It's week seven of the One Room Challenge and let's just say I'm a slight bit behind on...oh, everything.
It will be all hands on deck this week. There may be a few things that won't be completed, but my goal at the beginning of this challenge was to have a room that feels finished. If that means filling in some missing pieces, after the eight week deadline is up, I'll still be happy with that outcome because this has pushed me to do WAY more in my own home than would have gotten done otherwise and, honestly, this is the reality of doing things yourself on a budget.
With that, here's where we are with things....
Paint - samples have been tested and we'll paint the walls this week
I'm thisclose to being done spray painting my sconces
I started painting the new nightstands
New bed sheets have been ordered. Yay!
I painted our tall dresser and the color kind of looks like poop
Focal point above bed - I'm applying a DIY treatment to a small mirror I already own that's been tucked away in storage
I found another chandelier....
I've come to the conclusion I'm really on the fence about wallpaper. I know. So sad.
Here's what will happen THIS. WEEK.:
Paint walls and ceiling
Cut, paint and install wall molding (and hopefully this includes the ceiling, too)
Finish as many sewing projects as time permits, for now
Finish painting nightstands
Apply final coat of spray paint on sconces and then install
Give the new chandelier a slight facelift and then install
Re-paint faux bamboo dresser AND re-paint (again) tall dresser
Add finishing touches, wall art and styling
Take fancy photos
Collapse
Phew. Ok. First item on the top list....
PAINT COLORS
Because I haven't had all the fabric I've needed for most of the weeks (due to retail stores being closed during social distancing and budget being tight for pricier fabrics I could have ordered samples for) this has made choosing a paint color a major challenge. It's always easier to fit a paint color around everything else than vice versa. I knew the overall feeling I wanted for the room but not having actual fabrics to look at with my limited paint sheets has made things TOUGH. Waiting on wallpaper swatches in the mail (twice) also didn't help. And another roadblock...I didn't have paint sheets for the colors I really wanted to test out in the room, either.
I'm happy to report, my paint sheets from Benjamin Moore FINALLY ARRIVED. And not a second too early.
I re-examined all my wallpaper samples, the fabrics I have (I'm still short on some), and then landed on a few colors to test out....
Top left = Boothbay Gray
Top right = Silver Mink
Bottom left = Gibraltar Cliffs
Bottom right = Timber Wolf
I'm close to finalizing a color (or maybe just deluding myself that I am?) and have been testing out a few colors for the ceiling as well, to decide on the best combo for the feeling I'm trying to capture.
More on that with the wallpaper...
SCONCES
They're almost done! There have been rain delays that put the spray painting on hold but one more quick coat and they're done!
(They're on foil because I took a baking sheet from the kitchen to use as a flat surface to let them dry on. We still use the baking sheet for food so I didn't want spray paint on it. I realize this looks odd.)
NIGHTSTANDS
I had some door and trim paint left over from a past furniture project, so I decided to make one thing easy for myself and just use this for the new nightstands. (I wanted to paint the first pair black but this seems much too heavy for the new, more modern-styled, slightly taller nightstands).
The color I already have is Vanilla Milkshake by Benjamin Moore. It's a slight off white and seemed safe with so many variables of the design still TBD. Unfortunately, I was down to the bottom 1/8th of the can and couldn't complete the final coats, so this started the wheels turning for other color possibilities.
I'm not sure yet if I'll change the color or just buy another can of Vanilla Milkshake. Only one more week to find out!
NEW SHEETS
We ordered these sateen sheets from Bed, Bath and Beyond:
I like these because they're clean and classic. I also felt that, even though (and especially since) we're keeping budget tight, it's time to splurge slightly on better quality sheets and these were still reasonably priced and had good reviews. Something about the bedroom has always felt "off" to me, like it should be more restful, cozier and more comfortable....I truly believe this has been one of the missing pieces, so I can't wait for these to arrive.
DRESSER PAINT
Since I've been struggling to come up with a color scheme with the paint sheets I already have, one of the colors I threw into the mix was Chelsea Gray by Benjamin Moore. I was really into the warm, rich, moody vibe it was bringing to the mix and, since I already had a sample can of this too, I decided to paint a coat of it on the dresser.
Unfortunately, it looks like the bottom of a swamp. The color is actually still gorgeous but it's not quite working in our room. I'm waiting until after the wall color is finalized to remedy this because I want to give it chance. But there's a 99% possibility of it being repainted.
FOCAL MIRROR
I mentioned in week one I wanted a focal point for above the headboard. I have so many pieces of art, empty frames and framed art, as well as a few decorative mirrors (we have a lot of storage space, don't judge me..) so I knew this was going to be an easy item to cross off the list. Since I'm still buttoning up design details, I'm going with a mirror I had in mind from the start.
I found this mirror at a flea market in Maine last summer....back in the olden days when we could travel...and it was love at first sight. The added memory of finding it in our travels makes me love it even more, especially right now in our "new normal".
I happen to like the finish but it isn't quite the style I'm going for, so I plan to either *attempt to* apply gold foil to it, or give it an off-white finish for an old-world-meets-modern effect. This has been another decision dependent on the wallpaper pattern/color, paint color and even chandelier color.
NEW CHANDELIER
I was super excited when, early on, I found a very sculptural, faux-coral chandelier. It needs work (including new wiring) and I've been torn as to whether it adds a nice sculptural effect to the room or reads too 'coastal'. This effect changes based on the wallpaper and paint options.
I decided to cut my losses and set it aside to consider for another room - then frantically searched MP for another chandelier in the right dimensions and a 'flexible' style. I found one that fit the bill and was only slightly higher in cost than the first one (still far less expensive combined than buying a brand new fixture).
I'll make a trip to the craft store this week to buy some Rub N Buff and turn this into a warm gold.
At some point, I can even change the look again by adding a large drum shade, so this is exactly the type of fixture I was hoping for.
WALLPAPER
After weeks of fretting over the wallpaper, trying to make my on-hand paint options work and then still fretting even after getting the paint colors I really wanted.....I realized....the wallpaper options just aren't working.
If I had more time, I would search for and order more samples of options within budget. If I had a bigger budget, I would branch out and search for more options at a higher price point. But since I don't have either of those right now....I'm leaning heavily toward holding off altogether on wallpaper....and applying only the molding to the wall, without wallpaper. This is also something I've wanted to do in my own home since the beginning of time, but it's hard letting go of an idea you've been fixated on and planned around for weeks.
For example, I had been counting on the wallpaper to provide the primary color statement in the room and guide the rest of the color palette. I was really loving the aqua pattern from Schumacher:
The color feels lighthearted yet glamorous, but I was having doubts about this exact tint of aqua competing with the bluer duvet color. I kept going in circles between this my other top wallpaper choice and no matter what what I edited, something just wasn't right.
I realized I liked both options but they just aren't the best options *for our room*.
So now I'm (quickly!) exploring the idea of just molding and have had to turn the dial up slightly on the paint color to create the same mood I was hoping to evoke with wallpaper. I'll also look for patterned pillows and/or fabric this week, to re-incorporate visual interest the wallpaper would have provided.
And that's all, folks! This is the last week to get it all done and the official homestretch! I'm extremely grateful to Linda, the creator of the One Room Challenge, for the extra two weeks this spring and I'm excited to see what all I can get completed in the final week.
I hope you'll follow along for week eight...aka...the reveal week...!
For a review of week five/six, click here or on the image below:
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