Things have been slowly coming together during Week 6 of the One Room Challenge. This week we worked on two quick DIYs and some organization.
The Good.
First up, we have an easy DIY win. We spotted these file folder hangers a while ago and loved them—they are basically functional art, perfect for the home office. Since we are trying to be budget-friendly wherever possible, we decided it was worth a shot to try and DIY them. The project required a gold metal ring (a silver ring from Hobby Lobby painted gold), a strap of leather (from Amazon), and some hot glue. We didn’t know how well the hot glue would hold, but it seems to be working great so far. 🤞Of course, this won’t be the only place we keep files, but it is a pretty storage option.
The Okay.
Next up, we worked on the kitchen cart turned home office storage unit. We originally wanted this kitchen cart because it was the size we needed, it had doors that swung open allowing us to easily store bulky photography equipment, and it was a good price. But, I mean, it looked like a kitchen cart. Great for the kitchen, not as ideal for the home office. So, we knew we had to snazz it up a bit. The first step was spray painting the chrome hardware matte black. This immediately elevated the look and meant we didn’t have to find new hardware that fit the predrilled holes. Then, we wrapped the middle portion of the handles with leather cord. The next small upgrade was adding S-hooks to the towel bar. This will allow us to hang objects, not just dish towels. Unfortunately, not all of our DIY plans were smooth sailing. We ordered some crocodile print removable wallpaper to adhere to the front of the cart doors. Unfortunately, although labeled black online, it definitely was dark green in person and didn’t blend into the cart like we were hoping. So that was a no go. Now, here’s the question: Should the kitchen cart be complete as is or should we try something else on the doors? Also, should we stain the butcher block top darker or keep it light?
The Disorganized. (turned organized)
One of the biggest tasks this week was trying wrangle all the stuff that will be stored in the home office into baskets on the shelves. So much stuff, so many baskets, so many labels. 😝We kept the wicker baskets consistent, so the shelves wouldn’t look too busy. For labels, we used acrylic discs that came with a predrilled hole at the top. We were able to write on them with Sharpie and tie them to the basket with twine. The best part of this labeling system is they look pretty up close, but then you don’t notice them from far away.
To keep on track, here is our to-do list. Italics indicate the item is in progress.
Choose a paint color for walls and trim
Decide on flooring (dependent on time frame)
Paint walls and trim
Source a desk or paint the one we have
Source or DIY art
Millwork
Source lighting
Source chairs
Decide if we want a window treatment
Source or DIY a rolling cart
Source organizing options: baskets, bins, boxes
Source labeling options for baskets
Although this to-do-list looks nearly complete, there is still so. much. to. do. Funny how that works. We are nearing the end though and are looking forward to the reveal photos. 🙌 Please check out all the amazing ORC rooms!
See you next week,
Kylie and Staci
