It’s One Room Challenge Time Again!
Alternate Title: Am I Nuts?
The One Room Challenge is back! Twice a year, I transform a space in my home in the name of community and accountability and progress. Or at least that’s how it sounds in my head when I start. In actuality, I upend a space in my home (plus whatever space inevitably becomes a staging area), and turn my life on its head while I work too hard by myself on a creative project that would either need more arms, more time, or more money to be even remotely reasonable. Then, with the space still unfinished, I burn out. And then it sits for a while until I work up the energy to pick up the pieces. Sounds great, right? With my yard project this Spring, in addition to taking on a bit too much for one season, the world became too much and it didn’t quite feel right to be powering through for pretty reveals. I waffled a LOT with this Fall ORC and if/how I would participate. In the end, it was the Week 1 post of fellow ORCer Felicia at Hello Home Girl that helped me come to my senses, be honest with myself, and pick the perfect project for this challenge.
The internet loves a big reveal. But what if I told you that you can have the big reveal moment without the construction mess and stress?! That’s what I’m planning for my Fall ORC. A low-stress, high-impact transformation of my daughter’s room. This transformation is the opposite of my usual challenges - it’s not about how much work I can squeeze into 7 weeks. It’s a challenge to get creative without burning out. How far can I take this room without taking on major construction tasks? How different can the space look without even changing the paint? I hope you’ll enjoy following along as I make changes to art, bedding, curtains, furniture, and more to transform the remnants of a space cats nursery into the perfect room for my budding junior naturalist.
This space, and my daughter, about 6 years ago
Here’s what I’m working with. My daughter’s room has remained largely unchanged since she was born. With the exception of converting this crib into a toddler bed, she’s enjoyed the space for 6 years. To be honest, she still likes her room. She’s not complaining that it’s too babyish for her. Even so, she’s getting older and her interests are developing more and more. I want to give her a space that suits her and allows her to cultivate those interests. I want her to have room to grow and room to grow up.
As always, I’ll be sharing my process and my budget along the way. On the schedule is a crash course in pattern mixing, what I look for in art and how I find it, and how to cultivate mood using soft furnishings. I have a few splurges planned, so I’ll be sharing some budget options for those splurgey moments. I hope this inspires you to make some little changes in your own home, and see that those big reveal moments don’t have to come at the expense of your flow in whatever phase of life you’re in.
Speaking of life’s phases, all of my best intentions for Week 1 were upended by said life flow, so I’m jumping in for Week 2! We can only do what we can do, and for someone who has a habit of doing too much at times, letting this one go without self-judgement and looking forward is the first step in my low-stress, high impact goal.
In approaching the One Room Challenge this way, I’ll be giving myself the time and capacity to keep exploring other creative ventures. I’ve just come off an incredible creative experience that has left me buzzing with possibility. I’m so excited to take on a room transformation that supports where I am right now - on the precipice of new creative territory. Making progress and making changes CAN be done without taking over every aspect of life, and that’s my challenge to myself this time. A healthier approach to the ORC for a more fulfilled and creative me.
So what’s on the docket for this room transformation?
Saying goodbye to these!
Curtains & Hardware - I’m taking down the current gray black-out curtains and double rod (for which I never actually added a second sheer layer) and replacing with new blackout curtains with a pattern. I’ll be installing new French return curtain rods (also known as blackout curtain rods) which will help keep light from seeping in at the edges of the curtains.
Bed and Bedding - I’ve sourced a vintage bed for my growing girl (you won’t believe this score!) and will be embracing the bedding as an opportunity for pattern mixing and playing with scale. I will be splurging on some small biz bedding for this space, though I will also be sourcing budget bedding for backups. While my decluttering has led me to reduce how many linens I keep and store, I do keep more backups for my kids than I do for myself. My kids don’t need backups often, but somehow in those rare instances we seem to need ALL of our backups all at the same time.
Art - It wouldn’t be a Glad Suite project without a deep dive into art! My former self enjoyed finding art for the space cats nursery iteration of this room. Now that I’ve spent a few years honing in on art that I love, I’m having too much fun discovering art in nature themes to suit the scientific and aesthetic and spiritual aspects of nature that so captivate my daughter. I will be sourcing art in various forms and media, and will be making an art piece of my own for the space! This art piece is something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, and am excited to take the leap in her room with the courage I’ve mustered from my creative retreat.
Furniture and Layout - This one is going to be a bit tough for me, as I think I’m on the verge of too much furniture for the space. I’m going to have a long think about what the room really needs for what we’ll be asking this space to do. Now that a big bed is in the picture, I’ll need to consider how best to lay out the furniture that stays. I lean a lot on drawings for this exercise and will probably draw up a few options and see what works best in plan first.
Keep The Paint - Her room is a nice, soothing green and has been this color for about 13 years! That sounds super shocking to me, but we still love it and it’s in good enough shape to keep. It’ll be a lovely backdrop for all the nature inspired elements going in.
Be sure to check out all the other amazing transformations going on over at www.oneroomchallenge.com/orc-blog There are so many different room types being tackled in so many different styles, which means there really is something for everyone. My absolute favorite thing about the One Room Challenge is the supportive community, and I always find new accounts to be inspired by and follow.
It’s time to get started! I’ll be here on the blog each week with an update, and I’ll be on Instagram throughout the weeks sharing progress, behind the scenes looks, and stairwell check-ins with me and my annoying cat.
Are you participating in the ORC this round? I’d love to hear about your spaces in the comments!
Check out The Glad Suite on Instagram
Glad Rag Dolls having a mermaid party in the room
