Spring 2020 ORC: Why Not?

The One Room Challenge project is back, people! 

To be honest? It feels strange, during this time of Covid19, to be excited about something that almost feels normal. It is not an easy time for a lot of people. Futures are uncertain. I’m spending several hours a day helping a local business make masks for donation. The kids are at home, trying to wrap up this bizarre school year, and I haven’t been grocery shopping at the store in almost two months. My client work is growing, and sometimes it’s hard to balance all of it because WHAT IS TIME ANYMORE?

So let’s throw a Room Challenge in the mix. It might be entertaining. Distracting, for sure. The word Challenge seems especially apt, since suppliers are slower to ship and shopping looks different these days. 

Sign me up.  

I chose our foyer/entry area because I have spent every day ignoring it since we moved in last year. It’s so overwhelming, a foyer. You want to make a good impression. You want to set a tone for the rest of the house. It opens up to EVERYTHING, so it has to flow  — or do the exact opposite and stand on its own.  You want it to look nice, but if it’s like ours, it gets a lot of use.

I’m not kidding when I said I have ignored it. It’s empty. And that art on the right? That’s a ski photo left over from our holiday party last December. It doesn’t count, except as evidence of my inattention. 

The flip side:

To your left in this photo, is the living room. On the right, the dining room. Coat closet, MIRROR in the middle, front door. Sad little mat.

(I love our original doors and stairs.)

Standing on the stairs, looking into the living room.

‘Girls Gone Skiing’ still up, for your visual reference.  I did have the ceiling painted pale blue when we moved in (F&B Borrowed Light), and it looks a lot bolder in this photo than in person. The ceiling light will probably stay, because some of my other plans are pricey.

This angle shows the wood paneling that goes up the stairs. There is a part of me that would love to tackle stripping off all of that paint and seeing it in its original glory, but I think that is an 8 week project in itself! I like it painted well enough that I’m not too motivated just yet, anyway.  That is the dining room on the left. If you go through there and take a right, you end up in my kitchen.

….

What is the vision, then? Color, texture, and a little whimsy.

The art in the upper right is by my friend and artist, Heather Smith Jones. I have had it a few years; I love the colors, energy, and playfulness. (And it reminds me of her, and she is just lovely.)  It’s a perfect piece to set the tone for our home.  Everything kind of trickled down from there.

And that’s all you get this week. …More details next!   Thanks for checking in, friends.

The One Room Challenge kicks off this week with a terrific line up of designers and hundreds of guest participants.

Among my favorite featured designers are:

• Alisa – A Glass of Bovino
• Catherine + Bryan – Beginning in the Middle
• Cheryl Luckett – Dwell by Cheryl
• Erika Ward – Erika Ward Interiors
• Kate Pearce – Kate Pearce Vintage

Special thanks to the official media sponsor, Better Homes & Gardens.