one room challenge

One Room Challenge – Modern Mountain Kitchen and Family Room – Week One

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OMG TODAY IS THE DAY! It’s the first day of the first week of the One Room Challenge! I’m back at it, but this time, as a Featured Designer (still pinching myself that my name is among the list of amazing designers) and I couldn’t be more excited about it! I have been planning this space for months now, and it’s been nearly impossible to keep all of this a secret from you guys! This is my third crack at the challenge, and if you’ve been following along for a while now then you might have seen my powder room transformation from Fall of 2018, or my shack turned office project from the Spring of 2019. If you don’t know what I’m talking about…then go and check them out! Now lets get down to biz. Here’s a visual of what I’m thinking!

 

1./2./3./4./5./6./7.

Many of you already know that the hubs and I sold our house over the summer and moved into a fixer upper. And when I say fixer upper…I mean it. For reals, guys. This new house of ours is in serious need of some love. When I was trying to decide which room I would be tackling for the ORC, I thought about doing a smaller project like a bathroom or a bedroom because it felt like a safer choice. But, my hubs gave me the pep talk of all pep talks and convinced me to “go big, or go home.” So, that’s been my motto as I’ve been planning and we are def going BIG with a complete kitchen remodel as well as the attached family room. Am I crazy? Have I lost it? Maybe. But I’ve had three cups of coffee and full of nervous energy so I’m gonna do my best to pull this thing off!

THE BEFORE

Here’s how the kitchen looked last month on move in day.

What do you guys think? Are you scared for me? You can see we have a lot of work ahead of us! The goal is to transform this sad space into a living/dining/and kitchen that we love. This house needs to be brought back to life again and I am up to the task! That’s all for now!

See ya next week!

Ps…don’t forget to check out the other fabulous featured designers! I’m just giddy about all the inspo that’s going to be floating around over the next six weeks!

At Charlotte’s House | Design Addict Mom | Erika Ward Interiors | Erin Kestenbaum | Girl & Grey

Gray Malin | Hommeboys | I Spy DIY | Jewel Marlowe | The Learner Observer | Making it Lovely

 Nicole White Designs | Old Brand New | Oscar Bravo Home | Place of My Taste | The Rath Project

Room for Tuesday | SG Style | Undecorated Home | Veronica Solomon | Media BH&G | TM by ORC

Home Improvement, one room challenge, Renovating

One Room Challenge – Modern Rustic Office – The Reveal

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Today is the day – it’s reveal day for the One Room Challenge! It feels like Christmas morning when you’re six and it’s snowing outside and you walk down the stairs to see the bike you’ve been wishing for with a big bow on it! Ok…back on track now, and I will try my hardest to keep from adding an ! at the end of every sentence.

And if you’re new here, here are links back to Week One, Week Two, Week Three, Week Four, and Week Five, so you can catch up on all the details throughout the entire process.

I am dyyyyyying to show you all the after’s but first, let’s take a walk down memory lane and have a look at where we started. Here is the mood board from which I planned the space. Also, check out these before shots…it was so bad.

I know what you’re thinking…it was UGLY. Well, here is how we are looking now!

And now for the good stuff…the inside…

Whew….I’m so in love with this cutie little office now, that I’m thinking about kicking my hubs out of there and keeping this space for myself…jk. I’m loving the textures and all of the wood makes it feel homey and cozy. We’ve even had family stake claim on the space for their next overnight visit, so that just gives me all the warm fuzzies. Remember at the very beginning, I said that my goal was to create a comfortable space where you actually wanted to hang and spend time. Mission accomplished.

The biggest task for this project was that we were starting from nothing. There were no walls, floors, or ceilings. So that’s what we focused on for the majority of the six weeks. Everything was covered in pine. Tongue and groove for the walls and ceilings and pine 1×6’s for the floors. Then, everything was stained antique white by varathane to give it that Scandi look and keep those yellow and orange tones at a minimum.

The dark accent wall was painted Black Jack by Benjamin Moore. A color that I haven’t used before, but will definitely use again. I loved it so much that I ended up using it on the exterior, and gave the outside a new look. I have been playing around with the idea of painting our house a dark color like this, so it was fun to experiment. I also love how the trim is the same color as the siding.

When it was time to furniture shop, I knew I wanted a leather sofa for its durability since my hubs will be using this space the most. Anyone else have a husband that spills everything? No….just me?? I selected this sofa from American Leather and it is a treat for the senses. It is buttery soft and now when you walk into the office, you are hit with the most incredible leather smell. It is definitely the most beautiful and luxe piece of furniture I’ve ever owned. It is a beauty!

The chandelier was the starting point for the whole space because I knew I wanted a modern chandelier to juxtapose the firewood that would be lining the loft space. The Mitzi collection from Hudson Valley Lighting had so many good contenders but as soon as I saw the Astrid Chandelier, I knew she was THE ONE. This chandy is the centerpiece for the whole space and that black and brass combo has my heart forever.

The rug is from the Skye collection from Loloi Rugs. It is gorgeous and goes with everything…seriously, everything. I love the golds and greens but my favorite part about this rug was that it allowed me to sneak a little bit of pink into this manly office space. My hubs is color blind and thinks it’s more of a red. It’s our little secret….mmmmkay?

The art above the sofa is from Minted. Minted has such an amazing selection of art and really has something for everyone. My prints arrived framed and ready to hang…couldn’t be easier. And if you need yet another reason to love Minted, they support independent artists.

The gray chair and ottoman are both from Homepop and really help the space to feel balanced and complete. Plus, the ottoman doubles as a storage spot, and I love pieces that serve dual purposes (especially for small spaces).

So that’s about it! What do you guys think? Did you think I was nuts when I showed you this space six weeks ago?

I can’t believe we made it! We worked on this almost every free moment we had for the last six weeks which included one snowy weekend and several rainy weekends, but we are done and I’m feeling pretty proud of us.

Also, thank you so much to all of you who sent messages of encouragement, cheered us on, and followed along throughout this process. Your kindness and support really means the world to me. A big hug and kiss goes out to my dad who came to our house THREE weekends in a row to help…love you, Dad. Finally, an ENORMOUS thank you goes out to all of the sponsors who put their faith in me and this project. We couldn’t have done it without you…really! XOXO

 

 

DIY, one room challenge

One Room Challenge – Modern Rustic Office – Week Five

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GUYS! We have one week left to finish this office space! Cross your fingers for me, say a prayer, wish me luck, or anything else you can think of because we have a lot of details to check off the ol’to-do list. Like always, if you’re new here, I am participating in the One Room Challenge, a biannual, six week challenge in which you document the process of re-imagining a space from top to bottom! If you would like to catch up, here are links to week one, week two, week three, and week four. And as just another quick refresher, here is the mood board from which I am using as a visual guide for the space.

So here we are in week five, and I am still talking about walls, floors, and ceilings. But, if you start without any of those, they become your focus. And we have been focusing on these three features throughout these last five weeks. I’m happy to finally report that we do in fact, have walls, floors and ceilings as of today! We are working on all the details now, trimming out the windows, baseboards and adding some corner trim.

If you’ve been following along in my instagram stories, then you know that I started out staining the floor and said I would stop there. My original plan was to leave the rest of the wood in its natural state. Well, since then, I have stained every piece of wood that has been installed. I just don’t want this knotty pine to darken and turn yellow over time so I’m hoping that this stain will do the trick. So far, I have stained the floor, three walls, and the entire ceiling. Staining a ceiling is no joke….hoping that this will be a job that I won’t be doing again any time soon.

Big things are happening on the exterior of this lil’ shed as well! I decided that I loved the color that I used on the accent wall so much that I bought more and painted the outside with the same color! Goodbye green and blue and hello to solid black! Have no fear though, I have some plans for some pops of color though.

Next time you all see this space, it’s going to look like a proper office! This is going to be the most fun week of them all because I finally get to make the space beautiful. My head is totally in the clouds thinking about furniture, lighting, art and accessories galore! What do you guys think? Think I can pull it off? I think I might surprise you! See you next week for the BIG reveal! XOXO

one room challenge

One Room Challenge – Modern Rustic Office – Week Four

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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

 

DIY, one room challenge

One Room Challenge – Rustic Modern Office Space – Week Three

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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

Decorating, DIY, Home Improvement, one room challenge

One Room Challenge – Rustic Modern Office Space – Week Two

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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!

Decorating, DIY, Home Improvement, one room challenge

rustic modern office space – one room challenge: week one

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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!

 

Decorating, DIY, one room challenge, Renovating

Tiny, Funky Half Bath: One Room Challenge Reveal

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*this post contains affiliate links

Ohhhhh myyyyyy goshhh….today is the day! It’s been six weeks in the making and I am so excited (and SOOOOOOO relieved) that today is FINALLY reveal day for the One Room Challenge!

Are you ready for this? Ok – first, if anyone needs to catch up, here are links to Week 5, Week 4, Week 3, Week 2, and Week 1. Also, let’s take a walk down memory lane to remind you what this space used to look like.

This little powder room is just off our front entrance so this update was much needed as it’s one of the first sights you see when you enter our home. Did you just die of boredom? Or maybe just doze off for a quick nap? Just me? Well…this new view is giving me all those good feeling feels.

One of my goals for this house when it comes to design choices is to just go for it! Every wall (and ceiling) was beige when we moved in and so I am doing my best to inject some personality into this place of ours.

The room all started with when I found this wallpaper from Milton & King. Everything else was planned with this paper in mind. I wanted to keep the art simple and opted for a single statement piece with a map from Mapiful. It was so fun to customize this baby with a simple black and white map of the city in which we live. It feels like a special touch!

I’ve always loved this sink and think that it gives the room a funky, retro vibe. I’m so happy to have finally found a place to use it!

I wanted to keep the lighting modern and simple and I think this light from Modern Komfort works perfectly for this small space.

I’m so excited to have a new powder room for our guests to enjoy as we will have a house full of family while we host Christmas this year. I owe my boo a BIG thank you for all his hard work and for not running away when I said, “I found some ostrich wallpaper that I wanna use in the bathroom.” Also, a big thank you to Phil, my dad, and my sister and her husband for donating their time to help me out as well!  Welllll…what do you think? I hope you love it as much as I do! And be sure to check out all of the other reveals! I did a little snooping around today and have already found some amazing transformations!

DIY, Home Improvement, one room challenge, Renovating

one room challenge: week 5 – wainscoting

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It’s week Five of the One Room Challenge! This is also the week where I realize there is only one week left to finish up – everything! Well, you know what they say, time really does fly when you’re having fun…errrrrr renovating a bathroom. Last week, for Week Four, we finished the wallpaper but we still don’t have ya know, a toilet, a sink or anything else that makes this space a proper bathroom. And just in case you need to do some catching up, here are links to Week Three, Week Two, and Week One. Also, here is my mood board that has been serving as a blue print and as sort of my inspiration for the space.

And now that we’re on the subject of the moodboard, I have made a few modifications since we are so close to finishing this thing up! The first change is small but the light that I originally had picked was actually more of a bronze in color and after I saw the black, black faucet and some other finishes in person, I knew it needed to be black. So the new one is black and just a single light, instead of the double that is pictured above. The other change is the rug. I had been eyeing a vintage rug for weeks and I finally went ahead and pulled the trigger. I am so excited to show you guys but I think I am going to save it for the reveal. Gotta have a couple surprises, right? And the third and final change is the mirror. I started feeling like the space needed some warmth in all that matte black so I changed my mind and went with a wood mirror. Again, you’re gonna have to wait to see that until next week!

Ok – now back to business. This week we focused on the wainscoting! Remember the inspiration photo I showed you all a couple weeks ago?

We’ve made a few modifications to the design, mostly just with the angles of the wood and a few pieces of trim that we added. I’m really proud of this wainscoting and really think it’s going to give the space some serious pizzazz.

My husband and I both thought that this process was going to be a lot more difficult than it actually was. We found this material at Lowe’s and we love it! We are going to be using it for another project in the future, I’m just not sure what, yet.

The first thing we decided on was how high we wanted the wainscoting to go up the wall. For us, we wanted it a bit higher than traditional wainscoting and opted for 54″ from the floor. We snapped a horizontal chalk line around the room at that 54″ mark. Next, we snapped a vertical chalk line at the mid-point of each wall. This would mark where we wanted the planking to meet. After those two things were done, we had another decision to make: at what angle do we want the planks? Once we held a few pieces up on the wall so that I could visually see the angles (cause I’m a visual person and that’s what makes it easiest for me to make decisions) we pretty quickly landed on a good ol’45 degree angle for the win! And then it’s slow and steady progress from there…plank by plank and cut by cut.

Since the wainscoting was going up, this meant that it was time for us to make the plumbing modifications for our new wall mount faucet. But, we are the luckiest people around because our neighbor happens to be a plumber! I know, I know, don’t be jealous. So, he was nice enough to donate his time and showed my husband the ropes and they got that new faucet installed and looking GOOD. Thank you, Phil!!

The wainscoting is almost completely done and that means that I’m going to be filling ALL those nail holes and then painting it. I can’t wait to see this all painted! Here’s a progress shot so you can see exactly just how many nail holes are in the planks. Holy moly…there’s a lot.

Also, I found a paint color and here’s a sneak peak for ya!

So that’s our progress report for this week! Can you believe we only have one week left??? I’m so excited to finish this project and I’m also giddy to see some of the other makeovers. I’ve been poking around on some other blogs to see how the progress is coming along and it’s looking like some pretty fabulous projects are in the works. Can’t wait!

Oh and here’s my final to-do list so I can finish this baby up:

  1. trim out wainscoting
  2. fill all nail holes and caulk and sand wainscoting
  3. paint wainscoting
  4. install toilet
  5. install sink
  6. clean the whole space – all that construction dust and mess
  7. accessory time – install mirror, toilet paper holder, and towel hook. Hang art!

So much to do in so little time! Think I can do it???

 

DIY, one room challenge, Renovating

One Room Challenge: Week Four – Wallpaper

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Well…it’s that time again! It’s time for the weekly update for the One Room Challenge. Can you believe it’s already week four of my bathroom remodel? As a quick recap, I am redoing my bathroom over six weeks and am sharing the progress here, in real time, as part of the One Room Challenge. Here’s a link back to Week One, Week two, and Week Three. And just in case you need another refresh, here is the mood board that I put together as a sort of blue print and for inspiration.

This week was a fun one! We spent the last few days wallpapering the bathroom and although I was a little nervous about diving in, it was actually pretty fun once we got into a groove! When the wallpaper arrived, I was so delighted/excited that I couldn’t wait to get started.

I’ll give you the general rundown on the actual process of wallpapering so you can get the jist. The process is pretty simple and if I can do it, you can do it, too! It’s all about paying attention to details and making sure your lines are straight. Once you have straight lines, the process starts cruising. Measure first, and pre-cut your strips of wallpaper so that you aren’t measuring and trying to cut the paper when the adhesive is on the wall. Because we found that it starts drying really fast. We used a chalk line to mark straight lines and used that as a guide to line the individual pieces of paper to. The adhesive goes into the wall with a roller, and the sheet just sticks right onto the wall. Start smoothing with your flat edge to get all the bubbles out and use a SHARP razor to make your cuts at the ceiling. Done and done! Like I said, this is a very short summary of the process.

We decided we were going to st0p half way down the wall as we are installing wainscoting on the lower portion of the walls to really give this tiny space some pizzazz. The light fixture arrived yesterday and I’m smitten. It’s just perfect and looks so sharp next to all those black ostriches.

Now that the wallpaper is up, next on the to-do list is the plumbing. We are changing the plumbing so that it can accommodate a faucet that comes directly out of the wall. Once this is done, then we can start installing the wainscoting. My hubby started on one of the walls so I will give you a sneaky peaky. I will have to fill in all the knots and nail holes with wood filler and then all of the wood will be painted black. Or a color that’s very close to black.

So that’s where we’re at! What do you think of the ostriches? Do  you love them as much as I do? Anybody have any wallpapering horror stories they want to share? I sure read about some doozies online when I was doing research before we started. Only two weeks to go so I’ll be back next week with lots (hopefully) to report on!