This is my second post for the One Room Challenge for Fall 2018 and I have combined Weeks 2 and 3.  I am really behind and trying to show all the ups and downs of design and renovations, so both the good and the difficult sections are here in this week’s work!!  I hope you hang in there with me as I try to catch up and get back on track…be sure and visit all the other designers and see how they are progressing!  The Featured Designers are such a wide variety this session, there is something to inspire everyone…and the Guest Designers are doing a ton of work as we get to the second half of the challenge….I hope to have my week 4 post up by the end of the week, so lets get to it!

I am now on my third week of wallpaper removal for my Guest Bedroom/Office and it is HARD, y’all!!  I hesitate to say that because I don’t want to discourage ANYONE from hanging wallpaper in their home!  Wallpaper is one of my favorite things, it adds color and texture and design to any space and I have loved it since I first learned about it from my grandmother’s home, my mother’s homes and all the antique beauties and historic homes that I have been privileged to tour and work in for the last 40 years! Through all the ups and downs of its “trendiness” and popularity, I have loved what it can do for a room and a home.  So, don’t be afraid of wallpaper, but it is a BIG job to remove old wallpaper and prep for the next step in re-decorating.  It has taken me MUCH longer than I anticipated, and I still have not finished.  One more wall to go and then washing and prepping for the next steps.

 

“Before” showing old wallpaper design- Room partially cleared out

These two shots (sorry about the iPhone photos and the poor lighting) show the room after a basic clear-out and now is a good time to talk about the OTHER half of the “challenge” issue.  I know that it doesn’t look like much now, but this was the room where my sons grew up and I am having an incredibly difficult time not being emotional about the end of an era.  I know that might sound overly sappy, but this is the last step of becoming a true “empty nest” and the start of a new chapter.  Right now the ending is the part that I am feeling the most, and the excitement of the re-do is not creating the emotional “high” that it usually does!  I am trying to keep putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward, but this is the truest definition of bittersweet that I can ever remember experiencing and it has surprised me.

In the picture above you can see that I also have the old baseboard radiator that is now obsolete that is going to be removed, as well as the wall-to-wall carpet.  Very excited to see these gone!  The window screens are inside because we are also painting the exterior, we brought them in to protect them from any overspray, etc.  One of the nice features is the built-in bookcase, and we will be sprucing that up in this process.  Right now I have just stored every book there to get them out of the way….remember this when you see the final reveal!  I am also keeping the beautiful carved wood mama bear and cubs- it is actually designed to be a hall tree ( it even has an umbrella stand built in!) and I think I love it more than my boys do.  Sometimes when you buy a piece that you think is going to be a memory piece, it doesn’t work out as expected-but I love this threesome of bears! Stay tuned and see if they make it into the final reveal!

I have worked out the basics of the room layout and narrowed down the fabric finalists and I think that this room is going to be the place where many of my favorite patterns and colors will live.  I have decided to focus on a very simple color palette of natural tones, black and ivory, with natural materials like rattan and wood with lots of texture.  I also want a certain level of elegance and romance…. think “Out of Africa”, summer porches and relaxed linen.  I probably won’t resist some stronger colors somewhere!

Here is the floor plan sketch:

 

And here are the finalists for the main fabric in the new room, along with a photo of some beautiful rattan chairs:

Montecito by Schumacher (Mark Sikes)

 

Chenonceau by Schumacher

 

 

Zanzibar by Schumacher

 

 

Elizabeth by Schumacher ( Alessandra Branca)

 

Mark Sikes

 

So, I am sharing the behind the scenes to let you know that while its a challenge for many reasons to complete a room re-do – I hope it encourages you to persevere, knowing that you are not alone.  And, to also acknowledge that sometimes the emotional part of change and growth can take you by surprise- Next week I hope that I am all caught up and have more progress to show you!

Cheers!