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House & Bounty

The Laundry Room Reveal – Week 8

November 18, 2021

I took the last couple of weeks off from posting because I didn’t have much to say or show. But (whoop whoop!) today I can show everyone the finished room.

Of course, we need to start by looking at where we began 8 weeks ago.

Small Laundry Room Make Over
Laundry Room Pass Through To Garage

And now it looks like this:

Overall, I am really happy with the design. My only disappointment is the beadboard does not have a lot of depth. If you look close enough in some of the pictures, you’ll get a faint view of the texture. However, it’s not that evident in most of the pictures. In-person, it looks nice. If I were to do any type of beadboard again, I would definitely use a different product.

Darla is very happy with it and that is what matters most to me! Another project completed and I still need to work on my photography skills. 🙂 I’m sure I’ll eventually get there.

As always, check out the featured designers and the guest participants.

Filed in: Interior Design, ORC • by Jenny • 1 Comment

Week 6: It’s a Secret. Can You Keep It?

November 4, 2021

We’re at the point where I can’t really show the laundry room anymore or else the reveal will feel like wah-wah-waaaahhh (interpretation: disappointing because you’ve seen everything!). The good news is that we are SO close to being done. I was hoping to finish it last weekend but I need one more day of painting.

Today I want to talk about balance. This is my second ORC and it’s always fun and motivating. However, right around week 6, I start feeling tired. Mostly because I haven’t had much time to rest in the last 6 weeks. It’s funny because I enjoy doing all the DIY work but when you have a full-time job and then spend most weekends working, you still have all the laundry and typical chores of running a household. Those things get pushed to your one “off day” and while you are not working, you are still working…You know what I mean?

I’m curious to hear if others have found a nice balance for tackling DIYs (especially the ORC) and balancing everyday life. If so, I would love to hear your secrets!

As always, you can check out the designers and guest posts at the ORC’s website.

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8

Filed in: Interior Design, ORC • by Jenny • Leave a Comment

ORC Week 5: The Home Stretch

October 28, 2021

This week was a very productive one! We finished installing the beadboard, chair rail, and new cabinet handles. Surprisingly, we had very few setbacks, which is exactly what we needed. We even spent a whole weekend day relaxing (not one bit of work was done!). All that remains for this project is attaching the baseboards and the finishing process (the filling, caulking, sanding, and painting!). I plan on wrapping all that up this weekend!

Here is a crappy picture I took the night we finished. It’s dark, unedited, and taken in haste (I was tired!). It feels great to be ahead of schedule. That doesn’t usually happen!

I’m sure I could have written a longer post about how to attach the cabinet handles using this handy jig or how to install teeny tiny pieces of chair railing in those pesky corners where doors are usually located, but I am not going to do that. Instead, I’m going to spend the time I’m usually writing the blog post to catch up with the other ORC designers and guest participants.

As always, you can check out the designers and guest posts at the ORC’s website.

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8

Filed in: ORC • by Jenny • Leave a Comment

Installing Beadboard When Floors Are Sloped

October 23, 2021

Well, week 4 was interesting. I wrongly assumed that it would be a pretty easy week attaching beadboard to the laundry room walls. However, as we fit the first piece, we noticed that the beadboard was uneven when resting on the baseboard. After examining the floor, we realized that it had a significant slope (~ 1/2 inch over the width of the room) and the baseboard followed that slope, making it unlevel. After some back and forth between Jeremy and me, we stopped working for the day without attaching a single board. We went home that night and did some research, and surprisingly there wasn’t a consensus on how to handle this situation. Based on what we read, we came up with three potential solutions:

  1. Remove the baseboards and re-attach them so they are level. This would create a gap in the far right corner, but (hopefully) that could be hidden when attaching the shoe molding. The problem with this option was that the baseboards will appear to be different sizes at the opposite ends of the room. This would be pretty noticeable.
  2. Remove the baseboards and scribe them to match the slope of the room. The problem with this solution would be similar to the first option. The baseboard sizes will appear different at different points of the room.Yikes.
  3. Remove the baseboards, attach the beadboard and then install baseboards on top of it. This way we could ensure the beadboard is level. The baseboards will follow the slope of the floor (like how it is now). We hope that it won’t be very noticeable and therefore a good option.

We returned on Sunday and spent half the day working and installing the beadboard. We decided that option #3 was the best possible solution. We finished ~half the room and will return this weekend to finish it up. Overall, the plan seems to be working. The beadboard is level and looks really nice. However, like most house projects, this change in plans led to scope creep since we are now installing new baseboards and shoe molding (which also means more filling, caulking, sanding, and painting!). But we think it’ll be worth it and produce an overall better quality product for Darla in the end.

Another thing that slowed us down was cutting out the spaces for the outlets and laundry hookups. This is not particularly difficult, just time-consuming. You also have to be mindful of the different sides of the beadboard that you are working with. The left and right sides are different. This allows the boards to be installed side by side and creates a cohesive look. We also needed to cut every board down to the proper size, usually just height but occasionally width. It’s essential to keep all of these things straight so you cut the holes in the appropriate location.

We decided to install the beadboard using a pneumatic nail gun instead of glue/adhesive. The beadboard we purchased is not solid wood, so the nail does create a small amount of damage that can’t necessarily be fixed with wood filler. I’m hoping with caulk and paint the nail holes will be unnoticeable. Fingers crossed!

All of these changes (and delays!) push our schedule back a little, but we are confident we’ll complete everything by the end of the ORC. The new, updated schedule looks like this:

Week 5: Finish Installing Beadboard, Attach Door Handles, Install Baseboards and Chair Rails

Week 6:Finish Filling/Caulking/Sanding and Painting

Week 7: Style & Take Pictures

Week 8: Reveal/Completion

The room is at the point where you can start seeing it all come together. That brings a lot of excitement and energy – just the extra push we need to keep going.

As always, please check out the featured designers and guest participants on the ORC’s website.

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8

Filed in: Interior Design, ORC • by Jenny • Leave a Comment

Wallpapering The Laundry Room – ORC Week 3

October 14, 2021

The laundry room is starting to come together! For week 3, Jeremy and I installed wallpaper on the upper 1/4 of the walls. You can read how we demoed and prepped the walls for wallpaper here.

The paper is a nonwoven, paste-the-wall type, so we used the same method of installation as the wallpaper in my office. The good news is this time we did not run out of paper! Woohoo! I was nervous about it, but we ended up with just a couple of extra sheets. The right amount to keep just in case anything happens to the wallpaper.

Jeremy and I are getting more proficient at installing it and finished the room in 5 hours, granted this is also a much smaller room than last time. None the less it’s progress! I am working on a big old post with all my wallpaper tips. I am hoping it will be out next week.

Installing wallpaper in the laundry room felt like a little bit of a risk. An employee at a big box hardware store told Darla, my sweet MIL whose laundry room we are doing, she shouldn’t install wallpaper because the heat or moisture from the washer/dryer could cause it to peel or separate from the wall.

However, everything I read suggested that it would be fine. I’ll keep everyone posted on how it’s holding up, but so far, I’m feeling pretty positive about it! Darla has already done several loads of laundry, and the wallpaper still looks perfect.

The wallpaper is a trellis pattern made up of green dots. There is variation in the color of the bubbles, which adds dimension to the print. The pictures sometimes look black, but in person it’s green.

The picture above looks the most green. This room is hard to capture since there is no natural light. The white balance is not perfect but you get the idea! Don’t mind the Swiffer. We were putting the room back together when I snapped that pic.

The wallpaper brightened up the room and feels pretty summery. Our mid-western winters sometimes just drag on and on. I’m hoping this wallpaper will bring a little sunshine and happiness when it feels like spring will never come.

We plan on installing most of the beadboard next week. The Laundry Room has a lot of things to cut around for a small space (light switches, electrical outlets, exhaust duct for dryer). It’s our first time installing any type of paneling. Yay to learning something new.

A Laundry Cartoon

The last time I wallpapered, I made a little cartoon about wallpapering corners. I thought I would keep the tradition, so please enjoy this other cartoon.


As always, please check out the featured designers and guest participants on the ORC’s website.

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8

Filed in: DIY Projects, ORC • by Jenny • 2 Comments

The Laundry Room Design Plan

October 8, 2021

It’s week 2 of the ORC and I am so excited to share the laundry room design plan with you. A quick recap if you are new here: The ORC is a biannual event that celebrates and encourages bloggers, DIYS, designers, and influencers to complete a room over eight weeks. Last spring, I renovated our office and this time around, I’ll be designing my mother-in-law’s (Darla) laundry room. Last week, I talked about the process I used to design the room with Darla. This week I’ll show you what we are actually doing.

The Concept Boards

Small Laundry Room Mood Board

As I mentioned last week, I started by creating three concept boards for Darla’s laundry room, each with a different feel and collection of elements. The first concept board is feminine and traditional. It has lots of warm tones and emphasized floral prints.

The second concept board is textural and natural. It focuses on casual living with a strong inspiration from the outdoors (gardening and animals). It has a vinyl grass-cloth wallpaper which would be subtle but elegant.

The last concept board was fresh and modern. It focused on geometric patterns and light colors. The furnishing/accessories are streamlined, but it feels playful with a capiz light and gemstone hardware.

Darla quickly decided that she liked board number 3 best. She specifically wanted the geometric wallpaper (more modern), nickel hardware (to match the rest of the house), and the light/bright interior. She prefers green to blue and likes natural woven materials, like wicker.

Armed with that knowledge and after a few more meetings to pick each element, we created a design board with the final selections.

Laundry Room Design Board – Final

Wallpaper | Beadoard | Light | Trim | Flooring (already installed) | Rug | Cabinet Handles | Baskets with lids

Ta-da! Here she is! I know the design board feels a little underwhelming since none of the styling accessories are included. But this is the foundational layer of the room and I think it’s charming. I’ll go through the plan for all the elements so you can understand how they will be used.

We plan on installing beadboard at ~3/4 wall height with a thick decorative chair rail on top. I originally wanted to use a chair rail with a braided pattern (like the one above), but I’m not convinced. I am worried that it’ll feel a little out of place with the more modern aesthetic of the room (although good contrast never hurt anyone!) So we’ll see where we end up. The green geometric trellis wallpaper will be installed on the upper 1/4 of the walls. All the millwork will be painted a bright white, the same color as Darla’s current baseboards/moldings.

We’ll switch out her builder-grade boob light for this sophisticated semi-flush mount one. This light is very affordable but feels really nice. The bottom diffuser is glass and the extra decorative arms connecting the drum to the base create a nice moment. Darla has 9 foot high ceilings, so having a little space between the ceiling and the light is doable.

Her cabinets will get a couple of minor updates, too. First, we’ll install gorgeous handles on all the doors. Seriously, these thick nickel handles are heavy-duty and feel very nice in your hand. They are a little expensive ($12/pull) but worth the splurge. In addition, we’ll place large wicker baskets with lids on top of the cabinets to create extra storage and make that additional space feel intentional. The baskets are the one thing we did not order ahead of time. I was hoping to find some options locally. Darla and I plan on going on a bit of a shopping trip to (fingers crossed) find the perfect ones. However, the color tone of the wicker in the design board is ideal. It corresponds well to the floor and brings warmth since the room is on the cooler side with white paint and green patterned wallpaper.

The last element of the room is an indoor/outdoor green braided rug. The rug is durable enough to be used on a patio and should be easy to clean with a pressure washer. Remember, Darla’s laundry room is also her main entrance from the garage, so this rug will see a lot of action throughout the years. I particularly love that it has white, beige, and green fibers in the weave. We ended up ordering the larger size (2′ x 4′), so it would cover most of the floor.

I mocked up the room with the final elements, so Darla could visualize it. I ended up creating two versions, one with the wallpaper Darla picked (on the left) and one with a maze-like wallpaper (right). Darla really liked the maze wallpaper and wavered for a minute on how she wanted to move forward. In the end, she ordered both wallpapers, but the maze wallpaper will be installed in her dining room.

Laundry Room – Week 1 Progress

Our main goal for week 1 was to demo and prep the room for the wallpaper and beadboard. The first task at hand was removing the chair rail. We slid a small pry bar under the rail and gently pulled it away from the wall. Within a minute or two, the chair rail was down.

The trickier part of the demo was removing the peel and stick tiles Darla installed. As I mentioned last week, some were falling off the wall. That gave me a false sense of confidence. I thought, oh, I’ll just pull those babies right off. No harm to the wall. Easy Peasy.

Well, I was wrong in a big way! Some of the tiles, like the ones that kept falling off, were a piece of cake. But most of the other ones were, well, more difficult. We ended up using the mini pry bars on many of them to separate them from the wall and gently pull them off. About 50% of the tiles came off in pieces and around 75% damaged the drywall, usually just bubbling or pulling up the paper layer of the drywall.

Small Laundry Room Make Over
Laundry Room Before
Laundry Room After Demo

The demoed room definitely did not look like much progress. With all the drywall damage, it was pretty ugly! We debated fixing the drywall but decided that it would ultimately be covered by beadboard and it didn’t make much sense. However, we offered to fix it in the future if Darla ever wanted to take down the beadboard.

The last task was to prep the walls for the wallpaper. Based on everything I read, I did not think we needed to prime the walls (the wallpaper directions never mentioned any type of primer). However, since this wallpaper is in the laundry room and it’s not my house, I decided that we’d prime the walls. Better safe than sorry!

We ended up using the Zinsser Shieldz Universal Wallpaper primer. We used a standard roller and nylon brush to apply it. The paint definitely felt sticky and had a slight odor (nothing too noxious). It only took ~30 minutes to complete the whole room.


Next week we’ll talk about wallpaper installation. And if you remember my wallpaper debacle from last spring, you may be wondering, did I order enough wallpaper? Will I ever learn from my mistakes? Come back next Thursday to find out!

Don’t forget to check out the other ORC designers and participants.

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8

Filed in: Interior Design, ORC • by Jenny • 2 Comments

Designing a Small Laundry Room

September 30, 2021

We’re back again. This time we’re renovating and designing a small laundry room!

It’s that time of year, another One-Room Challenge (aka ORC). The ORC is a biannual event that encourages bloggers/designers/Instagrammers to transform a space in a relatively short time frame (the current ORC is eight weeks long). For the spring ORC, we gutted and revamped our home office (you can see the result here).

This time, we’re doing something a little different. We’re renovating a space outside of our house and working with a “client.” Okay, that person is just my mother-in-law, Darla. Designing a room for (and really with) another person was a learning experience. It helped to refine my process! Darla was very easy to work with and made me feel comfortable during the process when I felt kind of silly, like when I requested “design meetings” and asked her tons of questions about her preferences. If you’re interested in hearing about this experience, let me know, and I’ll write a blog post about it.

The Laundry Room – Before Pictures & Background

Enough of the back story; let’s get to the fun design part. We are renovating my MIL’s laundry room. Darla lives in a new house that she and her late husband built a few years ago. They downsized from their large two-story family home to a modest-sized ranch when they became empty-nesters.

The house style is transitional. It has some traditional colonial elements with modern touches and an open floor plan. The house’s interior is neutral and bright.

The laundry room is a “pass-through.” The garage entrance is on one side of the room and a door to the main foyer of the house is on the other side. It’s a small room (approximately 6′ x 6′) with tall ceilings (9 feet high). There is laminate wood flooring throughout the house and it’s one of the best I’ve ever seen! The wood color is on the light side with a warm tone. The laminate is textured, so it has great dimension.

Darla wanted to jazz up the laundry room and applied peel and stick tiles to the wall about a year ago. However, no matter how she applied them, a couple kept falling off the wall. Finally, after getting frustrated with continuously re-attaching the tiles, she asked if we could install beadboard. That’s when I offered to design the room. Darla, being gracious and generous, agreed.

Over the last year or so, I’ve been refining and optimizing my design process. I’ve only used it for my projects, so this was an excellent opportunity to try it out with a “client.” I’ll take you through the different steps and how we designed the laundry room.

Step 1: Consider the Function

When designing a room, I always start with the function and ask myself the following questions:

  • Who lives here?
  • What activities happen in this room?
  • What type of things need to be stored here?
  • Are there any problems?
  • What is working well in the room?

When going through these questions for Darla’s project, I made note of relevant information:

  • Darla lives alone but has a dog and a cat. Both animals are older and less active, but prone to accidents at times. They have limited access to the laundry room as most times the door is closed.
  • The main purpose of the room is laundry but it also serves as a thoroughfare from the garage to the rest of the house.
  • This room stores laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, and overflow blankets. *Plenty of cabinet space.
  • Darla is very organized and has routines for her household chores. Because of that, there really are no problems to solve here.
  • The room is functioning great. No major changes to the lay out are needed. Her appliances are new and function great.

After reviewing the function, I listed the things I needed to keep in mind (based on the notes above) when designing the room:

  • All elements need to be durable and wipeable.
  • The wallpaper must hold up in warm temperatures and changing humidity.
  • Organizational systems are not needed since things are running fine.
  • The focus of the project is decorative.

Step 2: Outlining the Scope Of The Project

After determining the function and key takeaways from step 1, I started nailing down the full scope of the project. This included determining what stays in the room, what needs to be purchased, what labor is required, and the expected time frame.

I started Darla’s outline by listing the things that were staying:

  • Wall Cabinets (white, great shape, brand new)
  • Flooring (warm wood tone)
  • Appliances (top load washing machine and dryer)
  • Door hardware
  • Baseboards & shoe molding

During this process, I also made a mental note of some things I knew about Darla which would impact the project. For example, Darla really likes cohesiveness. This means she’ll want to keep the trim, doors, and finishes consistent throughout the house (which she confirmed during our design meetings).

Darla is also pretty minimal with wall decor and doesn’t want to damage wallpaper by hanging pictures or accessories. The styling will therefore be minimal and non-invasive.

Based on this information, I made a list of the final elements that need to be purchased for the room:

  • Beadboard
  • Chair rail trim
  • Wallpaper
  • Cabinet Pulls
  • Baskets
  • Rug

I then listed the labor required to complete the project and I estimated the order of events. Since Jeremy and I are doing all the work, things are more flexible. However, if you are hiring contractors to do all or part of the work, this may be more strict.

  • Demo: Remove wall tiles and current chair rail (Week 1)
  • Prepping: Paint walls with wallpaper primer (Week 1)
  • Wallpaper Installation: Use wallpaper kit (Week 2)
  • Millwork: Install beadboard & chair rail trim (Week 3)
  • Painting: Caulking, filling, sanding and painting (Darla has paint) (Week 4)
  • Electrical: Install light fixture (Week 5)
  • Finishing: Install cabinet pulls and accessories (rug/baskets) (Week 5)

As you can see, I’m estimating about five weeks of work. The one-room challenge is for eight weeks. I purposely wanted a project this fall that was easier and less time-consuming since it’s such a busy time of year for our family. I outlined some of this in my tips and tricks post that I wrote earlier this year.

Step 3: Create Three Concept Boards

After I had a general idea of what to include in the project, I created three concept boards. Each board had a different feeling and overall direction. I use a specific formula when putting together the concept boards. First, I always have seven pictures. By limiting the number of photos, it forces me to be picky about what images are included. This helps to define the direction of the plan.

Of the seven, two are “lifestyle” pictures. This is a pretty broad term, but the lifestyle images help to bring attention to something the person likes or values. The visual aesthetic of it matters, too – it should go along with the theme of the concept board.

It’s also essential to have at least one or two “detail” shots to highlight some of the key finishes or features that define that concept board. For example, the concept board below highlights brass accents and a capiz light.

When creating the concept boards, I don’t focus on the exact room. The images are taken from a wide variety of sources and room types. That’s why you see a sofa in the laundry room board above. I don’t plan on using a sofa or throw pillows in the laundry room. Still, the general finishes communicate the types of things that would go into the final design (i.e., floral patterns, traditional elements). The primary considerations are the overall feeling and the concept (which considers style, colors, finishes, etc.).

Step 4: Review Concept Boards & Create Your Final Board

After I had three concept boards, Darla and I met to review each option. I emphasized that she would never hurt my feelings and encouraged her to share her honest opinions. We started by looking at each of the boards and I asked Darla which one was her favorite. She liked concept #3 the best.

From there, I asked several questions:

  • Is there anything you don’t like?
  • What do you like about this?
  • What type of finishes do you like?
  • What type of textures do you like?
  • Is there anything you would change?
  • Should we mix and match any components from the other concept boards?

At that point, I felt pretty confident about what Darla wanted and liked. I recorded her answers and went to work sourcing the objects.

Step 5: Sourcing Options, Create Floor Plan and Elevations

With Darla’s feedback and the scope project details in hand, I began sourcing materials. For each item, I gathered at least 3-5 options, sometimes more. I approached this by collecting all the options I liked and that fit within the parameters of Darla’s preferences. From there, I whittled down the choices to a more reasonable number.

For example, I found over 15 wallpaper options (I actually rounded them up here!). However, that would be too overwhelming, so I narrowed it down to 6 and ordered samples.

After I had options for each category, I made the floor plan and created some basic elevations. There was very little space planning for this room since the layout was already in place (and there weren’t many other options!). In other rooms, like living rooms or bedrooms, space planning is more critical and more time-consuming. So, plan accordingly!

Step 6: Present Options & Finalize Choices

Darla and I met again at this point to review her options and to finalize her choices. Darla is very decisive and quickly identified what she liked in each category (light fixture, rug, wallpaper). We spent the most time talking about the wallpaper samples. If you’ve ever gotten samples, you know that the swatch may not show the most critical parts of the pattern. We also looked at each wallpaper option online to get a better feel of the scale and see the entire pattern. Our meeting was pretty short (maybe 20 minutes).

At this time, I also showed Darla a couple of elevations. I made these to visualize the wallpaper (and make sure I actually liked them before showing them to her). Darla found this helpful. (Spoiler: She liked another one of the wallpapers so much we’re installing it in her dining room later this year).

Step 7: Create Final Design Board & Detailed Budget

Creating the final design board was easy. I just pulled together all of Darla’s choices and updated the elevation to reflect the final design. These were put into a PDF document so we could quickly refer to it if needed.

At this time, I created a detailed budget for the project. I put together a spreadsheet that had the price, source, quantity, and a link to the item online. Then, I totaled the cost and sent that to Darla in an email.

Step 8: Final Approval & Ordering Materials

Darla and I met one last time. We reviewed her design choices once again and I made sure she was still happy with her decisions (she was). We also reviewed the budget, line by line. On that day, we ordered everything. Luckily, all the materials were received before the ORC started, so there should be no delays in our schedule this time!


Whew! All of those words and I haven’t shown the final design! Don’t worry – next week, I’ll review all of Darla’s choices and show the official plan for the room. I’ll also show you some progress that we’ve already made.

Don’t forget to check out the featured designers and guest participants on the ORC’s website.


Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8

Filed in: Interior Design, ORC • by Jenny • 4 Comments

Tips & Tricks for Making the Most of the One Room Challenge

July 8, 2021

This was my first One Room Challenge (ORC), and it was a great learning experience. Just having a deadline and an expectation to post once a week gave me the structure I really needed. I’ve already started thinking about what room to tackle for the Fall ORC (I’m leaning towards the master bedroom). But, importantly, I’ve also been reflecting on how I can make the ORC a better experience and apply some of the things I learned from this challenge.

The Original Plan – What Worked & What Didn’t

As a casual observer of the ORC, I didn’t really appreciate the nuisances of participating. I went into this challenge with a pretty simple plan – complete a beautiful room by the deadline. I did not think about social media, engagement, or connecting with my fellow DIYers/designers. The plan I put together was solid, and I achieved my original goal. However, I quickly learned that my plan was missing some vital parts. I’m definitely going to discuss those things a little later. For now, let’s talk about what I did this time around.

Order Large Pieces 3 Months Before Deadline

I knew the timeline would be tight since most home-related suppliers were estimating 10+ weeks for delivery. I ordered all the large or essential items in April. Overall, this worked pretty well. The slight delay in the cabinets created a marathon at the end, and the chair not arriving was a bummer but not a deal-breaker.

Next time around, I would like to have all the items on-site before the ORC even begins. The next ORC is in October, so I am guessing I should order items by August 1st.

Dedicate One Weekend Day Per Week

Jeremy and I have full-time jobs. We also have a son and want to see family and friends, so we decided we could dedicate one weekend day and a weeknight per week to the project. That means the scope of whatever project we picked needed it fit within that schedule. This didn’t include photographing or writing up the post (I usually do that early in the morning before everyone wakes up). For the most part, this worked out fine, and we could generally stick to this schedule and completed all the tasks without work seeping into the other days of the week. Of course, the last week was a complete marathon. I think that was a result of the cabinet delay versus any planning issues. But maybe this last week of the challenge is always going to be this crazy? I’ll have to remember that!

On a personal front, the schedule had challenges. Jeremy and I need time to relax and recharge. One day per week to recharge and do all the shopping, cleaning, laundry, and errands were hard. We fell behind on the laundry, and there was an embarrassingly large mountain to do once the challenge was over. I also think it was hard for my son at times. He is old enough to entertain himself, but having both your parents tied up for a whole day is kind of a drag. I’m not sure there is an answer to any of this since actually doing the work is essential to the challenge! Ha!

Next time around, I am going to be more cognizant of our personal life. October through December is a crazy time for our family (so many birthdays and events!), so I don’t think we’ll have as much time anyways. This will probably mean picking a project with a smaller scope, scheduling a few vacations days, and seeing if Grandma could spend a couple of days with our son.

Stick To the Plan & Schedule

I am a planner. That means I usually have the majority of the details worked out before jumping into a project. For me, this was essential for the ORC. Having the full design plan allowed me to create a realistic schedule and spend each week focused on what needed to be completed. As a result, I didn’t have to worry about making any big design decisions. That gave me peace of mind and decreased the stress.

There’s also something satisfying about seeing your original plan come to life. It’s affirming and confidence-building! I had a few “messy middle” moments (you know, when something doesn’t look exactly the way you hoped), but I trusted my original plan, and it worked out as I had hoped.

Next time, I am going to do exactly the same thing. I’ll have 90% of all design elements identified (the 10% was mostly accessories). Then, I’ll generate a schedule and stick to it, only slightly expanding or contracting it as needed.

New Things for Next Time

Not long after the challenge started, I realized I had not planned for key things. I was confident in the design and execution plan, but the sharing and connecting aspect was not even a thought in my mind. Over the course of the 8 weeks, I made a note of some of the things I needed to do for next time. If you are a newbie like me, I think these tips may help you too!

Plan Time to Connect

One of the best things about the ORC is connecting with all the other DIYers/designers. I budgeted zero time for engagement which was not fair or all that fun! I was delayed in responding to the lovely people who commented on my updates. I tried to like, follow and comment on other people’s posts, but it became harder as I had less time during the challenge. It was also difficult because it seems that most people are posting and engaging on Instagram during the day – the same time that I am working my regular job. It was clear from the first week that I should have made this a priority.

Next time, I am going to build into my schedule time for engagement. I will start with an hour on “progress update days,” and see how that goes.

Think Strategically About Progress Pictures & Social Media Posts

I underestimated how much I should have thought about my social media posts. I thought a quick progress picture would be sufficient, but I noticed that most accounts had a styled and thoughtful image for the weekly ORC updates. The images were beautiful and could easily draw viewers in. In addition, many people had video and Instagram stories about their updates. I’m not sure I am a “stories” kind of person. I don’t have any desire to be in front of the camera, but I may experiment with some video in the future.

Next time, I will dedicate a small portion of our project time to styling a photo. I will also be cognizant of the schedule to make sure that I can get some kind of nice-ish photo each week. I’ll also think about key moments that I can capture on video or things that would be helpful to discuss rather than write about.

Good Photography All The Time

Honestly, taking good progress pictures was not a priority for me. Most of my pictures were haphazard, captured randomly in the middle or near the end. I rarely broke out my fancy DSLR and usually opted to use my phone because it was convenient. While I don’t think it was terrible, having better photography is always a win in my book. Also, I didn’t always capture some key moments because I was too busy doing the project. Moving forward, I know I need to remember that documenting the process is just as important as doing the project.

I plan on having my DSLR charged and mounted on the tripod while working on the project every week.

Writing Detailed Posts While Being Super Busy and Tired is Really Hard

The first couple of weeks, my blog posts were pretty good. They were detailed and provided lots of relevant information. As the challenge went on and I was busier and tired (ha!), the posts became shorter and less detailed. I am not a quick writer, and it takes many revisions to create something that I am happy with. This multiple revision thing is extremely time-consuming and about 10 times harder when I am tired. I’m not exactly sure how I am going to overcome this. Any suggestions?!?

What did you learn and what are your tips and tricks!?

I would love to hear what other people learned. What are some things you wished you would have done? What are you going to do next time?

Filed in: ORC • by Jenny • Leave a Comment

Spring 2021 One Room Challenge: Week 8

June 25, 2021

It’s finished! The office is all done.

This last week was a marathon. We worked late nights, ignored other parts of the house, and have a mountain of laundry to tackle. BUT we are done! Now, let’s get to the finished room. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane and remember what the room looked liked when we first bought the house.

And now….

It looks and feels like a completely different room. Not a single part went untouched. Every wall and detail was modified. We started the one-room challenge by wallpapering the room with the Alma (gold & buff) wallpaper by Cole & Son. The paper has a metallic quality that creates a nice sheen on the walls. That made the room difficult to photograph at times, but it creates a nice experience in the room. We also painted the trim bright white and laid new white oak floors.

The new cabinetry added much-needed storage and beauty. These white inset cabinets from Cabinet Bar were economical but also high quality. They were “ready to assemble (RTA),” so it was a ton of work but so so so worth it. I never really appreciated how complex it is to assemble and install cabinets properly. I have a much deeper appreciation for the people who do this regularly! It’s tedious work that requires lots of patience.

The cabinets have soft-close doors/drawers and are solid. I added wood knobs to create a casual but warm look. For countertops, we installed birch butcher block. They are so solid and heavy.

I haven’t moved everything back into the office, so most of the cabinets are empty. I want to take my time and ensure that everything is well organized. I’ll definitely be writing a post about that in the future.

I styled the open shelving with a combination of boxes and pretty objects. I’m sure it will evolve as we start living in the room.

We have the original white chair, side table, and my DIY rope art on the opposite wall. I’m still waiting on the new chair. October can’t come soon enough. When it does, I’ll install the swing arm sconce above the table. Right now, it’s looking a little bare. I promise the sconce will wrap this corner up nicely!

Here’s a close-up of the snail rope art. It only took a couple of hours to create (you only need rope, a mat board, and a hot glue gun), but man, it creates a big impact. It’s 3-dimensional and textured, so the visual interest is intensified. I found this old frame at a thrift store for $25. My husband and I removed the original artwork and glass. We slide this guy into the frame and attached it, leaving the glass off. I’m really enjoying the look, and I have a bunch of ideas for future rope art projects.

And that wraps up the office reveal…for now.

What’s Next

While the office is technically “done,” there are still a few things I want to share later, including the full review/guide to the Cabinet Bar cabinets and how I organized the office. The office will continue to evolve, and I can’t wait to share all the updates here. I’m also planning on revealing our dining room, living room, and B’s (my son) room. It should be a fun summer! Lastly, I want to write a wrap-up post about participating in the One Room Challenge. I have learned so much and want to share my thoughts and tips. If you participated in the challenge, what did you learn?

Details & Sources

Wallpaper – Alma by Cole & Son – Buff & Gold

Trim Paint – Behr Ultra Pure White Semi Gloss Enamel

Cabinets – The Cabinet Bar – Inset White Cabinets (Snowbird Shaker Style)

Flooring – Bellawood 3.25 in White Oak Hardwood Flooring

Counter Top – Unfinished Birch Butcher Block

Knobs – Birch Round Cabinet Knobs

Chair (has not arrived yet!) – Braxton Culler Belmont Accent Chair

Table – Rattan Round Side Table

Basket Under Table – White Rope Leather Basket

Sconce (not hung yet) – Brass Swing Arm Sconce

Bamboo Shade – Cordless Bamboo Shades

Pillow Fabric – Stout Mignon 2 Lagoon

Magazine Files – Rattan Magazine Files

Desktop Organizer – Marie Kondo Rattan Desktop Organizer

Photo Box – Marie Kondo Rattan Box

Book Ends – Striped Marble Book Ends

Paper Organizer – Green Paper Drawer Organizer

Light – Whitewash Bead Light (sold out)

Chair – Upholstered Dining Chair – Stone

Small Painting – Sailboat Watercolor Painting

Large Painting – Lobo Overlook Print by Rogan Taylor

Print – “I don’t know what I’m doing” Print By Kat Schneider

Print – Bay Bush by Karin Olah

As always, check out the other guest participants and the featured designers to see updates on their projects!

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8

Filed in: ORC • by Jenny • 1 Comment

Spring 2021 One Room Challenge Week 7

June 17, 2021

The cabinets arrived! I am writing a big ole’ post about them that will provide lots of details regarding ordering, assembling, and installing (I’m currently working on it, and it will be a doozy). Right now, I am just trying to wrap up this project and ensure I have something to reveal next week.

The cabinets were very intimidating at first. They are ready-to-assemble (RTA), which basically means that my husband and I were responsible for putting them together. The pieces/parts arrived on three different pallets. It’s not like buying a cabinet from Ikea where all the components are in a box or two with the directions. Instead, all the like-components (all the backs, fronts, etc.) across the whole order were packaged together. In addition, nothing was labeled, and I didn’t get a list of parts to verify that I received everything. It was very much a figure-it-out kind of project (which is totally fine by me!). I did my best to sort things out the night they arrived.

The next day I knew I had to create a parts list to confirm that we had everything (our delivery guy told us we were missing a pallet). I made a spreadsheet and listed the different parts that I expected for each cabinet and headed out to the garage with post-its and a tape measure to identify and label each piece.

Luckily we had everything!

At this point, we were ready to assemble the cabinets. The Cabinet Bar has a short, animated video that describes how to assemble the cabinets. It also provides written instructions in a PDF document. However, neither one of these are by any means step-by-step. My husband and I read them three times and tried to get started. We ended up watching videos by The Cabinet Joint (they sell cabinets made by the same manufacturer). Their videos were beneficial and informative. In my big write-up, I’ll list all the videos to watch.

After two days of work, the cabinets were assembled and ready to be installed. We wanted to make a few modifications first. Primarily cutting holes in the box so that we could access the electrical outlets.

As for the installation, Jeremy deserves 100% of the credit. He researched, planned, and problem solved every part of it. I just assisted. Actually, that word may give me too much credit. I told him when things were lined up and held the cabinet box when he did all the important stuff.

We used cabinet jacks to hang the wall cabinets. Typically, people install a ledger board, but we didn’t want to mess up the wallpaper. They worked great! We still need to install the base cabinets (maybe tonight?). Jeremy assures me it will be much easier than the wall cabinets.

We have one week left and the to do list is still long! Here is what we have left to do:

  1. Install Base Cabinets
  2. Attach Filler Pieces
  3. Install Counter Top
  4. Add Trim/Fill Holes/Caulk/Paint
  5. Hang Art, Style
  6. Photograph

As always, check out the other guest participants and the featured designers to see updates on their projects!

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8

Filed in: ORC • by Jenny • Leave a Comment

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It's finished! My MIL's laundry is all done and sh It's finished! My MIL's laundry is all done and she is very happy with how it turned out.
We had to put our problem-solving hats on this wee We had to put our problem-solving hats on this week. As we fitted the first piece of beadboard, we realized that the floor was sloped and the baseboards were uneven. So when we rested the beadboard on the baseboard, it was unlevel. We actually called it a day without finishing any work and went home to think about how we could tackle this problem. We came up with three possible solutions. Swipe to see what we considered doing (spoiler alert - we went with option number three!). 

#orcfall2021 #orc #laundryroommakeover #diytips #beadboard
The wallpaper is installed! It came out wonderfull The wallpaper is installed! It came out wonderfully and is holding up great so far (many loads of laundry have been washed and dried and the wallpaper looks exactly the same as the day it was installed). Of course,  I made a cartoon because that's what I do when I wallpaper. 

#OneRoomChallenge #OneRoomChallenge2021 #laundryroommakeover #wallpaperlaundryroom #cartoon
The design plan is up on the blog! This time arou The design plan is up on the blog!  This time around I'm using one of my favorite wallpapers and I can't wait to see how the room comes together.  Right now,  the room looks worse than when we started (swipe for the pictures). 😬 But that's part of the process,  right?? 

#OneRoomChallenge #OneRoomChallenge2021 #orcfall2021 #orc #laundryroommakeover #diywallpaper #diyhomeimprovement
I'm back again for another one room challenge! Thi I'm back again for another one room challenge! This time we're renovating a laundry room for a client (really just my mother-in-law!). On the blog,  I take you through the design process that I've used for myself the last couple of years and how it played out with this project.

#OneRoomChallenge #OneRoomChallenge2021 #laundryroommakeover #smalllaundryroom #interiordesignprocess 
#orcfall2021
The Halloween season is upon us! That means pumpki The Halloween season is upon us! That means pumpkins as decorations and Halloween costumes! Every year I come up with 4 super easy costumes that I would totally wear. One is always a famous interior designer. It's super niche, but hey, that is part of the fun! Check out the blog for 2021 costume ideas.   

#halloweendecorations #halloweencostume #falldecor #falldecorations #pumpkin
The dining room renovation is all done! It was a s The dining room renovation is all done! It was a slow process as Jeremy and I wanted to make sure the board and batten was just right. In the end, the room feels completely transformed, and we are enjoying our "new" dining room. Don't forget to check out the before picture to see how far it's come. Lots more information and pictures on the blog. 

#beforeandafter #beforeandafterinteriors #diningroom #diningroom #diningroomdecor #diningroomdesign #diningroominspo #homerenovation
It's funny what little things in life make me happ It's funny what little things in life make me happy. Recently, it has been wallpaper samples. I spent the last couple of weeks searching for affordable green geometric wallpapers for an upcoming project. I quickly added 15+ samples to my shopping cart but eventually narrowed it down to the top 7. While you can peek at some of the samples I ordered above; I wrote a post on my blog with all my favorite ones. Bonus – All the wallpapers are non-woven and unpasted. I have found this type of wallpaper to be really DIY-friendly.  More project details to come soon! 

#wallpaperdecor
#modernwallpaper
#diywallpaper
#wallpaper
#wallpapers

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