One Room Challenge Week 1| Formal Living Room Plans

Woo! I'm SO EXCITED to be a guest participant in the One Room Challenge hosted by Linda of Calling it Home.

What is the One Room Challenge you might ask?

It's a 'holy mama we have 6 weeks to get this room done' challenge! Hundreds of other bloggers and I will be participating in making over a room from start to finish.

Every week on Thursday I will be linking to stages of the room as we paint, install, and DIY our little hearts out!

There are several rooms in our house that are definitely worthy of a complete overhaul but since we've been ferociously working on the main level of our home it seemed fitting to continue that momentum into our formal living room.  This space is about as untouched as it gets...a blank canvas if you will.

Here are some move-in day pics.

I had initially thought about making over the living room and dining room together as they are a conjoined space...but that is just crazy talk.  Limited funds + lack of time = No Bueno. So we are sticking to the formal living room area only. 

This space actually isn't all that big.  It measures about 12x10 but there are glorious 10ft ceilings that

make my heart happy. Also oodles of natural light pour into this space and I LOVE that.  

So, what are the plans for this space you might ask?

Well. I've been pondering that same question since move-in day. I've jumped all over the place with this one.  I've never had a formal living space and nothing about me or my family is formal...maybe a bit fancy but not formal.  We are a hockey playing-on the couch eating-movie watching kind of peeps that enjoy a cozy lived in home.  I wanted this room to be special though...the kind of room where I can sit in the morning with a cup of coffee and peruse Pinterest, where my daughter can curl up with her favorite book, and where all my favorite design elements come together in one fantastic space.  

I've been tweaking our mood board for this space daily and I think I've narrowed it down to this:

bookcase/black art/fiddle leaf art/colorful art/curtain rod/curtains/fabric/sofa/rug/lucite table/chippendale chairs/side table

Blush, gold, and navy is a combination that is timeless and totally me.  Now for the perfect wall color...

In fact these colors can be seen all over our house and keep our spaces feeling cohesive and consistent. I like to think of this as the color palette of our home:

Source

Ohh it makes me giddy!

See those bookcases up there? Well, the husband and I have BIG plans to DIY those babies. A combination of Ikea bookcases and custom molding and other tweaks will help us create the shining star of the room. I'm even hoping to add in one of those fancy roller ladders to it because A) they are so cool and B) I'm short.

So, here are my overall goals for this space:

• To DIY a custom bookcase that goes floor to ceiling
• Add Crown Molding
• Furnish the room to make it warm and inviting
• DIY behind the sofa table
• Create a space that we enjoy spending time in
• Stay within time and budget
• DIY some fab craigslist find chairs

Since the floors are in great condition (and will be largely covered with an area rug) we can begin our focus on the walls and ceiling.

And that's where this room makeover is going to kick off!

I'll be back next Thursday for an update on our space! Be sure to tune in every week to see this room evolve into the fabulous space I know it can be!

Also, be sure to check out the hundreds of other talented bloggers participating as guests in this challenge here.

For MAJOR design inspiration check out the 20 designers featured in this fun challenge! I'm talking swoon-worthy-jaw-dropping goodness over there. Check it out here.

Wish us luck! Fingers crossed!!

And a HUGE thank you for my sponsors on this makeover!

ATG Stores/ Rebel Reclaimed/ Parima Studios/ Rugs USA/ Therese Marie Designs