One Room Challenge – the Beige Bedroom Makeover

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It’s that time of year! I am back for another round of the One Room Challenge. After completing baby boy’s nursery last fall, I have been ITCHIN’ to go again and makeover another space. I’ve tackled other projects in the mean time, but if you follow me on instagram then you know I am not great at staying on course. My construction and completion schedule is very….. fluid…. but not for this!

This season’s One Room Challenge is an 8 week commitment to designing and realizing a room and it’s made up of community of designers/DIYers/homemakers. There are 20 featured designers, and soooo many guest participants. I am a part of the latter and will be updating the community weekly on the ORC blog!

The One Room Challenge has this mystical ability to hold me accountable. It might be a placebo effect. Maybe I’m jonesing for a deadline since I left my traditional office gig. But it’s probably the whole group empowerment thing, because I absolutely love watching other DIYers on their journey’s (and we all meet at the same virtual place every week!).

The community is so diverse with skills levels, aesthetics, ideas, and game changing TRICKS I always dying to try, and for that I am forever grateful!

I am far from professional and even farther from perfect, but damn I love design and I really love being at home. It’s been so much fun finagling my money around to afford to stay at home with my babes AND improve our home. It’s literally my dream come true. So this entire experience is nothing short of perfect for me in terms of where I want to be and what I want to do. Ty Better Homes and Gardens 😘

The room

Here she is! I cleaned her up for this, so she’s looking her best. And I have to admit I don’t hate it, but it’s been neglected and underutilized.

Our bedroom is 1 of 3 and might be the same size as my daughter’s. We don’t have an en suite bathroom, so the only thing that makes it the primary bedroom is the placement in the house. We don’t spend a lot of time in it.

Our bedroom is where we sleep and I [sometimes] put laundry away. It’s peaceful and we like that, but our house is small and it’s starting to feel like dead space (with insanity-inducing design).

We don’t have a TV in the bedroom. When Tano and I got together, he told me he didn’t want a TV in our bedroom. So I gritted my teeth and agreed to go without after a lifetime of falling asleep with the TV on. And I have to admit, I love it. I don’t get “trapped” binging shows in bed. That sort of stuff is reserved for the living room lol.

But after a full year of Tano working at home and adding a 4th person into the quarantine mix, it’s become very clear that we need to spread out a bit more. There isn’t a lot to work with but my sunroom/dining room/reading room now quadruples as his home office so our sleep quarters need to become a little more functional and earn a couple more titles. Besides, I don’t sleep much anymore.

The issues

Currently it is sooooooo beige and makes me want to scream. I went through a Joanna-Gaines-is-goals phase and caught wind of BM Revere Pewter and absolutely had to paint something. Then I inherited my grandma’s OG Henry Link faux bamboo bedroom furniture (which I can’t bring myself to paint…!) and everything felt even more beige if that’s possible.

Side note: I found this lamp at an antique shop in town and I am obsessed with it. It’s staying with me but maybe getting a new shade..

The closet is so small and the room is too small for an extra dresser, but I’ve been plotting out an ambitious solution which involves a deal with baby boy and his baby room. It’s a complete mess and I didn’t bother to clean it at all because I’m going to gut it TODAY. Yay.

The bed has been flipped around the room more than I can remember, and both windows drive me CRAZY! The big one is too low for a headboard and too perfect for a vanity (it’s drenched in sunlight every morning. swoon.) and the little one is so awkward. When the bed is on that wall, It drives me nuts to have the window off center. But then the dresser side walkway is too small and the whole room feels cramped because there’s a bed in the way of all the “free space”.

Like I said… CRAZY. I’m losing my mind in here.

The ceiling boob light isn’t even centered to the small window, so that makes things a little easier and I think I’ve found a luxe/contemporary solution to that whole wall!

Another side note: The bedside bassinet is wedged against the bed and is not going anywhere anytime soon. It serves as the perfect safety net for baby boy when we snuggle! He’s so squirmy these days and it’s terrifying.

The plans

Here is the mood board, and keep in mind I’m feeling flexible. Even my last mood board didn’t translate perfectly into the nursery. But the room turned out better than I ever imagined so I’m going to aim for the same process this time. The right vibes will come as the tasks do (at least that’s what I’m telling myself).

It feels very me, minus a couple dozen tchotchkes. I’ve defined my personal style as contemporary eclecticism over the past few years. I’m forever inspired by bold & colorful Mexican aesthetics, mid-century modern architecture, and funky art deco lines. My ultimate home goal is to have an I Dream of Jeannie-esque conversation pit.

Just publishing my intentions and letting the universe know.

But now that you have the *vibe* let me share where I’m stuck.

I have this sad, orange oak dresser that will be painted, although I’m not entirely sold on the color yet. We haven’t had a headboard. Ever. So I’ll be DIYing one and I’m a torn between 3 styles. I need to figure out some matching low nightstands, and will probably just make them (despite the scary cost of lumber…). I’m a little uncertain on closet section measurements, but that’ll be tackled/over first.

There is more, but I’m going to just let those dogs lie a little longer. I’m stressin’, ok?!

My primary goal with this room is to make it my homemaking haven. I am here nearly 24/7 and I need a space that helps me feel inspired instead of just… tired.

The Timeline and To-Do list

We have 8 weeks to complete our rooms, and that feels like more than enough. But that might be because my to-do list is much less intimidating when it’s broken into 8 chunks. Today technically starts week 1, so let’s write these out as anticipated completion dates starting next week.

Week 2 – The closet

Week 3 – painting, window trim, curtains

Week 4 – dresser painting & DIY mirror

Week 5 – DIY headboard

Week 6 – DIY nightstands (???)

Week 7 – DIY desk

Week 8 – final touches & REVEAL

🤞

Peep the nursery

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