I have two different but similar jobs. As both a blogger and interior designer it is like living in two separate, yet very parallel universes.  One of my very favorite things is when these two worlds combine. ENTER THE FALL 2021 ONE ROOM CHALLENGE! I have one particular client who had the right timing and the right house to make this work.

Initially, we were aiming to do just the dining room, but one thing led to another and then somehow we tagged on a family room and an entryway.  I’m honestly not sure which of the three spaces I’m most excited about.

I’ve been blessed with dream clients who are willing to take a few risks. This particular family was  looking for a sophisticated, soulful, and eclectic mix of color, pattern, and eras.  In these spaces I was given some guiding principles to help shape the vision:

Fall 2021 One Room Challenge Goals

1. Animal Print!

2. Happy, yet sophisticated and complex color

3. Cool tones as a base and warm tones as accents only

4. New floor color

5. Functional furniture

6. As kid friendly as we could source on our timeline, especially in the family room

7. Drama, especially in the dining room

8. No seating under the chandelier in the entryway

8. Hints of beach and California

9. A rad design that “Not everyone gets” and “Doesn’t take itself too seriously”

….See……what did I tell you? Dream clients!

Even though I have worked very hard to line-up almost every single detail in the space already, I am still nervous about the timeline.  It may not come as a shock to you, but pulling off an 8-week, three room makeover, in the middle of a global pandemic comes fraught with danger. Let me tell you some of the specific threats to our timeline.

1. A nearly broken supply chain.  Backordered furniture, accessories, etc. As a back-up, I may end up borrowing temporary substitutes for pieces that don’t arrive in time.

2. Labor.  We have awesome contractors who have agreed to try to fit us in, but they are very busy.

3. The potential to need to quarantine.  We could easily lose 2 days to several weeks due to exposure or infection. I’m trying to work ahead as much as possible.

The good news is that we have already started by redoing the floors and beginning some minor electrical work.  I will show you those updates next week.  For now I want to paint the picture of what we started with.

Here is a pic I snapped the week before the new home-owners recently moved in.  You can see that the dining room is a graciously-sized space with beautiful bay widows and slightly dated built ins.

We plan to have two wide panels of flowing citron drapes adorning these windows.  The fabric has already been picked out, purchased, and delivered to the upholsterer.

Two chandeliers will hang above the table, and we had the required wiring done last week. Once the ceiling gets painted we will be able to install them.

We plan to update and remove some of the moulding on the fireplace, replace the hardware, line the back of the shelves in paper and paint the woodwork a dark color to minimize the attention on the 1990’s cabinetry.

We are layering in a beautiful, yet kid-friendly rug under the very large table.

The most dramatic improvement will be the gorgeous installation of “to die for” wallpaper on the upper half of the walls.  This transformation will surely be incredible.

1.  *Fabric Place Basement Citron Drapes | Ask for Anila for sewing and upholstery needs

2. Kelly Moore Painte- Navy Damask

3. *Restoration Hardware T-brace Rectangular Extension Dining Table

4.  Fine and Dandy Co. Paradis Orchard with Patina Wallcovering

5. *Foley Chair

6. Annie Selke Samson Black Indoor Outdoor Rug

7. *Schumacher Nolita Fabric pillows

8. Sita Marble Bowl

9. *Thrifted- Fingers Crossed

10.* Wallpaper installer: @JV_wallpaper

Continuing into the entryway, you see another graciously sized room with some dated elements.  We plan to replace the chandelier with something fresh, but classic.  Additionally we will remove and patch the scrollwork from the staircase, paint the lower-half of the walls green, and wallpaper the ceiling with more epic wallpaper.

We also plan to add new hardware on the doors, some fun over-scaled beach art, a custom upholstered bench, and a table that I REALLY hope arrives in time.  One thing to note: The homeowner was adamant that we don’t add seating under the big chandelier, and really preferred not to have a round table centered under it either.  We came up with a different floor plan that we will talk about later.

Layering rugs will help protect the new floor finish.  Also, we have sourced some incredible antique and vintage pieces for this space (and the two others), that are really getting me excited.

1. Schumacher Feather Bloom Sisal Wallpaper in Emerald and Ore

2. Minted Waiting on Waves by Jessica Rice

3. Kelly Moore Paint- New Life

4. Corbett Lighting Prosecco

5. Schumacher Atwood Fabric

6. Bellini Glass Vintage Italian Umbrella Stand from Verdigris Vintage-Antique Dealer

7. Loloi Layla Marine Clay Rug

8. Bravura Hardware Knob

9. Loloi Grand Canyon Area Rug Ivory Cowhide

10. Oversized Citron Lamp from Verdigris Vintage- Antique Warehouse

11. Vintage Reproduction Clam Shell from Verdigris Vintage-Antique Warehouse

Since this room was added to our short list later, I need to rely on MLS images.  In some ways this is more helpful anyway.  I feel like this image could be a poster child for “How NOT to floor-plan your TV room”.  You can see that the previous home owner smooshed the sectional into the corner..  Not only is it akwardly the wrong size for the space, it puts you too far from the TV to really be able to enjoy it.

We are going to resolve that issue by floating a new sectional in the center of the room.  I am thrilled because we were able to find a sofa company that customized both size and fabric and should ship here in time for the big reveal!  That is unheard of these days.

We will anchor the space with a large plank style cowhide rug, and add beautiful soft furnishing and another sculptural chandelier.

To ensure instant personality, and to hearken to the homeowner’s childhood, we are installing gorgeous blue horse-themed wallpaper.

See the TV above the fireplace? We are going to use my favorite trick…camouflage! In this scenario we will be using black, honed, travertine.

1. Kelly Moore Midnight Sky

2. Schumacher- Faubourg Blue

3.  Schumacher- Vizier Velvet Tape

4. Schumacher-Chevron Strie Velvet

5. Kuzco Fleur Chandelier- 44in 

6. Ronnie Logan Collections

7. Sculpture Chair

8. Couristan Chalet Plank Cowhide Rug in Ivory

9. Annie Selke Longwool Tibetan Sheepskin Decorative Pillow

10. Annie Selke Pom Pom Throw

11. Lush Linen Ivory Curtain Panel

12. The Tile Shop- Noir Honed Travertine Collection

13. Portrait from Verdigris Vintage-An Antique Warehouse

14. Schaub Estate Dover Cabinet Pull

15. Benchmade Modern OG Couch Potato Sofa with Bumper in Charles Navy