Transformation Complete

Remember this dark, musty, dingy tv wall we started with 8 weeks ago?

(If you can’t, start back at the beginning or jump into the middle here: Weeks 1, 2, & 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7)

Well, it is dingy no more!

This project really pushed me to my limits over the last few weeks, but I am so proud of what I’ve turned this space into. No longer does this room look haphazard and unwelcoming. Instead, it’s modern, bright, textured, and inviting -just in time for the holidays!

The Details

The Floating Media Console

This was my first time building a piece of furniture out of solid wood, and WOW I had no idea how much I didn’t know. I was so nervous to build this piece because I was so in love with how this walnut looked. I also didn’t have any backup wood available if I made a mistake. But I’m so happy to report, I figured it out (eventually, that is!)

My favorite feature on these floating drawers was that I was able to find a way to make the drawers without adding any hardware. Don’t get me wrong, I love drawer and cabinet pulls. But since this was going under the TV, I didn’t want to add anything that might be distracting (as if the entire wall weren’t distracting enough as it is). So I added these finger grooves into the tops of the drawers.

The Bookcases

These were the second and third pieces of furniture I’ve built, EVER. As in, I’ve gone my entire life not building a single piece of furniture except for one small coffee table, and then I set out to build these.

And somehow, I thought it would be easy. Oh boy was this a mighty humbling experience. On top of that, the staining pattern I picked out made everything extra challenging. It couldn’t just be black or golden oak. No, 8-weeks-ago Vicki said “It has to be both!”.

Although the two-tone staining made these bookcases extra challenging, I love how they turned out. That extra dimension of color adds just the right amount of variety and visual interest that I was hoping for.

One Room Challenge

Once again, Happy Ten-Year Anniversary to the One Room Challenge! I’m so thankful for this challenge. I’ve been wanting to take on this project for a long time now but couldn’t work up the nerve to tackle it. Then, once I started it, I continuously doubted whether I was even capable of what I’d set out to do. At every turn throughout this project, I felt like I was in over my head.

But this community is amazing, and seeing everyone’s amazing work- the transformations, the tenacity. It kept me motivated and inspired. I don’t think I would have been able to complete this project without seeing the awesome things other participants were up to. Check out their wonderfulness at the ORC blog.

Thank you, One Room Challenge! Cannot wait until next time!

The Journey

This has been a while ride. Relive the last few weeks here:
Weeks 1, 2, & 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7

One week until the Big Reveal! Are you ready?

Step by step

This week I attached the cedar boards to the backs of the bookcases and they are finally starting to look like real pieces of furniture! I also attached all the LED strips and wired them up. It’s finally starting to take shape!

I painted the big canvas that has a giant hole in the center.

And I assembled the frame of the floating console that will sit beneath the TV.

Minor setback

I was traveling at the beginning of this week and seem to have caught a bug–SIGH what timing! Hoping to heal up and recharge so I can get this room looking absolutely amazing.

It shall make the Big Reveal all the more suspenseful, right?

Check out what the other participants have been up to this week at the ORC blog.

Wow I am not prepared for it to already be week 6 of the One Room Challenge! It’s getting down to the wire and I am low-key freaking out. On top of that, I will be out of town the beginning of next week, which couldn’t be worse timing. But OK, breathe, breathe. Deep breaths. Let’s focus on the achievements of the week instead!

Platform behind TV

The Original Plan

Originally I wanted this platform to be covered in stone to add an earthy texture to this wall. I’ve also been itching for an excuse to tile something! But once I received all the samples I was so excited about, they just weren’t right.

The Pivot

So then I thought: how about roman clay?! So I swatched a few shades of white. But then I realized that this platform is so large that it would have to be made up of multiple pieces of wood or drywall. But since I live in California and we just had a 5.1 earthquake a couple of weeks ago, it occurred to be that the seems between the pieces of wood or drywall might crack!

Another Pivot

I was beginning to feel a bit discouraged until it hit me–canvas! Canvas can be all one seamless big sheet. An no seams means no potential cracking!

The challenge was that the TV mount needs to be able to fit in the middle of the canvas, which means the canvas needs to have a big hole in the middle of it.

It seemed risky, but I thought it’d be worth a shot!

So I built a frame, stretched a canvas, and then promptly cut a hole right in the center of that newly stretched canvas. And it seems to have worked! Voilà, we have a TV platform!

Wall Treatment

I’ve been going back and forth since the start of this challenge on whether to do a slat wall. I love the look of a slat wall and I’ve been wanting to do one for a very long time now. But this room has a LOT of wall in it and I’ve been concerned that slat-walling the entire room might be too much slat wall–actually, is there such a thing?

So I found these fluted wall panels and I think they might be the ones! I love the texture they add and that they’ll hide the very textured orange peel walls in that room.

Next up: paint! Or stain? I swatched some samples but I’m not sure whether I want to stain them or paint them.

Floating TV Console

This was supposed to be the easiest build of this project but it nearly destroyed me instead. And then once I was finally ready to build, I realized by cut list was all wrong because my entire design was based on the nominal widths instead of actual widths! Duh 1×8″ means 0.75×7.25″! So It was back to the drawing board because I’m so silly.

Here’s the “final design”. I just finished cutting the wood pieces yesterday.

A Fireplace Too?

Ok, I know I’ve been complaining about the time crunch, but this week it has gotten SO chilly. Hello, holiday season! So I got the idea that this room would be really nice and cozy if it had an electric fireplace…

I know. I KNOW. I’m so the problem here. But I started designing a place for the fireplace that maybe hopefully pretty please won’t take too long to build.

What’s Next?

Still need to finish:

• Media bookcases
• Floating media console with drawers
• Platform (canvas) behind TV
• Wall paneling
• Shelf behind couch
• Electric fireplace build
• Decor!

…and in 2 weeks! We can do this! We can do this!

Check out what everyone else has been up to this week at the ORC Week 6 Blog.

Last week we finally got the drywall up, giving me a blank canvas to work on. This week, I painted the wall black–the portions that wouldn’t be covered by the TV and bookshelves at least.

Speaking of bookshelves, I finally started assembling them this week! They still need the finishing touches but they are taking shape. After days of cutting, sanding, routing, and staining the individual shelves, I was so excited to finally see them come together into something that actually resembles a bookcase!

Now that we are past the halfway mark of the ORC, I’m becoming very aware how much more work I have to do to finish this room up! Ahhhh!

Check out what the rest of the participants have been up to this week at this ORC blog.

Our garage is starting to look like a real room! My contractor wrapped up all of his portion of the renovations this week, which means we now have: 2 new windows, insulation, drywall, a new ceiling, lighting, hardwood flooring, stair railing, and an opening into a bonus nook.

And now this is where the fun really begins, because it’s all DIY from here on out!

The TV Wall

The first DIY project I want to tackle is the TV wall. It’s the most intensive project I have planned for this room, and it will serve as the room’s main focal point.

Designing and modeling

Designing the TV wall has been a journey so far. This is the biggest and most complicated project I’ve ever attempted, and keeping all the details and measurements straight has been a huge challenge for me. For previous projects I’ve been able to do all the necessary planning in a few sketches and maybe a quick 2-dimensional mockup on the computer, like this one I created for the TV wall:

But this TV wall design demanded more, more, more! I finally had to stop and try to find another solution because I was going in circles trying to finalize the design and remember what went where and how long or short it needed to be.

So this week I learned how to use SketchUp and created a 3D mockup of my TV Wall design. The choice to halt all progress by stopping and trying to learn to use a 3D modeling app was a really difficult one–I’m someone who constantly needs to feel like they’re making tangible process. But I’m so glad I took the risk! Creating a 3D mockup has been an absolute game changer! It’s made it super easy to keep track of all the different sized pieces of wood I need and how to assemble them.

I’m by no means an expert in this tool, but having this model to work off of allowed me to finally start building!

Learning to use a new tool

Continuing the trend of learning new things, this week I finally faced my fear of a tool that I’ve been putting off learning how to use for months because I’ve been so intimidated by it–the table saw. I whipped out that manual and studied it, plus a ton of video tutorials.

And wow! It has made it so easy to rip down the 8′ sheets of plywood that I need for the TV wall bookcases. Check out these shelves I cut on the table saw for my new bookcases.

I know it might not look super exciting yet, but this is such a huge personal achievement for me. I’ve literally spent months procrastinating on using the table saw because I’ve been paralyzed by fear. But I finally realized, it’s week 4 and we’re halfway through this challenge. I had no choice but to get it done.

And that’s the wonderful thing about this challenge–it pushes us! It pushes us to do what it takes to reach our goals, even if that means temporarily stepping out of our comfort zone and facing anxiety head on. Thank you, One Room Challenge!

Check out what other participants are doing this week at the One Room Challenge blog.

I love this time of year–it’s One Room Challenge time! I can’t believe it’s already been a year since we transformed our living room during last year’s One Room Challenge. Since then, we’ve moved into a new house, which means a new collection of rooms to transform and make our own!

What’s the One Room Challenge?

This interior design event has been held biannually over the last 10 years, during which participants tackle a room of their choosing to transform over the course of 8 weeks. Every week, designers post updates on their progress, concluding in an exciting final reveal in Week 8! The result is a wonderful community that inspires, encourages, and uplifts each week and beyond the challenge.

I’m a little late to the party this year, but fashionably late is always better than missing the party altogether, right? We are already in Week 3 and I cannot wait to see everyone’s vision come to life! Check out their progress ORC blog.

The Room

We have tried to call this room a number of things since we moved in: Game Room, Pool Room, Garage. And so far, SIGH the only one that has stuck is “Garage”. Because that’s what it is!

The previous owners of our home left us a garage that is currently somewhere between a garage and an entertainment room: the garage door has been sealed up–there’s no way to get a car in here anymore!–and the previous owners had been using it as a hangout spot centered around an 8′ pool table. I really like this room, but it unfortunately still feels like a garage: concrete floors, no insulation, exposed beams, not a lot of natural light. So it’s time to change that!

For this ORC, I will be transforming this garage into a space that hopefully feels like a natural continuation of the rest of the house. I want guests to walk and and feel like they’re in a family room or a game room instead of a garage.

The Road Ahead

So how do we get Cinderella ready for the ball? Here’s the makeover I’m envisioning:

Installation of:

• hardwood floors
• ceiling insulation and shiplap
• more windows
• recessed lighting
• demo wall to connect secondary room
• safety railing for stairs

DIY projects

• TV media wall, including slat wall, media shelves, and floating media drawers
• shelf behind couch
• window frame
• wainscoting treatment for walls
• bar table

Finishing touches

• furniture: couch, rugs, chairs, tables
• sound system

The Progress so far

The room is coming to life! Over the last two weeks our contractor and his team have been working tirelessly to install all insulation, drywall, new windows, ceiling, and recessed lighting.

What a difference drywall and sunlight make! Next up is to paint the walls and install hardwood floors to really get this space feeling a little more homey.

After 8 weeks of design, DIY, and decorating, the big day has finally arrived: the One Room Challenge Final Room Reveals!

About the One Room Challenge

Eight weeks ago, we committed to participating in this fall season of the One Room Challenge, an event that occurs every Fall and Spring since 2011. Every season, designers set out to transform one room over the course of (normally 6, but it’s extended by 2 weeks due to Covid) 8 weeks. They join up in the event to support each other and share ideas via weekly updates in the One Room Challenge blog.

To date, over 5,400 rooms have been transformed as part of the One Room Challenge.

We’re nearly at the finish line! Just one more week until the big reveal of our moody modern vintage, a touch gaudy living room.

Remember that big blank, boring wall behind the TV? This week was all about giving it a little more visual interest. This was the rough plan:

Wondering what the orange line is? It’s to plan out the electrical wiring. Wiring for what? LEDs, of course!

Welcome to Week 6 of the One Room Challenge!

If you’re new here, check out our progress from the previous weeks as we make over our living room into a modern moody vintage dream.

Weeks 1 & 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5

So far we’ve everything has been about transforming the walls: paint, diy paintings, and a diy accent slat wall. This week, it was time to focus on the center of the living room: the coffee table!

I’ve never built furniture before, but I’d never made an accent wall or stretched my own canvas before either, so here’s to figuring it out as we go!

Welcome to Week 5 of the One Room Challenge!

Weeks 1&2 | Week 3 | Week 4

This week has been all about creating art for the walls (more traditional art than last week), in the form of paintings!

We had multiple walls to decorate, all viewable from the living room: a stairwell wall, two dining room walls, and of course a living room wall .

DIY Art Canvases

To save money, we stretched, primed, and painted canvases ourselves. This also gave us the freedom to create custom sizes for each space.

For example, the stairwell wall canvas measured over 8 feet tall, and would have cost about $700 if we bought it in-store.