Hey friends! We're heading into Week Two of the One Room Challenge and as I mentioned in Week One's post, I'll be transforming my Den/Study. While I really had high hopes of getting started as soon as I got back in town after a week away, the reality of playing catch-up with work hasn't left much time to focus on my own home. So this is pretty much where we are.
Underwhelmed? Me too....haha....but I work much better under pressure so I'm anticipating getting a lot done this weekend. Fingers crossed. Okay, so I did start clearing out almost all of the items I had stacked all over the place which means that now all of the other rooms are a disaster as well. I'll deal with that later or just pretend not to notice. My blue velvet sofa purchased last year from Wayfair is under the tarps along with the white Ikea ottoman I found on the side of the road outside a loft downtown. I'm always up for freebies if they're in good shape and hope to use it in this space if it works. So now that everything is cleared out, here's a more updated view of each wall in the room.
As you can see and as I mentioned last week, all of the major work for this room has been completed. So here's the checklist for next week in order to get ready for the fun stuff, decorating:
Patch drywall and sand ceilings and walls where needed.
Prime and paint all walls and trim white.
Nail down shoe molding (after it has been painted).
The Design Plan
All of the rooms in my house except one are all white (walls and trim) so I plan to continue this theme in the den/study. I love to have a crisp white background to allow the furniture and decor to take center stage. My blue velvet sleeper sofa that I absolutely love will be in the center of what we'll call the 'stair wall' and there's not much that makes me happier than pops of red.
I plan to have two distinct areas to display books, picture frames, and other special items - one in the corner to the left of the back door by building corner shelves and secondly, on the wall behind the couch. I'm not quite sure just yet if I'll go with a gallery wall or choose two or three picture ledges so that I can mix in a few other display items as well. We'll see. I'm also toying with the idea of painting that back wall black but I'm not 100% committed so I think I will wait and make a call on that decision later on.
The area under the stairs is my favorite part of the room because of the neat angles and the novelty of the space. Inspired by some pictures I saw on Pinterest and because I think my dogs, Sampson and Lucy, are awesome, I've created a little nook just for them that will look like a dog house from the outside. Ten bucks say my dogs won't step foot in there. Above this space is a little alcove that has quickly become a catch-all and an organizational mess. So, I've got to come up with both a way to organize it and a way to conceal it. Across from this space is the reclaimed closet we found during demo that has been finished out and has become a much needed linen closet. My parents found two vintage glass doors at the Habitat ReStore so I'm working towards a mirrored look on the glass to conceal what's behind the closed doors.
So the good news is that one purchase was finally made this week that I'm excited about! I've been hesitant to pull the trigger on purchasing rugs for the entire house because quite frankly, I'm not willing to spend a whole lot of money on rugs due to my dogs. No matter how hard I try, I just can't keep them clean and they only last about 18 months in my house. So, I always keep cost in mind. Earlier this week I found this black and white one on sale at Rugs USA and decided to go for it. It should be in sometime next week and I'm really excited to see it in this space.
And last but not least is the bright light of this room, literally. The only light fixture worth repurposing in the house previously hung in the dining room. It was all things sparkly and shiny which typically are not me. However, for some reason, I really loved it and decided to use it in this room to help with the funky and eclectic vibe I'm going for. And guess what.....I LOVE IT! All it took was a little cleaning of every single shiny piece and my electrician had no problem getting it installed and working. And the best part is that it didn't cost a dime!
So that's a wrap for Week Two. Thanks so much for following along and don't forget to check out all of the Featured Designers and Guest Participants because I know you'll be inspired by their projects. See you next week!
