One room Challenge week 2

What a crazy week this has been! Since I decided to join the One room challenge a few days after it had already started, I feel like I’ve been playing catch up.. I will be sharing with you the good, the bad, and the ugly of the decision making process, and progress on my design.

I have the very beginnings of the concept for the space. I finished my idea board and chose the color palette you see below

I chose neutral furniture because I know I’ll want to switch out pillows and rugs often. The accent colors I am using will be jewel tones, Emerald, Peacock, and Steel blue. Due to the fact that my furnishings will be so light, I opted to add more color with the rug to ground the space. The thought of a completely dark rug scares me, my first instinct is always to stick with neutrals. I searched for a rug that had a mixture of both dark and light colors. I love the look of vintage rugs, I came across this Rug , it was exactly what I had in mind.

I read the reviews and several of them included photos, many said the rug is more vibrant than pictured which will work well with the hues I’ve chosen. When I saw the low price of the rug I became wary, I know it’s not a high end rug but people seemed satisfied with it so I ordered it. It’s already shipped so I’ll know by next week if I will need to go to plan B!

The pillows I will be ordering in the next day or so can be found below.

Before I explain my first challenge, I should back up and explain why I am making some of the changes I’m making to the space. We currently have a sectional, tufted ottoman, and two chairs.

The set up is actually great for our family. We have plenty of seating and my kids love to hang out in this space. However, that’s the problem, I am tired of my kids destroying this room. It’s rarely clean, the pillows are on the floor more than they are on the couch. There are always dirty socks, blankets, and fruit snack wrappers everywhere and the playstation is left out all of the time. We have a perfect spot in the basement for the kids to hang out but instead they destroy this room. I’ve decided it’s time to make a change! I am planning on reusing everything you see above down in our basement. The answer to getting them to hang out down there isn’t just to move the furniture, they would do the same thing to my new furniture..

It’s time for drastic measures. The TV has to go. One thing that I know, that is the cause of some debate is having a TV over the fireplace. I’ve had several people comment on social media about the “fact” that a TV should never be placed above a fireplace, that it is a space that is always reserved for art. Let me just state that I completely disagree with that. The average family doesn’t necessarily care about art, they just want a room that functions well, and where they can enjoy some family time. The space above the fireplace may be the only realistic spot for the television. I say do whatever works for your family, I’d rather see the TV above the fireplace where you can enjoy both, rather than to put the TV somewhere where you might have to face away from the fireplace. The only reason I’m moving mine at all is to try to utilize our basement and have a little sanity by moving the messes downstairs.

The talented Christie Adelle is working on some art, designed for my newly freed space above my mantle and I can’t tell you how excited I am about it!

Now, on to my first dilemma. I have chosen not to go with another sectional in this room. I like sectionals, but you don’t as much (if any) freedom to rearrange furniture.  I have struggled every yr with where to put my christmas tree, and I’d like to open up my options. Which is where my dilemma came in. I was hoping that I would be able to head to one of our local furniture stores and purchase a neutral sofa. I visited several in the Salt Lake area and wasn’t able to find the right fit. I headed home a little discouraged and decided to make a stop at one more store. I hadn’t been in there in a few yrs and quickly found a few possibilities. Upon closer inspection, I found several things I didn’t like about all of them. I was tempted to purchase one anyway and settle for something that might work. After stewing over it for a few days, I decided I can’t settle for a product I don’t love. Therein lies the real challenge. Do you wonder what the real “challenge” is in the one room challenge? It’s simple, any made to order Upholstered goods take much longer than six weeks. So there you have it. My reveal will be missing the very item that will be taking center stage! In the end, I am not willing to sacrifice quality, so I will wait. I chose the Bernhardt Clinton sofa, I am ordering it through Thomasville of Utah along with the Bernhardt Marquesa table. It’s a huge relief to have that decision made!

Now on to the next items on my list, I need to decide whether the custom drapes I currently have will work. If not they will be finding a new home in our home office, they’re a perfect fit for that space. Next I need to decide if I’ll be changing my light fixture, I love the one I have, but I was hoping to change it out for a chrome fixture.

I have some small changes that need to be made to my built-ins, but my Electrician/carpenter who also happens to be my little brother, is currently out of the country and won’t be available until just before the deadline.

Sounds like it should smooth sailing from here on out (insert sarcasm). I think this next few weeks will be full of challenges, but I can’t wait for the outcome! Check back every week for updates!

XO

Jen