The end is near! Only one week left of the One Room Challenge and lots of finishing touches to go. I counted them up today, and there are seven projects that have been started but are not quite finished. And that does not include the hanging of everything and the styling that will take place at the end. 😱 As a break from our bigger projects, we played around styling the mantle. We’ll have to see if it makes the final cut.
The plan is to go into worker bee mode this weekend, turn on a good podcast, and get it all done.
Highlights from Week Five
Installing the ceiling fan. What a difference a new fan makes! I could not stop staring at this beauty after it was installed over the weekend. Let’s face it, ceiling fans are often kind of ugly. My top goal for the living room, though, was to make sure it was functional, and we use our ceiling fan a lot. So a ceiling fan had to stay. Luckily, my mom found a new one that fit the bill: stylish, affordable, and from a brand that we have used and liked in the past. The blade shape and globe light look modern, the white and brass tie into the room without screaming look at me, and it even comes with a very functional wall switch. After it went up, I felt a turning point where the tone of the room was really starting to change. Exciting!
Ignore the ceiling paint around the fan; touching it up is on the to-do list!
Hanging the wallpaper. Confession time: I am kind of awful at hanging wallpaper. This was my first time hanging wallpaper, and it was tricky. The wallpaper was unpasted and the process was laborious. How do air bubbles magically reappear after an entire section has been smoothed?!?
My thoughts at this moment: Hmmmm…this isn’t looking too great….
Did I almost cry when I got to the bottom of a seam and discovered a millimeter gap between the panels? Maybe. Was the work worth it in the end? Hopefully! The project is not all the way finished, and my wallpapering job is by no means perfect, but I will say that I am in love with the print on the wallpaper. Here is a sneak peek.
My take aways from wallpapering are the following: 1. Take the reviewers seriously when they say it is a job for the professionals. 2. Embrace the wallpaper smoothing tool. You will be using it a lot. 3. Do the project with someone who has a positive attitude (My mom is the best!) 4. Keep your chin up because you get into a rhythm as you go along.
The Budget
In great news, almost all the purchases have been made. Since we have reached that point, I wanted to break down the budget. Of course, I am a sucker for good design, no matter the price point. But, when I scroll through all the eye candy on blogs and Instagram, I often catch myself thinking the following: This looks great. What was their budget? Is this realistic for my house, my budget? So, instead of leaving you all guessing, I wanted to be transparent about the budget.
The goal was to spend under $3000, really aiming for closer to that $2500 mark. That is not a small amount of money by any means and is not a small amount to my husband and me, but when you are talking about a whole living room makeover, it doesn’t leave wiggle room in the spending. With every item we purchased, I was conscious of the budget, shopping during sales or using coupons. Here is the breakdown.
Obviously we didn’t 100% hit that $2500 mark, but we definitely stayed under $3000. I will take it!
A Quick Money-Related Story
I wanted to use this sconce in the living room, but when I went to order it a couple of weeks ago, the sconce had just gone to backorder status and wasn’t expected to ship until Nov. 8. It was such a bummer. I am persistent though (and maybe a tad stubborn). I called our local store just to make sure there wasn’t one in stock. And…there was one! The employee said that someone had returned one, and he would put it on hold for me. I truly felt lucky. The next day when I went to pick it up the same employee was working, and he said, “I didn’t tell you this yesterday, but with returns, we put them in the clearance section of our home goods, so this is significantly cheaper.” You guys, this $149 sconce was only $45. What!?! It made my whole week.
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 seatingPaintWallpaperCoat hooksDecorative TrimCeiling fanCurtains or fabric for curtainsRoller shadesArea rug- Wall art
TileStorage basketsLighting- Throw pillows
Time to wrap things up, but I am so excited for the final reveal next week! There are so many elements of the room that have yet to be revealed! I have a feeling next week’s post will be a long one. 😉 Until then, make sure you stop by the One Room Challenge blog and admire the hard work of the 20 featured designers and all the guest participants.
