers pink for me, so they tied in with the room."

Murphy also found vintage candle holders, a vintage glass tray, a vintage vanity tray.

Murphy vacuums the shag walls every day.

One of Murphy's most viral TikTok videos, with more than 1.1 million views, showed her using a handheld vacuum to clean the walls while wearing a silk robe. She noted that some users initially asked how she planned to upkeep the shag. 

"I vacuum every day. I've even taken my shampoo and blow dry so it doesn't mildew," Murphy said.

She continued: "If I were to not vacuum in here for a week, first, the dust would be gross, and two, the shag sheds. I've done all kinds of stuff to it to try to get it not to shed, but it does all the time."

Murphy also wants to avoid any unexpected insects that might wander into the decades-old building. 

Murphy discovered the 1920s building online and used the space to create a studio.

After discovering the building online, Murphy approached the realtor to acquire the downstairs area and one of the upstairs bedrooms.

"I told him I wanted to open a studio space for other photographers, models, brands, and companies to create content in," Murphy said. "I also wanted to have the upstairs living space to kind of have a home away from home." 

Murphy shared that she wanted it to be a safe space for her and her close-knit community.

"I have lots of friends, and we all go through shit," Murphy said. "I wanted a safe space for me, my friends, or anybody in need of a place to be." 

She still has several plans for both the bedroom and the building, including building out the closet and adding additional rooms. Eventually, Murphy said the space may become an Airbnb. 

Murphy's not bothered by any nay-sayers in her comment section.

Murphy acknowledged that she got "mixed reviews" about the bedroom's design but is happy with her choice.

"People think I'm crazy, or they love it," she said, adding that some people have asked her to transform their bedrooms, too. They've also left suggestions for where Murphy should add shag fabric next, though she's still adding shag to other parts of the building. 

"A lot of people online have given me ideas," she said. "It's like, 'I didn't think about adding shag to that, but I'm totally going to shag that next.'"