Today is the day! The fall One Room Challenge (ORC) officially kicks off! Seeing as we are newly minted homeowners, this will be our first experience joining the ORC. Although this will be my first season participating in the ORC, I’m no stranger to the inspiring designs resulting from an incredibly talented roster of participants.

The One Room Challenge is hosted twice a year in spring and again in Fall and run for 6-weeks. I’m thrilled to be participating as a guest, and I look forward to starting this challenge and connecting with fellow bloggers! I’ll be posting each week to share our dining space's on-going progress while highlighting our weekly to-do list (more on that below)!

ONE ROOM CHALLENGE: THE BEFORE

I am a HUGE FAN of a great before and after design. I’m talking paint peeling, dark, dingy space that transforms into something only dreams are made of. This is a different type of “before,” which is a great time to share why they were taking on our dining room. We purchased our home as a flip, so the builder had already put many style choices that would appeal to a wide variety of people. For most people, this is a great option; for us, it’s the difference between a “meh” space and something personal and unique to our taste and our family’s lifestyle.

The before represents the basic starting point for us to take off with our design. Since we’ll be tackling a different project associated with the space each week, the idea is to help showcase the evolution and hopefully share a few tips for other homeowners looking to redesign a room in their home. Our goal is to make this blend with our existing decor while feeling inviting and practical for nightly family meals.

These are the images provided above from our open house. The room was originally arranged as a second living space (which is odd for the layout). We knew from the get-go this wouldn’t work for us and honestly isn’t very practical for our family. The space is long and somewhat narrow and flows from the kitchen, so naturally it’s a great room for a dining space.

ONE ROOM CHALLENGE: THE PLANS

Based on the before, pictures were a great starting point to really dive in and get started. We plan to continue the relaxed modern California coastal feel while adding warmth to the space through texture and finishes. This is a family space, so it’s important to showcase this through a mix of photos and sentimental artwork. The fireplace is not in working order, and we don’t have plans to use it, so a facelift is in order.

We’d love to utilize a handmade tile and paint the interior a deep black. The mantle will be redefined with a wood mantlepiece. We’re aiming to bring in more coastal nods using rattans, grasscloth, and this woven basket pendant for lighting. We’ll bring in color through styling elements such as the rug and pieces inside the shelving for final styling.

If you follow me on Instagram you’ll know I love to shop high and low. A good mix of this makes for a well-rounded room, and my aim is to be conscious to utilize pieces we already own while investing in quality furniture or thrifting unique styling pieces.

Of course, the concept won’t come to life without a to-do list!

• Hang lighting and configure directional lights

• Decide on wood mantle, install

• Clean brick and firebox, remove cover

• Paint exposed brick

• Cut photo mattes and secure frames

• Decide on photos and artwork to display

• remove texture from wall about fire place, skim coat

• Install Grasscloth Wallpaper

• Sand and repaint door hardware

• Style space

ONE ROOM CHALLENGE Weekly Schedule

WEEK 1 - Before Images and Game Plan for ORC

WEEK 2 - Lighting (pendant light DIY & Focal Fireplace Lights

WEEK 3 - Fireplace Tile & Paint

WEEK 4 - Mantle Redo & Tips for Shelf Styling

WEEK 5 - DIY Custom Frames & Wallpaper

WEEK 6 - FINAL Reval!!

Check back next week for our first project in this space, the lighting!

Cheers ~
Kelly