Much has changed...

ONE ROOM CHALLENGE | WEEK SIX: THE REVEAL

Welcome to week six, the final week, of the ONE ROOM CHALLENGE (ORC), where designers and bloggers alike have six weeks to totally transform one room!  

Thank you for hanging in there with me & periodically checking the blog for my progress!!!    A HUGE thank you to, Linda, the creator of the ORC and the blog Calling it Home for her encouraging words and her kind reminders that. "...this is not a competition!"  Actually, it's THREE weeks after the ORC ended and I've updated this post with photos of my completed living area, however, the kitchen is STILL under revision!  There's still much to do, in terms of stripping & polishing my bookcases & pharmacy cabinet and polishing cabinets; I'll get to those later in the summer & will post tutorials.

Part of why I was so delayed in posting, aside from selling my sofa, I had a MAJOR catastrophe with my antique and vintage rugs!  I sent them (all 6) to Chicago, to be cleaned by my rug dealer friend (I mentioned him in a previous post), and they are currently in transit to me.  Good thing I keep a good ole cowhide in my repertoire!  I hadn't planned to use the cowhide under my coffee table; but, it will work, temporarily, until I receive my rugs and purchase a new sofa.  So, picture my bare floors with BEAUTIFUL, COLORFUL rugs!

If that wasn't enough, I was diagnosed with an eye infection 2 weeks ago!!!  I knew something was wrong and went to the ER immediately.  The doctor just wanted to give me meds and send me on my way, however, I insisted that my eye be cultured!  A few days later I received the results:  "NO BACTERIAL INFECTION; RESULTS NEGATIVE".  I was in shock!  STRESS!!!  The stress of the rug situation (maybe I'll blog about it, it's just difficult to talk about) and not completing my one room in six weeks gave me a "phantom"/psychosomatic eye infection!  So, I've essentially been on a protocol of decompression in order to harmonize.   WOW!  DRAMA!  OK, enough of that and on to my room!  

We've had such gray days here in Duluth, so pardon the dark photos, I hope you can see the details...  

Remember, from whence I began...

WEEK ONE

WEEK TWO

WEEK THREE

WEEK FOUR

WEEK FIVE

    

Another starting point...

Additional blank slate...

An open sea...

Thank you again for visiting me!  Have you visited my fellow ONE ROOM CHALLENGE participants?  PLEASE let me know what you think of my room!  I'm open to suggestions, advise, praise (LOL!), and constructive criticism.  Also, feel free to join me, here, each week;  I'll be blogging about interior design, designers, makers, artisans, furniture, accessories, architecture, how-to's/DIY tutorials, and anything else of interest to you and I.  Feel free to let me know of your interest, I'll research, and share what I've learned!  

I have a good feeling, like 99% certainty, that I'll return in October for the fall ONE ROOM CHALLENGE!

ONE ROOM CHALLENGE | WEEK FIVE: REVISIONS

Bad

Better & worse

Best

Well, folks, here we are again!  Week five of the One Room Challenge!  A huge dose of gratitude to Linda of the wonderful blog, Calling it Home, for conceiving the ORC!  Linda, your vision has truly inspired and empowered a movement amongst bloggers and designers alike!  We are all working so diligently to conceptualize, document, and implement the design of our perspective "one rooms" in a six week time period.  Without this challenge, I'd still be swimming in an ocean of moving boxes.  As with any design process, revisions are a reality.  Whether it's a delay in materials, a wrong choice in paint or fabric, or just a "simple" change of mind; revisions are part of the process...
Trust me, I've come a long way, baby...
WEEK ONE
WEEK TWO
WEEK THREE
WEEK FOUR

After all of the upholstery drama, I'm totally out of love with the Ward Bennett chairs (above)!  Can you believe, it?  Yes, after having them re-reupholstered!  In pure design fashion and Craigslist (CL) karma, a pair that I prefer, far more, popped up on the Chicago CL 2 days AFTER I returned to Duluth- a pair of, 1 owner, mint condition, vintage Westnofa chairs and the ottoman (wow!) for a bargain and a half!  That's exactly what I get for strolling on CL after returning to Duluth!  I fell in love and had my girlfriend and her husband drive 1 hour out of the city, they got lost so it was 2 hours, to purchase them for me.  Now the chairs are in Chicago and I'm in Duluth.  I've listed the blue Bennett chairs for sale- hilarious!  Not exactly sure if the Westnofas will make it to Duluth by week six.

Took A LOT of pressure off by deciding not to refinish the 4 metal cabinets during the ORC...

Laura Soskin

1stdibs

Urban Remains

Or the 20 cases for the 4 metal barrister bookcases...  

BONGRANDE

BONGRANDE

Nor will I ceruse the oak chairs...

1dibs

Thank goodness I took the pressure off by deciding NOT to attempt these projects during the ORC!  Trust me, it's been enough to MOVE from one state to another, unpack, and find a place for everything.  I am thankful for the ORC because it's kept me moving, creating  the momentum I need to meet my goal of getting my place together relatively quickly.  Otherwise, I might have attempted to live in a labyrinth of boxes and misplaced furniture for a few months, after I caught my breath!  Ha!  However, I'll be stripping paint from metal and polishing metal cabinets most all of the summer.  Good thing I like the work!  This, essentially, is "jam" week, for me!  I've gotten all packing/packaging materials out of my life.  Just when you think you've gotten the last packing peanut out of your life another 5 pop up, literally out of nowhere.  

I will, however, have to employ someone to hang my objets d'art above the kitchen shelves, hopefully their schedule will work with mine.  

Have to hang about 100 gilt Florentine mirrors and frames.  

Former Chicago apartment

Oh!  My desk was delivered!  The stain is delicious!  However, as much as I've been babying it, some of the urethane has chipped off!!!  Come on lady!!!!  Why didn't someone tell me NOT to have it varnished???!!!  I should have had it oil finished- geesh!  Or did she use a poor quality product?  Hmmmm...  She's agreed to (re)refinish the desk, but she's been GHOST since her promise!!!  It's somewhat unfortunate because it cost $$$$$$$$  to hire her for the job; FAR more than I planned or wanted to pay for the work.  On a positive note, I was able to save $$$ by having my building engineer hang my large mirrors and a map that I purchased from a VERY aggressive auction here in Duluth!  

As if all that's not enough, my kilim is too large for the sisal I planned to place under it!  Oh brother!  I'll have to move the sisal to the bedroom.  Too bad, because I was really looking forward to that look.  Of course, the kilim will look better with the dag-on WHITE SOFA!!!!  

Guess what?  I felt so desperate for a white sofa that I had an impulse to drive 2 1/2 hours to buy one from IKEA, as a place holder (and I dislike place holders!)???!!!!  LOL!!  What am I???  Delusional???  How could I have had the thought, especially knowing how I feel about Ikea?!!  I cannot even imagine assembling a SOFA, for goodness sake!  The sofa conversation will continue after the ORC.  I believe I've found one that may just be the panacea!

Also, I TOTALLY forgot about my mid century Danish lounge chair and ottoman that need new cushions and webbing.  I've been stalking the only company that I know of that sells custom size, down feather gusseted pillows, to no avail because they're not answering their phone or respond to emails regarding placing an order.  So, I've decided to get an estimate from an upholsterer to make (hopefully down-wrapped) foam pillow inserts for the chair and ottoman, plus install new webbing.  Can he do it for $100???  **UPDATE**  NO, he cannot!  It's going to be $2hundredsomething; perhaps over 3!  In all reality it's a fair estimate, considering what I paid for the 2 pieces and the value of the chair.  Needless to say, the upholsterer won't have it completed for a month or more.  I'm just dreaming about how much I'd like to pay.  Ha!

By the way, mirror, mirror may not hang on the wall for week six.  I'm disappointed about it.  Unless the installer can place the mirror in the frame for $100-$125 it's not going to happen this week.  **UPDATE**  NO, he cannot; $215 is his estimate.  My budget just needs a nap!  I feel like now I'm just trying to get everything done for $100!  Ha!

No budget time to receive the silk velvet ikat fabric from Turkey that would have to be shipped to my seamstress in North Carolina for her to sew custom pillows.  I prefer custom pillows because the dimensions I want are not sold by the seller, additionally, I'm partial to pillows with the same front and back pattern/fabric.  The fabric and pillows shown are from etsy.

Don't you think, those pillows will better compliment a WHITE sofa over my current one?

I'm discovering that I need stuff/tchotchkes/knickknacks!  TOTALLY forgot about coffee table books, statuary, vases, flowers, etc., etc.  Where the heck is Alex Papachristidis when you need him???!!!

I'm so appreciative that you came by to take a look at my project.  Leave a comment letting me know what you think!  Be sure to peruse the blogs of my fellow ORC participants; they are a talented bunch!  Remember to return here, next Thursday, for the REVEAL...