One Room Challenge, Fall 2016 - The Big Reveal!
Now on to the reason why everyone is here - the Before and After!
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| Our Mess |
I love the look of the drapes behind the bed. It creates a layer of coziness and warmth in a room full of hard surfaces and no natural charm. It also gives the impression of a wall of windows, so it's not quite as obvious to our guests that we are sticking them in our dungeon. ;)
In addition to the lamps placed around the room, we installed this plug-in sconce on the wall right next to the door. Now you can turn on a light the second you walk in the room, as opposed to walking across a dark room to turn on the lamp on the nightstand, the only option previously for lighting the room.
Every good Southern room needs a little blue and white. This large wall across from the bed needed something to fill it, especially because this is the view when lying in the bed. One of our favorite paintings by a local artist of the Georgia shore, surrounded by some of my Blue Willow collection, adds a fun boost of color in a mostly neutral room.
Before of the wall across from the bed, aka more storage
I added a little seating area/reading nook in this previously unused corner. Hope it provides a spot for our guests to relax and escape the hubbub of a home with small children. :)
As always, I am so glad we participated in the One Room Challenge. Thank you so much to Linda for creating the ORC, and for providing encouragement to create a space in your home that you truly love. Be sure to check out the other participants; there is so much talent out there!
*Edited to add sources and budget
SOURCES
Drapes: P Kauffman Buffalo Check
Bedding: white coverlet - Pine Cone Hill, white shams with monogram - Pottery Barn, blue/gray quilt and shams - Tuesday Morning
Tablecloth: Lacefield Designs Pagoda for Ballard Designs
Sconce: Pottery Barn
All other lighting, furniture, artwork: family pieces, gifts, or thrift store finds
BUDGET (about 95% of the room was recycled from other rooms or storage)
Drapes: bartered with a client for design services $0
Bedding: white bedding was outlet or garage sale finds, blue/gray from a discount store $80
Tablecloth: purchased on FB garage sale group $35
Pharmacy style floor lamp: thrift store find $7
Curtain rod: $20
Total Budget: $142
One Room Challenge, Fall 2016 - Week 5
Well, you may have noticed that I skipped right over Week 4 in the ORC. There just wasn't enough progress to warrant a post. But, we've gotten a lot more accomplished this week, and I am excited to reveal our revamped guest room next week. It's not going to be the most dramatic of reveals, but I am so pleased to be able to offer our guests a welcoming space instead of the cluttered dungeon-like room it was up until a month ago.
We hung the drapes along the back wall, and it makes such a difference in the coziness factor. My dad (who is fairly oblivious to all things design) even commented that it makes it seem like there is a wall of windows hiding just behind the bed - exactly my intention! The dimensions are a little off since I had to work with what I already own and wasn't able to customize the drapes to the space, but I think it is still as step-up from a windowless room with drop tile ceiling. :)
I also set up a little reading/relaxing nook in the corner of the room that previously held all of our junk. Just a tiny bit of an improvement, I'd say. Still waffling over my accent fabric choices (the pillow and throw pictured are just stand-ins), but since it's down to the wire, availability may become my most influential factor.
We hung the drapes along the back wall, and it makes such a difference in the coziness factor. My dad (who is fairly oblivious to all things design) even commented that it makes it seem like there is a wall of windows hiding just behind the bed - exactly my intention! The dimensions are a little off since I had to work with what I already own and wasn't able to customize the drapes to the space, but I think it is still as step-up from a windowless room with drop tile ceiling. :)
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| ignore the wrinkles ;) |
I also set up a little reading/relaxing nook in the corner of the room that previously held all of our junk. Just a tiny bit of an improvement, I'd say. Still waffling over my accent fabric choices (the pillow and throw pictured are just stand-ins), but since it's down to the wire, availability may become my most influential factor.
That's my quick update for now. See you next week for the reveal!
As always, don't forget to check out the other participants in the One Room Challenge!
One Room Challenge Fall 2016 - The Most Boring Week in the ORC (Week 3)
So this will probably be the most boring One Room Challenge update in history. Aesthetically, nothing much has happened to the room. But, we cleaned it out and began organizing the closet. It felt SO good to purge and put things where they belong, instead of tossing them in a pile and slamming the door shut before the pile escapes. Lol. It doesn't seem like we've made a lot of progress, but when I look at the empty space in the closet, it helps ease my ORC jitters.
We had hoped to hang the drapes, but they were full of wrinkles (not surprising, given that they were at the bottom of the giant closet pile), so we will hang them as soon as possible, hopefully this weekend. I also realized that we need to switch out one of the nightstands as there is too big of a height difference between the two we currently have in the room, so we may have to steal a table from elsewhere in the house (or hope for a lucky estate sale find?). This will also hopefully happen this weekend, although my husband does not get as excited about moving furniture all over the house as I do. And since a narrow flight of basement stairs is part of the obstacle, I don't think I'll be moving anything by myself.
And that is about all folks. Not too entertaining, but at least it was short and sweet. ;)
Be sure to check out my fellow participants here. And thanks as always to Linda from Calling It Home for hosting!
We had hoped to hang the drapes, but they were full of wrinkles (not surprising, given that they were at the bottom of the giant closet pile), so we will hang them as soon as possible, hopefully this weekend. I also realized that we need to switch out one of the nightstands as there is too big of a height difference between the two we currently have in the room, so we may have to steal a table from elsewhere in the house (or hope for a lucky estate sale find?). This will also hopefully happen this weekend, although my husband does not get as excited about moving furniture all over the house as I do. And since a narrow flight of basement stairs is part of the obstacle, I don't think I'll be moving anything by myself.
And that is about all folks. Not too entertaining, but at least it was short and sweet. ;)
Be sure to check out my fellow participants here. And thanks as always to Linda from Calling It Home for hosting!
One Room Challenge Fall 2016 - Guest Bedroom Design Plan, Week 2
Welcome back to week 2 of the One Room Challenge! A quick synopsis - we are participating in the Calling It Home blog challenge, and updating our guest bedroom in just under 6 weeks. This week, I am presenting my design plan for our windowless basement guest room.
To be upfront with y'all, the only way my husband (aka my electrician, carpenter, and sometimes plumber) and I could fathom being a part of this round's ORC was if we agreed to tackle the room that would take the least amount of effort, time, and money. So, the majority of the room's elements are things we already have, and we are repurposing them (aka stealing) from other rooms in our home. Sometimeshoarding collecting pillows, lamps, etc. can come in handy.
We've also made zero progress on the room this week; we escaped to the mountains for a few days during my daughter's fall break, and it was totally worth it. I'll just have to put that much more effort into this upcoming week!
As for the design of the room, I mentioned in week 1 that I was going for a Southern coastal look. We love going to the beach, and I wanted to bring the relaxation we feel during our trips to our guests. It also helps that my in-laws gifted us a painting of the coast that has been in the family for years, and I can use it to tie many of the elements together. When we researched the name on the back, we discovered that the little-known artist has actually become quite the collector's item. And while it's not worth millions (or even close), it's neat to know that it does have a history.
The design brings together some of my favorites: buffalo check, toile (either classic or chinoiserie - haven't decided yet), and the color combo of creams and blues. To address the lack of lighting, both natural and overhead, I'm bringing in a lot of lamps. In addition, the room will have mirrors on two walls to bounce the lamplight.
The inspiration image is a room I have loved for a long time. It was designed by Lisa Whitley for a Southern Living home in South Carolina. I especially love the painting over the bed, and the windows and drapery behind the bed. That got my wheels turning, and I realized I could give the impression of windows by hanging drapes behind our farmhouse 4 poster bed. I happen to have some P. Kaufman buffalo check drapes that did not work well in our home but I just couldn't let go of them, so they are getting a second life in this room. The other fabric in the room will most likely be either Pottery Barn's Matine toile in porcelain blue, or Lacefield Design's Pagodas Seaside. The walls are Benjamin Moore's White Dove (my go-to white).
Check back next week to see our progress (or lack thereof), and be sure to visit the other participants in the One Room Challenge!
To be upfront with y'all, the only way my husband (aka my electrician, carpenter, and sometimes plumber) and I could fathom being a part of this round's ORC was if we agreed to tackle the room that would take the least amount of effort, time, and money. So, the majority of the room's elements are things we already have, and we are repurposing them (aka stealing) from other rooms in our home. Sometimes
We've also made zero progress on the room this week; we escaped to the mountains for a few days during my daughter's fall break, and it was totally worth it. I'll just have to put that much more effort into this upcoming week!
As for the design of the room, I mentioned in week 1 that I was going for a Southern coastal look. We love going to the beach, and I wanted to bring the relaxation we feel during our trips to our guests. It also helps that my in-laws gifted us a painting of the coast that has been in the family for years, and I can use it to tie many of the elements together. When we researched the name on the back, we discovered that the little-known artist has actually become quite the collector's item. And while it's not worth millions (or even close), it's neat to know that it does have a history.
The design brings together some of my favorites: buffalo check, toile (either classic or chinoiserie - haven't decided yet), and the color combo of creams and blues. To address the lack of lighting, both natural and overhead, I'm bringing in a lot of lamps. In addition, the room will have mirrors on two walls to bounce the lamplight.
The inspiration image is a room I have loved for a long time. It was designed by Lisa Whitley for a Southern Living home in South Carolina. I especially love the painting over the bed, and the windows and drapery behind the bed. That got my wheels turning, and I realized I could give the impression of windows by hanging drapes behind our farmhouse 4 poster bed. I happen to have some P. Kaufman buffalo check drapes that did not work well in our home but I just couldn't let go of them, so they are getting a second life in this room. The other fabric in the room will most likely be either Pottery Barn's Matine toile in porcelain blue, or Lacefield Design's Pagodas Seaside. The walls are Benjamin Moore's White Dove (my go-to white).
Check back next week to see our progress (or lack thereof), and be sure to visit the other participants in the One Room Challenge!
One Room Challenge Fall 2016 - Guest Bedroom, Week 1
Welcome to the Fall 2016 One Room Challenge! For those of you new to the concept, Linda from Calling It Home created a blog challenge in which participants make over a room in a short 6 week period. It's chaotic, stressful, and exhilarating all at the same time. Many have compared it to childbirth, and while I can tell you that it pales in comparison to an unplanned natural delivery, it definitely brings a mental anguish and exhaustion that you forget all about when you reach the finish line, beaming with pride over your creation. A short time later, all you remember are the good times, the successes, and the beauty of your space, so you decide that it would be a great idea to do it all over again. And that's how you become involved in the cycle of the One Room Challenge. Ha!
This will be our third round of participating as a guest blogger in the ORC. Every Wednesday, 20 featured designers post their updates, and every Thursday, hundreds of guest bloggers join in on the fun. You can find our Fall 2015 makeover of our laundry room and back entry here, and our Spring 2016 ORC of our dining room here. Fun fact: we recently revamped the spaces from our Fall 2015 ORC; the office space is now a shiplap mudroom, and the mudcloset is storage for cleaning supplies, household goods, etc. You can find those updates on my Instagram feed, hcbinteriors.
Life has been more than a little hectic lately; if you check the date of my last post, you'll see that it was the final post of the Spring ORC. We didn't even decide to commit to this round until today. But the lure of whipping yet another space in our home into shape was strong, so here we go again.
We will be focusing on our guest bedroom. It's located in the basement, and has no windows, no overhead lighting, and the outlets the lamps are plugged into are not connected to the lightswitch, so the room is a dark cave. Not very welcoming! It's also tends to be our clutter collector, the space where all items go to live until I have the time and space to put them away. This room, and my husband's cluttered office, are my secret rooms of shame. Because they are in the basement, I don't have to look at them until someone is coming to visit. And since those visitors are usually my very understanding in-laws, the rooms are usually just barely cleaner than the pictures shown below.
The Before (can't believe I'm sharing our mess!):
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| Extra furniture that has no home. Clothes my kids have outgrown piled on the bed. And a whole bunch of random stuff (don't even know what) under the bed |
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| Mirrors and art that are waiting to be hung (and have been waiting for months) |
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| At one time, this closet was organized. Until we just started tossing stuff in, with the idea that we would deal with it later. Now you can't even get in there |
Ok, now that everyone in American can feel better about their own mess, come back next week to see my design plan. I'm thinking Southern Coastal, hoping that I can turn this into a welcoming, organized retreat. Thanks for visiting, and make sure to check out everyone else participating in the One Room Challenge!