One Room Challenge| Formal Living Room REVEAL

Welcome back to Week 6 of the One Room Challenge hosted by Linda of Calling it Home.  You can see our initial plans here and the following weeks here: 2/ 3/ 4/ 5.

Wow. I can't believe it's here...REVEAL DAY!! Just six weeks ago we started with a plan:

And we've been slowly chipping away at this vision for what feels like decades.  Super dramatic right?   I can honestly say that our new space is beautiful and ready for her debut...just barely.

What a difference one week can make let alone six! Our progress was slow...painfully slow sometimes...but that's real life peeps.  We are a two-person show and this is the reality of renovating on a budget of time and resources.  I'm SUPER proud of us! This challenge has challenged me (see what I did there) in so many ways...but I guess thats why they call it a challenge huh? I'm normally one to let a room slowly evolve all with a general vision in my head.  In this case, items remained wrapped and boxed until reveal day and I was forced to see them only in my brain! 

Are there things we would have done differently? Absolutely.  But that's live and learn for ya.  Here are just a few things: 

• We painted the walls prior to building the built-in. And saw dust was literally everywhere in that room.  Now we could have avoided this by my husband working in the garage, but he had to make a million cuts which have taken a million trips so in the long run it was easier to cut in the room.  So, in hind-sight we would have built the built-ins first and then painted the rest of the room. Wiping down all that saw dust was oh so fun.  
• I'm not sure purchasing the Ikea bookcases was essential in this built in plan.  Home Depot sells sheets of melamine if we were set on using that material.  We encountered some limitations in using the Billy Bookcases that was specific to our set up.  The base my husband built was level, however, the bookcases were not level.  So when we placed them on the base there were some major adjustments that needed to be made to ensure they were straight. Also, from a cost perspective.  We are going to do a detailed built-in post and I'll compare prices on purchasing the materials for the built ins that resemble the Ikea Billy system.
• ALLOW MORE TIME. Just when you think you have your timeline and schedule figured out-double it. That will be your more accurate time.  Because, hey life happens.  

Here's what I LOVE most about this space. All the handiwork that went into so many of our projects.  My husband built those built ins with his own two hands and countless sleepless nights...I'm amazed by his talent and precision.  Our behind the sofa table? That was built my best friend who swooped in to save me from a total meltdown.  

The Anthropologie Knock-Off Curtains were a last minute DIY. The lace was hand dyed by yours truly with the assistance of a sweet friend of mine who also sewed the lace trim on.  Oh, and she made me two gorgeous pillows that are professional quality.
My dad came into town and stayed up until 2 am helping paint, caulk, and clean. How did I get so lucky to have such amazing people in my life?! Truly humble.

And now for a slew of pictures because that's what everyone wants to see right!

Look at those beautiful lace curtains! I'll do a detailed DIY on those in a later post but I chatted about them a bit in Week 5. Huge thanks to Anna from Zengs Lace and More for the lace!

Lamps | Table

Amazing artwork is by Parima Studio.  It really is the inspiration for the whole room. The color palette with it's blues, pinks, and golds was so chic and fantastic I just had to have it front and center! So thank you Patricia for this fantastic piece! You can find yours here.

Clock | Vase | Box

Vase

Bowl | Frame

Hollie at Stuck On Hue did such an amazing job on these floral pillows. They were the perfect expression of my color palette in my signature print...florals! She was fantastic to work with, I highly recommend her shop!

 This gorgeous velvet couch was from my sponsor for this challenge, ATG Stores. It's soft, chic, and oh so Parisian.  I LOVE IT! The perfect place to kick my feet up and enjoy a cup of coffee...or two.  My daughter is looking forward to this being her new favorite reading spot- who could blame her! 

The rug I selected from Rugs USA was just perfect.  I worried it would be too blue but once I had it all together I was giddy! So, thank you RUGS USA for supporting me over here at this fancy ol blog of mine.

These gorgeous velvet and gold pillows are from Therese at Therese Marie Designs. She was such a gem to work with as I teetered back and forth on the look I was going for.  Her collection of pillows are sophisticated and playful and her work was exquisite. So definitely check out her shop to see all she has to offer!

                          

The upholster over at Brass Tack Upholstery here locally in Grand Rapids did an amazing job on my custom cushions for these craigslist chairs.  He took those Target curtains and turned them into something truly special and unique! 

Im so happy with my color choice for the built-ins. The Sherwin Williams Peppercorn gives the room an elegant feel and everything on the shelves comes to life!

Now how about a little before/after!

What a difference! I just threw that together...no big deal.

One More...

I can't thank my sponsors enough for their gracious donations and support. Everyone has been so wonderful to work with! While I wanted to crawl into a hole sometimes during this challenge the results speak for themselves. It's the room of my dreams!

I have to share with you one more picture of the room at night with the soft glow of the lights.

It's so beautiful at night. I can't help but sit and feel so grateful to have a place like this to call home. None of this would be possible without the support of my husband, who truly made this room happen  and who continues to support me and make all my built-in dreams come true!

There are a few special blogger friends I have to give a shout out to! You girls were my sounding board when I needed to vent, whine, or celebrate.  I couldn't have made it through this challenge without your endless support and encouragement! So here's to Cristy from W Collective Interiors who did a killer living room update and Sarah from Making Joy and Pretty Things who did a combined boys room for her One Room Challenge and Rebecca from Inspired Life Interiors who did the most beautiful bathroom makeover. Love ya girls!! 

Grab a cup of coffee and head over to see the other 200+ bloggers who also made amazing transformations here. Huge thanks also to Linda from Calling it Home for hosting this challenge! 

Now, I'm ready for a nap.

Couch provided by ATG Stores. Artwork provided by Parima Studio. Lace for DIY curtains provided by Zengs Lace and More.  Velvet pillows provided by Therese Marie Designs. Rug provided at a discount from Rugs USA.  Floral pillows provided at a discount from Stuck on Hue.  

One Room Challenge Week 5| Built-In Stressin'

Welcome to Week 5 of the One Room Challenge hosted by Linda of Calling it Home. 
You can see our initial plans here and the following weeks here: Week 2/ Week 3/ Week 4.

Oh boy are we feeling the stress around here!! We had several hiccups along the way this week and I'm just keeping my fingers (and toes) crossed that this room comes together the way I envisioned.  Our room without a doubt has a long way to go before our reveal next Thursday, so here's to chugging along.  Hey, I help deliver babies so I can handle a little room renovation stress right? Riiiiight.

You know what else didn't help this week? THE WORLD SERIES! We are a Chicago sports fan family and wouldn't you know it the Cubs made history this week in a game 7-10 inning-kinda way. So, while I'm so happy for them it wasn't awesome for our room.  How could the husband possibly do any work with that going on?! (insert eye roll).

So last week I left you with the built-ins looking like this:

Basically it was just the frame for our base. Exciting Stuff.   

And then we added the frame for the soffit. And be we of course I mean my husband.

This beast is solid folks.  As in if I were tall enough I could use it as monkey bars. Will anything be hanging from it though? Nope.  The husband is just super thorough and meticulous and wanted to ensure it wasn't going anywhere.  

And to give you an idea of the height of this space- here I am looking fancy.

Keep in mind though 1) I'm short and 2) We have 10 ft ceilings and 3) I work nights so I always look that fancy. 

And here's where we are with the built-ins now.

I know, it doesn't look like much--But what you're seeing is about 18 trips to home depot, sleepless nights, and a lot of stressin. The bookcases are built, the backs are painted, and we are ready to install them onto the base. Then it's add all the decorative trim and paint.  No sweat right? Hence the major stressin'.

In non built-in news, we've hit some DIY road blocks. Part of the living room plan includes some craigslist chair makeovers that needed a good makeover.  My mom graciously agreed to venture into new territory and sew some new cushions for me. 

Well, with the hustle and bustle of her job, a vacation to Florida, and a hefty learning curve on this project she felt it best I look into a professional.  So, I scrambled and found a local upholster and I begged and pleaded for him to get this done within a very short time period.  He agreed and they are still there as we speak.  Sooo not the worst hiccup in the world but could have been disaterous had I not found someone! Also quite costly (Shhh, don't tell my Mom!). 

My other snafu was with my DIY linen/lace Anthropologie knock off curtains.  My plan is to recreate this look for a fraction of the cost:

So after searching and searching I was unable to find wide cotton lace that would be able to be shipped in time. But what I did find was a Sweet Store on Etsy with a beautiful poly/blend lace that had the width and detail I was looking for.  Anna from Zengs Lace and More was such a pleasure to work with and sponsored the lace for this DIY project.  So, if you're in the market for lace trim I definitely recommend checking out her selection...and shipping was so fast! 

Here's where the problem came in. My plan was to dye this lace with Rit Dye to create the blue ombre look.  Well, I had never dyed anything before so this was already out of my league.  My initial attempt at dying with the 'navy blue' Rit dye ended up in turning my test piece of lace purple.  Sooooo, fail.  By about my fourth attempt I had gotten the color right and the lace absorbed the dye beautifully.  

The ombre was looking perfect and the color stopped exactly where I wanted. But the longer it say the more the dye crept up the lace and into the top where I wanted it to remain white. So, I'm having to forego my perfectionistic ways and embrace the uneven-ness. It's a more boho-chic vibe with the imperfections.  So, here's a sneak peak:

Does it look like the Antrho curtain? Nah. Is it so pretty and romantic? Yes! 

I'll do a full tutorial after the challenge.  

And my other struggle for the week has been finding a frame for my new Parima Studio Art. So my art piece is 16x16 and I want a matted frame.  So, off to Hobby Lobby I went to order a custom frame and non-reflective glass. Things were looking great until they told me it wouldn't be ready until November 12! Yah, that's not going to work.  So, back to the drawing board.  The only frame they had in stock was 24x24 and black. No shock that I want gold. So I decided I would spray the frame even though this isn't my preferred choice. Hobby Lobby will be able to add the 4 inch mat and switch out the glass for me for a small fee.  I even looked online for a 24x24 inch gold frame and it doesn't exist...like anywhere. Well it does, but not for less than a $100 and not within a reasonable time frame.  So, we'll see how this goes.  

Now is where the fun begins! Decorating, adding all the details, and watching the room really come to life! Don't let my excitement fool you- I'm super stressed! Will it get done in time? Will everything look good together? Did I make the right color choices?! SO MUCH. 

Here's whats left on the ol to-do list:

- Paint and install the crown molding

- Add molding and trim to built ins

-Paint molding and trim

-Hang curtain rod and wall art

- Fill and decorate bookcases

-Add in all the accessories

Here's what I do know.  The husband and I will be having a big ol celebratory steak dinner after this room is done. And maybe a whole bottle of wine.  Or maybe we won't be speaking. Anything's possible people. 

HUGE thank you to my sponsors for this challenge and all the beautiful pieces!   

See you at the reveal! And don't forget to check out the other amazing participants here!

One Room Challenge Week 4| Devil's in the Prep

Holy Mama we're in week 4! We are getting down to the wire here in our One Room Challenge hosted by Linda of Calling it Home.

If you're just joining me (HI!) and you can start with our initial plans here.

I wish I could say we've made HUGE progress, but we are still slow and steady. That's okay...it WILL get done. Mr. Wright (aka the husband) has been working hard on plans for our shining star of the room, the built ins.  After many tweaks, revisions, and trips to the hardware store later he has a plan and is building and making cuts as I write!

So here's where we are-

Because we're weeks away from the reveal it's SO important we order all. the. things. to ensure enough time for processing and shipping.  So finalizing our built in plans was a must so that we could order our picture light's (and many other things) to go above the bookcases. Lemme tell you figuring that out was no small feat...
First here's how fancy they are:

via

LOVE! Our built ins are composed of 5 Ikea Billy Bookcases of varying width which posed a challenge in determining how many lights we needed. One above each bookcase? 3? 4?
We resorted to the ol painters tape method!

Here's a reminder of where the built ins are going-

And here's our 3 options we taped out:

Because I had already selected the lights I knew their exact dimensions (14 inches). We also knew the dimensions of our bookcases as well as the space between so my husband taped a skeleton draft of the bookcase and light's with the painters tape to see our options. 

Option A: 3 lights with the center light center to the unit

Option B: Evenly spaced and no center light

Option C: Light above each bookcase and a center light

So after weighing each option and phoning a friend we decided on good ol option A.  I liked the cost savings of only having to purchase 3 lights and aesthetically I liked having a center light. So that meant option B was out (no center). And while Option C also had a center light it would have been about $60 more expensive and visually looked cluttered. Hey, that $60 savings is another accessory or two for the room! 

Another super important decision in the ol built in was 'what the heck color am I going to paint the backs?'.  I had narrowed down my choices to either a light pink, blue, or grayish black but from there I was stumped.  So, I turned to a sweet friend of mine to do a little photoshop magic for me. I just needed to SEE these options and Pinterest was failing me.  Does no one in blog land have the back of their bookcases painted pink?! (Thank you Lora from Craftivity Designs for my images). 

Here's what she sent me:

Sherwin Williams Naval

Sherwin Williams Peppercorn

Sherwin Williams Breathless

(Bookcase courtesy of Centsational Girl).

Actually 'seeing' this decision was sooooo much better for my brain! I was easily able to rule out the pink. It's sweet but not the vibe I'm going for in this space.  

Then there were two...and boy was this hard.  I really loved the navy against the white shelf.  I know I'll have lots of gold accents which will sit beautiful against the navy. But the same is true for the moody grey/black.

 When I put the two options to Instagram there was an overwhelming win in the navy department! So what did I pick?

Let's just say it wasn't the most popular vote! 

Peppercorn!! My gut was telling me to choose this color and that's what I did. Funny thing is I must have an affinity for it because once I brought it home I realized I have a credenza painted in this exact color.  No joke.

I went with this color because there are a lot of blue accents in this room.  I worried blue on the bookcase also would overwhelm the space.  Peppercorn seemed like the perfect marriage of the glossy black chairs, the blue accents, and the blush throughout the space.  I'm so excited to see it all together!

Here she is 1 coat down.  It was cold in that garage so one coat was all she got for now.  

The back of the IKEA billy bookcases were surprisingly easy to paint-I worried the paint would just slip right off.  I used the all purpose enamel line from Sherwin Williams and a purdy roller and it went on great. If you know that you're going to end up painting/wallpapering/adding fabric to the back of your bookcases this is the way to go! Doing this work prior to assembly makes life so much easier. 

Meanwhile the husband was hard at work prepping the hardwood floor for the base of the built in.

Why are we cutting away the floor you may ask? Well, I asked my husband the same question so I could tell you all! Let me tell you...he does NOT like me to questions his ways in these matters.  And that's okay, because whatever he does always turns out amazing.  But, the answer in this case is that eventually we want to replace the floors with a higher quality hardwood.  Annnnnd no one wants to rip out this bad boy we're about to put in so he thought we'd save a step by just installing it right on the sub floor.  And there you have it.  

So where are we now? Installing the base for the built ins!

How is that being done? I have zero idea.  The husband promised me a step by step to share with you all when he's done---so until then "trust the process". 

And that my friends is the makings of the base.  We'll be putting fiberboard in the front and painting it all white to match the bookshelves and then adding decorative picture rail molding.  My poor husband was up until at least 3 am making this happen. Love him.

That's all for now! By week 5 I'm hoping to call these built ins DONE!

Oh, and check out all the other amazing guest participants here!. 

And don't forget to head to ATG (one of our gracious sponsors) for a pretty sweet deal! With coupon code OneRoom100 you can take $100 off your order of $199 or more! I know there is something else surely your new room is dying to have, why not save $100! That's like a free lamp! 

See you Week 5 friends!!