One Room Challenge – Modern Rustic Office – Week Four

When I woke up this morning, I somehow convinced myself that it was week five instead of week four and almost started hyperventilating. So, instead of feeling panicking about only having two weeks left, I’m feeling good about these last two weeks…even though we have LOTS left to do. For those of you who are new here, I signed up for the One Room Challenge, a biannual, six week challenge in which you document the process of re-imagining a space from top to bottom. It’s hosted by Better Homes and Gardens and is loads of fun! If you would like to catch up, here are links to week one, week two, and week three.

Here is the mood board that I put together to help me visualize the space better. Although, lots has been happening this week, and some tweaks have been made to the original plan. But, I think I’m going to keep those changes a secret until the big reveal. A girl needs to keep a surprise or two up her sleeve, ya know?

The biggest accomplishment this week is that we HAVE FOUR WALLS! Yes, four walls! And I decided to stain those walls. I wanted to get some of the yellow and orange tones out of the wood and hopefully, keep it from darkening into a big orange mess. Here is what the walls were looking like before the stain.

And after the stain…

It might be hard to tell from these photos, but IRL this wood is looking WAY whiter, and WAY brighter! I’m really happy that it matches the floors now so it doesn’t feel visually overwhelming with multiple wood tones all happening in a small space.

Ok…so now down to business. Here is the to-do list so we can finish this sucker on time!

TO-DO

  1. Ceiling finished
  2. Install baseboards
  3. Install lighting – interior/exterior
  4. Paint touching up – interior/exterior
  5. Window boxes
  6. Install blinds
  7. Furniture install and figure out layout
  8. Decide on a coffee table

These are the big items but there are a few other odds and ends that I need to figure out as well. Lots of little details left! So that’s it for now! Until next week! And as always, if you have any questions, leave them below! XOXO

 

One Room Challenge – Rustic Modern Office Space – Week Three

OK! Here we are again…week three is already upon us! If you’re new here, let me fill you in on what’s going on! I am totally redesigning an office space/outdoor shed for my husband, who works from home, as part of the One Room Challenge. If you would like to catch up in order, here’s a link to Week One and Week Two. Once again, here’s a looky at my vision or plan for the space.

So this week was all about paints and stains. I needed to make a choice for a treatment for the floors ( 1×6 pine boards) and I have been planning on a moody accent wall since we began envisioning the space. I needed a rich, dark color and after looking at 975,873,489 black(ish) paint swatches, I landed on Black Jack by Benjamin Moore. Here’s the wall for which the paint was intended.

The sofa that is going to be sitting against this wall is a butterscotch color and I’m so excited to see it just POP against this moody color. In fact, I just recieved word today that the sofa is shipping out in the next few days….someone pinch me!

I have painted lots of walls during the course of my diy adventures, but painting wood paneling is no joke. Getting the paint between the boards is a time sucker. Also, a tip that I thought I would share would be, that if you’re planning on painting paneling a dark color, paint the wall behind in a dark shade before you install the wood. This way, any cracks that are visible when you finish installing, are already dark in color. Mmmmmmkay??  Out of the three previous photos, the third one most accurately represents the color in real life. And of course, I went with a matte finish because I just can’t ever get enough of that velvety finish.

Next up was choosing the stain and polyurethane for the floors. I mentioned this in my last post but a very wise reader wrote and warned me that if I didn’t use some kind of stain, then the floors would eventually darken and yellow. A look that I am trying to avoid.

When I found this antique white by Varathane, I knew I had found what I was looking for. It gave the floors a very bright white look but didn’t cover any of the wood grain or knots.

I applied the first coat of polyurethane just this afternoon and am still undecided about how many coats I should do. I will probably do at least one more for good measure. It is pine which means it’s a very soft wood, so we need maximum protection.

Finally, I liked the color that I used on the accent wall inside so much, that I may just use it for the exterior too. I tested a spot and me likey…

But we’ll save that discussion for next week! See ya in a week! Oh…and if you have any questions for me….don’t be shy! Leave me a comment below! XO

One Room Challenge – Rustic Modern Office Space – Week Two

Hi guys! It’s week two already, and things are happening over here! Last week, I let you in on my exciting plans to completely revamp my husbands shack of an office as part of the One Room Challenge. And just a refresher, here’s a look at the mood board from which I’m using to plan the space.

1./2./3./4./5./6.

So this week was all about the floors and walls…as in, we needed both. When the shed arrived, it had just plywood for both so I was excited to get started and get some walls and floors down. For the floors, we went with pine 1×6 boards. Originally, I was just going to leave them as-is, and add a poly for a protective coat, but then a reader informed me (you guys are SO helpful…keep sending me all your tips) that if I went that route, the floors would darken over time leaving us with a 1950’s cabin vibe (a look that I love, actually), but not the Scandi look I am going for for this project. So…in order to keep these floors from darkening, I am going to use a white stain that I’m hoping will keep them light and bright. I considered a lime wash, but was discouraged when I started researching the process. Seems so complicated! For now, the plan is to stain with a transparent white stain and then lots of poly to protect and seal them.

 

For the walls, we are going to use the same tongue and groove pine planking that we used for our stair well project that we completed this winter. I’m a big fan of the texture that it brings to a space. Also, it lends itself to a more casual look and I’m all about casual, comfortable spaces.

Because the floors are going to be so bright and natural light isn’t an issue for this office space, I am thinking about painting the long wall (the one that doesn’t have a window) a deep, matte black. Originally, I was contemplating trying the shou sugi ban technique, where you actually singe and burn the wood for a dark and dramatic effect. But, since the paneling is already installed and I don’t want to burn the shed down, paint will have to do!

See how much lighter the paneling is (on the left) versus the old plywood (on the right)??? The plywood has a lot of orange and pink undertones that I am just not feeling. This project is really making me get creative because I LOVE a rustic look, but for the shed, if I go too rustic, then it starts to resemble that murder shack look that I am desperately trying to avoid. So balance is the key here, folks.

So that’s the skinny on our progress for our second week! Guys, I cannot wait to get to the pretty stuff…furniture, lighting, accessories….ya know, the fun part! Have any questions for me? Hit me up! Until next week!

rustic modern office space – one room challenge: week one

Well….here we go again! It’s time start another round of the One Room Challenge…only this time, spring edition 2019. Last fall, was my first stab at the ORC and I had so much fun transforming a boring little half bath into a rad, ostrich filled powder room. So, I’m back again, but with a whole new game plan! Here’s what I’m thinking!

1./2./3./4./5./6.

Now, as some of you know, my hubs works from home full-time. When we first moved into our house, we made the loft area at the top of the stairs (the space that I now lovingly refer to as the mom loft) into his office. Well, it didn’t take us long to figure out that that space was not going to work…think screaming toddlers, barking puppies, and a constant flow of kids coming and going with their friends. My hubs needed a quiet place to work so we had to come up with a solution that would better suit the needs of our very busy, and very LOUD family. After some research, we found a local place where you design your own shed online and they bring your designs to life and build it on site. The whole process only takes a few weeks and then they come and deliver your new shed in the spot of your choice. It took some convincing by the hubs, but eventually I caved and here we are!

THE BEFORE

Okay, here’s our starting point. A truly blank slate.

We added the window boxes that you see but they didn’t make it through the winter…but that’s another story (insert eye roll here). We also added electricity, cable/internet and have also wired it for two exterior lights that will flank the front door. The outside is cute….but wait until you see the inside…gulp.

GENERAL DIRECTION I’M HEADING

Ok…so the goal for this project is to transform this murder shack into a cozy, rustic office; heavy on the PNW vibes. The walls will be shiplap all the way around and the long wall without any windows is going to get the shou sugi ban treatment. Can’t wait to try that! If I can find one that is the right size, a wood stove for the corner and a built-in to house some stacked wood. His desk will stay in the same location but we have a new desk picked. There will also be a seating area to hang out for when one of the kids or myself go out to deliver a hot coffee or a sandwich for lunch. This is just a quick run-down and meant to give you an overall and very general idea of the direction that I’m heading. That’s it for now!

And stay tuned because I have a few surprises up my sleeve too! See ya next week!