Well, this turned out to be a hot mess, inside a dumpster fire, on top of a train wreck…
You may think this looks pretty good, and it does, to be honest.
Only thing is, this damned heap of kindling is too tall for the dining table.
Yes, you read that correctly. I built this sucker originally of the mind that I didn’t really need a bottom or an extra lid for the top.
Since this was the first time undertaking a furniture build from scratch, I didn’t want to do what I usually do, which is bite off more than I can chew.
Well, things escalated pretty quickly after I got to thinking that I could take it up a notch. Why not put some storage in there while I’m at it? Yeah, I’m feelin’ pretty handy. Why not put in an extra lid and bottom piece?
And that’s where this project careened off track like a 100-car, runaway freight train carrying 12,000 tons of manure.
Turns out that if you add an extra lid an a bottom piece, one should add that extra height onto the project and trim the frame accordingly.
Started with the basic frameworkCut out these trapezoids so that the flexible MDF can fit around themNow for the storage boxes for the insideJigsawed the bottom…and then top frame
Here’s the finished piece and fabric samples I’m playing around with
Looking damn good!
Cut out the opening for the storage areasThese are the backrests that’ll be fastened to the wallLooks like a stranded whale just sitting thereI forgot to calculate the width of the extra MDF board for the lid and bottom
Anyway, fRusTratiNgly, head-bangingly long story short, guess what I’ll be doing Week 3.
Need some interiors-related inspiration, ideas, networking, and encouragement?
Look no further than THE ONE ROOM CHALLENGE, a widely anticipated biannual event — every April and October — the ORC #oneroomchallenge #ORC — where any interiors enthusiast with a blog, Instagram, or TikTok account can join the challenge and link their own room transformations up every week (we’re on WEEK 2now). Starting Wednesday of each week, we report back and flood the interweb and social media with the latest and greatest news, updates, trials, and tribulations of our room transformations.
So, thank you to Linda Weinstein, the creator/owner of the ORC who started all of this fabulousness, and Apartment TherapyORC’s official media partner, for the support and holding us accountable!
This living room has been in dire need of an overhaul for years now. To be honest, I wanted to get rid of the leather couch and change the lighting and rug. But when budgets are tight, you get creative with what you have, amirite?! 😅 So, let’s make some magic happen on this Spring 2024 One Room Challenge, shall we?
Will I get it done in the next, fun-filled 8 weeks? Well, if there’s anything I learned from previous ORCs it’s this: crazy, beyond-your-control shizzle can throw a wrench in the works at any given moment, so just roll with it. Otherwise, you drive yourself nuts.
But first… What is THE ONE ROOM CHALLENGE, you ask?
As a widely anticipated biannual event–every April and October–ORC is only THE BEST place for interiors-related inspiration, ideas, and encouragement!
Anyone with a blog, Instagram, or TikTok account can join the challenge as a Guest Participant by linking their own room transformations up during the next 8 weeks. Starting Wednesday of each week, we report back to the powers that be, flooding the internet and social media with the latest and greatest news, updates, and trials and tribulations of our room transformations.
So, thank you to Linda Weinstein, the creator/owner of the ORC who started all of this fabulousness, and Apartment TherapyORC’s official media partner, for the support and holding us accountable!
1). What I got done, soft blue-purple (think periwinkle) should add some happiness and calmness to this dining room situation, especially since we’re 5 weeks into this thing and that 180kg “lemon” of a table is weighing about as heavy on my mind as it is the dining room floor! We’ll probably end up having to drill a hole into the floor to stabilize the table.
2). The electrician installed my Mid-century 6-arm bow tie chandelier by @pookylights (With this 1958 Italian Stilnovo Megafono-inspired piece, I couldn’t say no to the angle and swivel of those little double-cone shades!!) He also wired in two sculpted Brutalist style tube wall sconces in matte brass by @light_cookie on @etsyuk (these remind me of bamboo culms, so they fit right in here🎍🎋)
2). The electrician installed my Mid-century 6-arm bow tie chandelier by @pookylights and I spackled up all the holes in the ceiling before painting it a joy-inducing sky blue.
Need some interiors-related inspiration, ideas, networking, and encouragement?
Look no further than THE ONE ROOM CHALLENGE, a widely anticipated biannual event — every April and October — the ORC #oneroomchallenge #ORC — where any interiors enthusiast with a blog, Instagram, or TikTok account can join the challenge and link their own room transformations up every week (we’re on WEEK 1 now). Starting Wednesday of each week, we report back and flood the interweb and social media with the latest and greatest news, updates, trials, and tribulations of our room transformations.
So, thank you to Linda Weinstein, the creator/owner of the ORC who started all of this fabulousness, and Apartment TherapyORC’s official media partner, for the support and holding us accountable!
Dining Room Refresh –Picture Frame Molding & Wall Color Change
This week shifted gears from the table and seating iascos and decided to tackle the picture frame molding.
Maybe it was the fact that the marble table arrived in an usable condition OR the fact that I built the banquette seat 1.5 inches too high OR that the wallpaper is on back order with every supplier, but I’ve been stressed WAY OUT and decided to do a 180 on the wall color entirely.
I figure a warm, soft blue-purple (think periwinkle) should add some happiness and calmness to this dining room situation, especially since we’re 5 weeks into this thing and that 180kg “lemon” of a table is weighing about as heavy on my mind as it is the dining room floor! We’ll probably end up having to drill a hole into the floor to stabilize the table.
Need some interiors-related inspiration, ideas, networking, and encouragement?
Look no further than THE ONE ROOM CHALLENGE, a widely anticipated biannual event — every April and October — the ORC #oneroomchallenge #ORC — where any interiors enthusiast with a blog, Instagram, or TikTok account can join the challenge and link their own room transformations up every week (we’re on WEEK 5 now). Starting Wednesday of each week, we report back and flood the interweb and social media with the latest and greatest news, updates, trials, and tribulations of our room transformations.
So, thank you to Linda Weinstein, the creator/owner of the ORC who started all of this fabulousness, and Apartment TherapyORC’s official media partner, for the support and holding us accountable!
First time ever building something of this magnitude. (As you may recall, I wanted my very own wavy, fluted dining banquette with storage and seat cushions.)
That’s right, I was pretty damned proud of myself for a hot minute, and, if it wasn’t too high for the table now —YIKES! I didn’t take into account the added height of the bottom and top equates to over an inch— it would’ve turned our pretty damned good!
So, after I deal with this fiasco (i.e., disassembling the banquette, trimming the damned thing down, and reassembling it — AaaArRrRGhH!!!! Damn it all to hell!! — I can focus on the table trouble and this to-do list:
🌴 My Eccentrico, dual-tone marble dining table (sourced from @nue.modern ) arrived completely unusable, so I’m working with a local marble guy work out a solution so the 180kg monster doesn’t tip over and crush legs!
🌴 My decadent Geishas wallpaper by Manuel Canovas that I’m going to wrap around the room is on back order until May 12, so my next project for WEEK 5 it to do the wall paneling up and paint the walls.
🌴 For the wavy, fluted dining banquette, I have to turn that sumptuous mustardy-yellow upholstery fabric into upholstered seat cushions! 😅
🌴 Sew the Roman blinds (made from Tommy Bahama swaying Palms fabric) for the side window
🌴 Hand-paint IKEA Bjursta sideboard
🌴 Fix the baseboards/skirting boards (from when the dog chewed/scratched it up years ago) and repaint the doors
On a lighter note…
What is THE ONE ROOM CHALLENGE, you ask?
As a widely anticipated biannual event — every April and October — the ORC #oneroomchallenge #ORC is only THE BEST place for interiors-related inspiration, ideas, networking, and encouragement!
Anyone with a blog, Instagram, or TikTok account can join the challenge by linking their own room transformations up every week. Starting Wednesday of each week, we report back and flood the interweb and social media with the latest and greatest news, updates, trials, and tribulations of our room transformations.
So, thank you to Linda Weinstein, the creator/owner of the ORC who started all of this fabulousness, and Apartment TherapyORC’s official media partner, for the support and holding us accountable!
Here we are, week 3 of the One Room Challenge — knee deep in spackle and sanding dust. After the electrician moved and added some new wiring to replace the old lights (see this post from week 2), the ceiling literally looked like Swiss cheese.
Goggled and masked up, I did A LOT of mixing spackling compound, filling holes, sanding, mixing some more spackling compound, smoothing over uneven areas, sanding some more–then wash, rinse, and repeat for good measure–I’m finally ready to paint the ceiling. To be honest, the dust wasn’t too bad since I attached the vacuum cleaner to my DeWalt orbital hand sander (that little guy has earned his keep over the years!)
In the meantime, while I was waiting for the spackle to dry…
I decided to outline my wall paneling in blue painter’s tape first to get a feel for the layout. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to cover all the walls, but after living with it for a couple of days, I decided to throw caution to the wind and go for the gold!
Here’s me, laser focused (LOL) on getting the tape exactly right
Just as a reminder, this is the decadent Geishas wallpaper by Manuel Canovas that I’m going to wrap around the room, inside those wall panels. It comes in 8 different color ways; naturally, I chose the MOST VIBRANT of the gang — FUCHSIA.
The whole room is going to look something like this…
I was going to leave the grayish-pink (I mixed this color up myself years ago), but now I’m rethinking the whole thing and decided to pick up some peachy-gray and grayish-lavender paint swatches and paint testers, too. (Disregard that purple paint on the wall; it’s too bright and I’m in hot pursuit of something more muted).
Can you guess which of the above swatches I’m drooling over? (Also, did you notice the bottom pedestal section of my marble table on the bottom of this image?)
Yes, yes, my Angelo Mangiarotti Eccentrico marble dining table (sourced from @nue.modern ) is here. Why am I not ecstatic, you ask?
Get your popcorn out…
Believe me, I was doing cartwheels for a while. But things went south pretty quickly with this vendor. I won’t go into all the details, because I’m still traumatized and my eye is still twitching from the turmoil that ensued.
Very, very, very long and chaotic story short, sh*t hit the fan in a major way once it arrived: 1) the pedestal is 180 kg and isn’t stable enough to stand erect without being fastened to the floor (so when I invite people over for dinner, I’ll have to tell them to wear steel-toed boots — no bueno); 2) the table top has an actual crack in it, so if someone puts any weight on it, it could break off (another safety hazard); and 3) the delivery people just dropped it off expecting us to erect it. Can you guys believe it?! Sure, we have an extra engine hoist lying around to lift 180kg. C’mon!!! WTAF?!
Umpteen emails, calls, texts back and forth, I finally got my money back and now I’m working with a local marble specialist to help me figure out how to make a functioning table out of it without having to worry about it crushing people’s feet or edges breaking off.
Stay tuned until next week as the table saga unfolds…
On a lighter note…
What is THE ONE ROOM CHALLENGE, you ask?
As a widely anticipated biannual event–every April and October — the ORC #oneroomchallenge #ORC is only THE BEST place for interiors-related inspiration, ideas, and encouragement!
Anyone with a blog, Instagram, or TikTok account can join the challenge by linking their own room transformations up during the next 8 weeks. Starting Wednesday of each week, we report back and flood the interweb and social media with the latest and greatest news, updates, trials, and tribulations of our room transformations.
So, thank you to Linda Weinstein, the creator/owner of the ORC who started all of this fabulousness, and Apartment TherapyORC’s official media partner, for the support and holding us accountable!
Okay, I won’t keep you in the dark any longer….(C’mon, I had to do it)
We have lights!
Okay, we had lights before…
Now we have THE BEST lights EVAH!
These are my 3 new BRIGHT IDEAS (I can’t stop with the puns)Lighting DONEBut now my ceiling looks like Swiss cheese
🌴 Mid-century 6-arm bow tie chandelier by @pookylights (With this 1958 Italian Stilnovo Megafono-inspired piece, I couldn’t say no to the angle and swivel of those little double-cone shades!!)
🌴 Two sculpted Brutalist style tube wall sconces in matte brass by @light_cookie on @etsyuk (these remind me of bamboo culms, so they fit right in here🎍🎋)
🌴 Made.com Adrianne 3-Cluster Diner Pendant Light in Pink, Burgundy, Yellow Glass & Brass. (NOTE: I bought this light before Made went bankrupt last year and Next bought them out, so here’s a link for the exact same lights that I found on eBay).
These sexy bitches sure know how to light up a room when they enter!
Just for reference…
This was the BEFORE situation
Are you sitting down for this next one?
🌴 My 1980s vintage Danish beechwood string dining chairs by Niels Jørgen Haugesen (sourced from @cherisheddesigns.uk on @vinterior ) are more gorge than my wildest imagination! As you may have deduced by the photo on the right, they’ve been squatting here since December 2021, patiently waiting for the rest of the room to level up. #slowdecorating
Oh, how the table has turned (C’mon, that was a good one)…
🌴 Here are some production pics of my Eccentrico, dual-tone marble dining table, sourced from @nue.modern (This reproduction of the original 1979 table is a creatively spirited balancing act of sculptural, geometric engineering sorcery by #AngeloMangiarotti, one of the greatest masters of post-war Italian design, art, and architecture!!)
But first… What is THE ONE ROOM CHALLENGE, you ask?
As a widely anticipated biannual event–every April and October — the ORC #oneroomchallenge #ORC is only THE BEST place for interiors-related inspiration, ideas, and encouragement!
Anyone with a blog, Instagram, or TikTok account can join the challenge as a Guest Participant (me) by linking their own room transformations up during the next 8 weeks. Starting Wednesday of each week, we report back to the powers that be, flooding the internet and social media with the latest and greatest news, updates, trials, and tribulations of our room transformations.
So, thank you to Linda Weinstein, the creator/owner of the ORC who started all of this fabulousness, and Apartment TherapyORC’s official media partner, for the support and holding us accountable!
I’ve been VERY SLOWLY gathering elements you see on this mood board situation for the Spring 2023 One Room Challenge. To be honest, this all started in December 2021 and I’m just coming back around to it now. Yes, you read that correctly — December 2021. Don’t ask! Slow decorating at its finest. 😅
Will I get it done in the next, fun-filled 8 weeks? You bet your ass I will!
But first… What is THE ONE ROOM CHALLENGE, you ask?
Going into its 11th Anniversary Spring Edition, the ORC is only THE BEST place for interiors-related inspiration, ideas, and encouragement! As a widely anticipated biannual event–every April and October–each round, 20 design influencers are selected as Featured Designers to transform a space.
Also, anyone with a blog or Instagram account can join the challenge as a Guest Participant (me) by linking their own room transformations up during the next 8 weeks. Starting Wednesday of each week, we report back to the powers that be, flooding the internet and social media with the latest and greatest news, updates, and trials and tribulations of our room transformations.
So, thank you to Linda Weinstein, the creator/owner of the ORC who started all of this fabulousness, and Apartment TherapyORC’s official media partner, for the support and holding us accountable!
But did you notice I NEVER showed the ceiling lighting? Well, this crazy setup is why!
Yeah, the ceiling lights are a HOT MESS! Totally off center. And the wall lights? They’re not even connected to power right now. Plus, I’m not in the least bit inspired by them, so they have to go pronto.
Anywho, it’s a refresh, so the custom-mixed wall color (my own concoction) is staying, the custom-made Tommy Bahama swaying Palms curtains I personally toiled over are also staying, as is the @madedotcom teal bombe chest.
So here are the pièces de résistance of this fabulous refresh:
🌴 1980s vintage Danish beechwood string dining chairs by Niels Jørgen Haugesen — sourced from @cherisheddesigns.uk on @vinterior (because why not add a little minimalist, modernist style to the mix)
🌴 Eccentrico, dual-tone marble dining table, sourced from @nue.modern (This reproduction of the original 1979 table is a creatively spirited balancing act of sculptural, geometric engineering sorcery by #AngeloMangiarotti, one of the greatest masters of post-war Italian design, art, and architecture!!)
🌴 Mid-century 6-arm bow tie chandelier by @pookylights (With this 1958 Italian Stilnovo Megafono-inspired piece, I couldn’t say no to the angle and swivel of those little double-cone shades!!)
🌴 Two sculpted Brutalist style tube wall sconces in matte brass by @light_cookie on @etsyuk (these remind me of bamboo culms, so they fit right in here🎍🎋)
Other DIY elements:
🌴 Wall panels (because those new wall sconces deserve nothing but the best!), combined with the most decadent wallpaper by Manuel Canovas Geishas Wallpaper
🌴 Wavy, fluted dining banquette with storage and seat cushions. I found the most sumptuous mustardy-yellow upholstery fabric, so hopefully I don’t EFF it all up! 😅
🌴 Roman blinds made from the Tommy Bahama swaying Palms fabric for the side window
🌴 Hand-painted IKEA Bjursta sideboard (it definitely needs a glow-up)
🌴 Fix the baseboards/skirting boards (from when the dog chewed/scratched it up years ago) and repaint the doors
Week 8 and I feel like it’s just the beginning! Here she is in ALL her INCOMPLETE GLORY! I have more than a few things left to finish. But I figure, the path to a perfect backyard is an evolution and 8 weeks isn’t nearly enough time. Besides, it’s looking 1000% better than what I started with!
I hope you’re sitting down for the before and after comparison! Yikes! Am I right?! Brace yourself, because here comes the next one!
I’m still waiting on 3 more stepping stones (because I had NO IDEA how many I needed and had to order more), I have to sew the cushions, I still have a couple of bamboo trees to plant, and I can’t for the life of me decided on pathway lighting, but we’ve come a l-o-o-o-o-o-ng way, baby! I can’t believe it’s the same backyard, can you?!
I’m so totally excited about these stepping stones! They really tie the two separate patio spaces together.
You can get more info about the ONE ROOM CHALLENGE, all 20 Featured Designers, and a record-level 500+ Guest Participants (including me) by clicking here.
Well, there she is in all her Indian York Sandstone glory!! It’s been a cray-cray month so far, but it was ALL worth it!
You can get more info about the ONE ROOM CHALLENGE, all 20 Featured Designers, and a record-level 500+ Guest Participants (including me) by clicking here.
