One Room Challenge: Week 2 | Living Room Mood Board and To-do List

Okay, so last week I revealed that we’ll be working on our living room for the One Room Challenge, and gave some insight on what we hope to accomplish by the end of the eight weeks. This week, I’m happy to report that we’ve officially decided on our design plans! In addition to adding more storage and functionality to this little space, we’ve also decided to go with a natural boho decor vibe and colour pallete. Definitely not surprising if you know me, but I think getting rid of the grey couch and stark black industrial components will really help tie in the space with the rest of the house. 

Current Living-room Style & Layout:

Moodboard: Natural Boho Design

I was also undecided last week on how to design the fireplace, since there are so many options and just so much inspiration out there. At first we were thinking of doing a flat wall bump out, painted white with a floating wood mantle since it would be pretty easy to construct. But given that I really love the simplicity of an all white fireplace, we decided on a slightly more complex design of the step-out wall. We’ll paint it the same colour as the wall, and since the mantle will be part of the structure, we won’t have to worry about the weight of any of the decor items we’re putting on it. 

We also finalized our designs for shelving on the back wall behind the couch, and picked out paint and stain, so I’m feeling good about our progress so far, but we’ve still got A LOT to do!

Finalized Project/Shopping List:

• Build Fireplace bump out
  • Build frame
  • Add drywall
  • Tape and Mud drywall
  • Paint
• Determine a way to hide television/cable/video game boxes and cords behind the tv/fireplace
• Add an outlet to the wall or side of the fireplace (we’ll be covering the only accessible outlet on that side of the room)
• Build floating shelves along the back wall to make that space more functional, and still maintain the walkway to the balcony doors. Plus stain the wood to match other wood elements in the room
• Install and paint lower cabinets under the open shelving
• Finish reupholstering the other mid-century modern armchair to match the one I already reupholstered. And then I need to sand and stain both of them to get rid of some imperfections in the wood and ensure they match.
• Find a new coffee table (on a budget!) I was hoping to go thrifting, but now with COVID-19, my best bet is probably Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji, or a DIY if we have time. 
• Update decor – new rug, curtains, pillows, shelf accents, plants!
• Replace couch (if our order comes in time!)
• Replace curtains that are way too short!
• Mount Samsung Frame TV above the fireplace and swap out the frame for a beige one that our lovely fam gave us as a housewarming gift

What we’ve done so far:

• Emptied out part of the living-room, and donated the furniture we don’t need
• Bought and cut all the lumber and drywall for the fireplace
• Roughly taped out the fireplace dimensions on the wall
• Ordered curtains to replace our old ones that were way too short for this room
• Ordered and built Ikea Ivar Cabinets for the back wall shelving
• Ordered paint  and stain for the cabinets and shelves
• Ordered a new sofa from Structube (which should be arriving on time now!) 
• Assembled the fireplace insert and metal frame that comes with it 
• Planned out the electrical changes and cable box storage

 Overall we’re enjoying this process, and it has been a really great way to spend our time in quarantine. Everything has been pretty locked down here in Ontario, so we’ve had to wait on some online orders, but it honestly hasn’t been too bad so far! 

If you missed the ORC week 1 post, you can check that out here, and be sure to check out the latest posts from the One Room Challenge Featured Designers and other Guest Participants!

Now that we’re busy with projects, I’ll be sharing more via instagram stories @lavender_julep. Come follow along!

Cheers! 

Julie