Hi, friends! It is Week 4 of the One Room Challenge, and things are moving along. Items are getting checked off the to-do list, we are having to move to Plan B at times, and there is still plenty left to accomplish.
If you are new to our KS Design Company, read more about us here. My mom and I are updating my living room for the One Room Challenge— meaning we have six weeks to complete the space. Make sure to also check out the before photos of the living room, our vision, and the baby steps we took last week.
A Blank Canvas
First up for this week, my husband and I (finally) painted the room! It required painting during nap times and late into the night, but we did it!
Over the last several years, I have slowly painted almost every room in our house white, and although the living room held strong to its gray roots for eight years, it too succumbed to the white paint. I realize that white rooms are very popular right now, so I am not doing anything earth-shattering by painting the living room that color, but there is something so refreshing, so simple, so calming about white walls. Once the room was painted, I knew it was the right choice. And although my husband has only allowed white walls to take over our house out of a love for me, he even admitted that the room seemed bigger and brighter.
We used the paint color Bistro White from Valspar, simply because it is the white color we have successfully used in other spaces in our home. Bistro White is a creamy white, definitely not stark, but it also doesn’t read yellow. It works well with both the abundant natural light our home gets in the winter and the limited natural light our home gets in the summer.
A Major DIY
The next change to the room was the shelving my dad graciously built—thanks, Dad!—for either side of the fireplace.
The main purpose of shelving is toy storage. Our old TV stand held four of these storage baskets, and my dad built the shelves so that they could hold 12!! We won’t need that many, but we are definitely adding a couple more. We still have to add some trim and paint the shelves, but here is one side of the shelving in the spot it will go.
It was a fairly easy install, but my dad did have to pry off the bottom strip of our window trim, so the shelves would slide right under the windows. He had a pretty cute helper. 😀
Some Minor DIYs
A mirror. When I was planning for the room, I visualized having a mirror above the fireplace. I didn’t want the mirror to be overly traditional, and if I had all the $$$, then I would have gone with this beauty. Knowing that wasn’t in the budget, I continued the search and fell in love with art deco fan mirrors. They feel modern, they aren’t overused in design, and they’re a touch glamorous. Sold. Except…I could not find one in my price range. Case in point. The prices of the art deco mirrors were even more expensive than the original mirror I wanted. Yikes.
Mirrors are so hard to photograph!
My mom thought it was worth trying to semi-DIY it. And, I am so glad she came up with that idea. First, she created templates from poster board for each section of the fan mirror. She toyed with the idea of trying to cut the mirror herself using an online tutorial, but a local glass cutting company said they would supply the mirror, cut the mirror according to the templates, and sand the edges for $85. It was a no brainer to go that route. We did choose the thinnest mirror to keep the cost down, so my mom adhered the mirror to quarter-inch plywood, which my dad cut using a jigsaw. The plywood gives the mirror the stability it needs to lean on my mantle.
Cushions. Next up, was a sewing project that my friend Natalie, the sewing guru in my life, helped me execute (aka she did all the sewing while I provided conversation). Last week, I shared about my recent Craigslist score, some dreamy rattan chairs that lacked cushions, and I previewed the fabric that I was going to use for cushions, some fun pink fur. It was fun to see the plans come together!
At first, I wanted to find outdoor cushions that would fit the chairs and could just be recovered, but I had zero luck on that front. So, moving on to Plan B, I cut foam to fit the seat of the chair, and then Natalie sewed a cushion to cover the foam. Quick tip: Foam can quickly get pricey. The best prices on foam I could find were at Walmart. One pro of working with fur was that it was so forgiving. Nothing had to be perfect; it still looked good.
And as we have been working on the DIY projects, our purchases have begun arriving! Here is a peek at the couch; needless to say, our dog approves.
And to end things, here is an updated to-do list. Italics= partially completed.
Items to build or install:
Paint walls white- Build storage shelving around fireplace
- Install wallpaper on entry wall
- Tile fireplace hearth
- Paint or tile fireplace brick
- Install ceiling fan
- Print, frame, hang wall art
- Install window treatments
Items to source and buy:
SofaAdditional seating- Paint
Wallpaper- Coat hooks
Decorative TrimCeiling fan- Curtains or fabric for curtains
- Roller shades
Area rug- Wall art
Tile- Storage baskets
Lighting- Throw pillows
Make sure you check in with 20 featured designers participating in the One Room Challenge and the other guest participants. There are so many inspiring designs coming to life!
XO, Kylie
