One Room Challenge - Week 1: Guest Bedroom Planning
Y’all. I started skim-coating the walls of my guest bedroom in May. It is now October. I am a monster, but i’m also going to cut myself a break and acknowledge that there’s a lot going on in the world and I found plenty of projects to distract myself in the meantime.
But thanks to the One Room Challenge that is kicking off this week, I have the community and motivation to get this sad empty room across the finish line in the next 6-weeks. I am joining as a Guest Participant, along with so many talented guest and featured designers.
For those of you who don’t know me yet, welcome! I am so glad you are here. I made a short video to tell you about myself if you want the 30-second rundown.
My One Room Challenge: The Guest Bedroom
With the pandemic looming - past, current and future lodgers have been scarce. When we moved from Seattle to Austin, we became a sun-drenched pit stop for friends in bands on tour, family members escaping the rain and raising my hand for literally anyone I vaguely knew who needed a place to stay in Austin. I truly live for hosting. When I was a kid my version of “pretend” was running a luxury hotel for my dolls with turndown service.
For me, this isn’t just a room that will sit pristinely untouched for months on end. This is a place I will beg my friends and family from afar to stay for weeks on end.
So I will be prioritizing creature comforts for vacationers, realistic and whimsical details and above all: a loud and proud maximalist design mixing modern and vintage.
The Before
Not much to see here, folks. It’s pretty much your standard secondary, four walls and a closet floor plan. The goal is to make this space feel dynamic and unique despite it’s lack of structural character.
The Vision
Designing and renovating our house room by room has been teaching me what I like in a space. Which is both exciting and challenging, I don’t have a crystal clear picture of each room when I get started. But I do have a mood board, filled with the elements I already have.
From top left to bottom:
Samantha Santana Palm Deco Wallpaper
Vintage Seagrass Basket Lamps from the Austin Antique Mall
Stampworthy Goods tiled headboard with Clay Imports tile
Art Deco brass and smoked glass side tables from Facebook Marketplace
Vintage Western Travel Guide from Round Rock Antique Mall, Frida Tile Coaster from Clay Imports and Austin guidebook
Vintage Folding Luggage Rack from Austin Antique Mall
Commissioned Artwork “Housekeeper Tiki Girl” by Whitney Avra
The Jungalow Emuna Rattan Sunburst Mirror
Collection of vintage mass market paperbacks from Round Rock Antique Mall
Renovate
Create a modern, updated canvas (AKA the heavy lifting before the fun stuff) with:
Freshly skim-coated walls with a level-5 finish because girl likes her walls smooth
Fresh paint
Wallpaper accent wall
Luxury vinyl plank floors replacing carpet
Updated fixtures including the ceiling fan, window dressings, hardware and lighting
2. DIY
Refinish and reupholster Antique Gossip Bench
Personally design an ATX Guest Guide to display
Construct and configure a Closet Office
3. Decorate
Bold colors, anchoring on a custom piece of art commissioned by local Austin, TX artist Whitney Avra
Eclectic mix of functional, modern and vintage pieces throughout that cater to the long-form traveler
Bring in elements of our Texas Tiki aesthetic erring on the side of maximalist sensibilities
What’s next?
Follow along on Instagram, where you’ll get the full story day in and day out of my One Room Challenge experience.
I use Trello to manage my task list, and my to-do list is terrifying but I am ready to tackle finishing my skim-coating, sourcing my time-sensitive materials and getting a start on wallpaper.
Please make sure you check out so many of the other great guest and featured designers as part of the Fall 2020 One Room Challenge. This is going to be fun! See you next week.
