The Final Touches to the One Room Challenge !!
As we approach the final week of this challenge, let’s review our mood board. It’s important to check this to ensure we are on track with our overall concept.
The key to having a cohesive room is to EDIT OUT anything that does not fit with the mood board. This may not be easy when working with a minimal budget, but it is vital to achieving a cohesive theme.
If we include items with a style that opposes our mood board, we lose cohesiveness. To demonstrate this, let’s look at the two chair options we discussed last week.
Last week I asked what chair you guys preferred, and the overwhelming response was for the chair on the left. I also like the chair on the left when choosing “a chair.” However, when I compare the two to the mood board, I must select the chair on the right. It coordinates with the mood board much better style-wise. It is softer, with rounded edges and overall, looks more casual.
The chair on the left has a distinctive mid-century modern style. It has sharp angles, feels very squared off, and is stiff. Although the color shade of this chair is more in line with what I was looking for, the tone reads too “grey” for the overall color palette.
The chair on the right is much darker than I wanted, but it is dark enough to coordinate with the black elements in the color palette and room.
To further tie this chair back into the color palette and make it appear lighter, I made a small accent pillow from the leftover fabric I used for the bedding. I also frayed the pillow edges to soften and make it more casual.
The tone of the pillow also coordinates nicely with the small rug I was able to find. I don’t have the budget for the size rug that should be in this design (10′ x 12), so I’m torn about using small rugs. I might keep this one as it’s nice to have a bedside, and it also is excellent in front of the chair – not perfect, but maybe, we will see.
Tying up Loose Ends and Editing
Now is the time to start editing or correcting items that aren’t working. THE most critical task in any interior design project is EDITING. Should I say that again? EDIT your space; take out what doesn’t work. I can’t count the times I’ve heard, “I know this doesn’t work, but I like it,” when people show me their rooms, or the WORST ever, “where can THIS go?” …. I don’t know, how about the garbage? If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. Move it to a room where it does work.
I'm not happy with these Pendants
Every time I come to work on the room, I feel uneasy about these pendants. Maybe it’s because they aren’t exactly what I wanted, but what I could afford. They look so golden when the light is on, and when it’s off, the bamboo looks cheap. It has no aging or character. You can see them on the right.
I decided to whitewash it. I used the wall paint diluted with a bit of water.
I painted the white on, making sure to get into the corners. I let it dry slightly and then wiped it off, hoping it would have a translucent effect.
It came out looking better but too solid in color. I wanted more variation so it would look aged. I sanded some of the white off to age it.
I was happy with the result when the light was off.
To reduce the amber glow when the light was on, I replaced the Edison LED bulbs with Daylight LED bulbs. This gave a much cleaner light which I’m thrilled with.
This small change made a significant impact on the overall room. The previous amber light tones were very incongruent with the space.
If something doesn’t work in your room, explore your options to correct it.
My Edits and final selections
I’ve completed all my shopping, yard sales, consignment shops, and even a couple of donations from my storage units. Check them out with the price I got them for. Compare them to the mood board. Do you think they fit into the overall theme? ….Don’t hold back; let me know your thoughts!
AND FINALLY, WHAT I PROMISED LAST WEEK
I was very excited to find this lower bowl planter. The color is the perfect terra cotta accent color, and it’s unique and works with my mood board.
I want to do something cool with it because the owner loves plants, and this room gets filtered afternoon light and is perfect for plants.
I would love to do succulents, but I would need 12 to 15 of them, and at $4.68 each, $70.00 is not in my budget.
So I hacked
I hope you love this as much as I do! I think it’s unexpected, and the simplicity makes a more significant statement than the succulents ever could have. I need to fill in a couple of spots and make slope adjustments. While I LOVE the moss being level with the rim, it is not practical.
When I tried to water it, the water skimmed right off the top of the moss, across the rim, and onto the floor. (Seriously, like it was Scotch Guarded) This won’t work, so I’ll take about an inch of soil out. Whenever you’re creating something new, experiment with it to make sure it’s functional…..that’s design. If you build it and walk away, you’ll create a problem for yourself down the road….and the outcome will irritate you when you’re not willing to correct it.
Next Weeks the FINALE!
To see rooms from other participants, click here:
www.oneroomchallenge.com/orc-blog
I’m so looking forward to next week!💞