We are sliding toward the finish line, and I’m not mad about it!
If you’re a first-timer to our sixth One Room Challenge, let me briefly catch you up. I decided a few days after this round’s Week 1 start date to jump in as motivation to transition my 4-year-old son’s bedroom to a ‘big boy room.’ Not a total transformation, but an evolution to the next stage – setting into action what I had envisioned when I designed his nursery. I didn’t want to have to do the whole thing over four years later!
And, I decided to the hallway outside his room to the project scope, as well as the back staircase leading up to it. This whole area was once where ‘the help’ would have lived in our house, back when it was built in 1896. So it seemed only fitting that I would give all of these spaces the ‘help’ they needed to finally be finished!
Here is where we started:
Since I got a late start, in order to give myself the best chance of completing the challenge on time, I decided to schedule my install date for all new furniture for the day before my photo shoot. Definitely cutting it close…
I’m happy to say I figured out a lot, and placed a lot of orders this week. Basically all of them. Because of the time constraint, I’m finding myself making decisions on things one at a time, rather than formulating a total plan and then executing it. Which is basically exactly the opposite of what I do with my clients! As such, there have been some things I’ve changed my mind on as I’ve gone down the list – one of them was bedding. I had so many iterations of bedding schemes! I originally started with some cute printed sheets from Crate & Kids. Those got returned and swapped for plain old white sheets after I started working through the bed skirt, sham, quilt, etc. Here is where I ended up with the bedding.
So…my son got his wish for green! Though I’m not 100% sure it’s the green he wants. But it will work beautifully with this funky old vintage painting I picked up a couple of years ago, and have never hung up.
I was always planning on hanging it in the hallway, but now that we’re moving out the antique chest, I felt that the room needed something a little dusty – something old, as we already have something new, something borrowed, and something blue :). He reminds me of both of my sons – I just love him!
The dresser arrived already – it was supposed to ship to my receiver, but it showed up here instead. We’ve already loaded it up with clothing, but I of course neglected to take a picture before my son went to bed so here’s the catalog image. It’s just a basic dresser from Crate & Barrel – in stock, and shipped quickly (always the key with the ORC…).
Eamon seemed excited that he could operate the drawers himself, and can now start to help with picking out his outfits each day!
On Sunday, the carpet installer came to rip up the remaining runner on the back staircase, and template for the new Merida runner. The team in the Boston showroom was amazingly responsive, and I honestly couldn’t believe they are able to meet my deadline! The carpet shipped to the installer on Monday, and he’ll be fabricating away over the next several days, and installing next week, date to be determined.
I am using Merida’s Brussels carpet, which is wool, though it has the look of sisal.
…with navy blue cotton binding!
I also started working on my game plan for alllllll of the art that needs to be hung in the hallway and in the back stairwell between now and next Friday, when my photo shoot is happening. I’ll be focusing on that next week (and in next week’s post!).
Let’s revisit the checklist, shall we?
- Remove toddler bed and replace with twin or full-sized upholstered daybed. Status: Delivery on Thursday 11/1. My receiver is taking away the broken toddler bed – yay!
- New mattress and bedding. Status: Ordered and en route!
- Add nightstand and articulating reading lamp. Status: Nightstand en route, lamp arrived yesterday.
- Move out the antique walnut chest and replace with more kid-friendly dresser. Status: COMPLETE. Wow, that felt good.
- Organize drawers and closet, and clear out/donate clothing that no longer fits. Status: COMPLETE.
- Incorporate some toy storage somewhere. Status: Not yet…
- Replace corded woven shades with cordless blackout-lined woven shades. Status: Shades ordered. Need to schedule install for early next week.
- Hang salon-style art gallery in hall outside his room. Status: Antique prints are with the framer. Need to lay out this puppy and start hanging. Still debating on whether or not to buy one new piece…
- Add window treatment and small console table/furniture piece in hallway. Status: Need to schedule window treatment install for early next week. Ordered console and am crossing my fingers it arrives in time.
- Install new runner on back stairs up to Eamon’s room. Status: Templated and awaiting install on or before Halloween.
Visit the One Room Challenge website to see what the other guest participants and featured designers are up to this week!
