Week Five and a Half | November 12 | Almost There
For the Fall 2020 One Room Challenge, I am giving my son’s bedroom a hygge-infused makeover. As a not-so-little boy but not-quite tween, this room needs to be adaptable, functional, and a great place for play. I’ll let you in on the inspiration board as well as plans for this multipurpose room where organization and storage are critical and coziness is the word of the day — everyday.
Well, today was supposed to be the deadline, but… like everyone else, getting it all done with delivery delays and school at home and a global pandemic and an election — well, we are behind. But the One Room Challenge deadline was extended to November 29, and I will definitely be done before then! My goal: early next week. I have a few labor-intensive DIY projects still underway which is delaying the entire process, but I am so excited about what is happening!
This has been a week of adjustments and managing expectations — things I’m not always good at! But I like where it is all going.
Ole is testing out the hygge. He approves.
The Closet
When we moved into this house three years ago, we outfitted several closets with Ikea’s Boaxel closet organizing system. This is the second house where we have used it, and we love it. One of my favorite things: it is really easy to change things around. Three years is a long time in a child’s life. Bambino is taller. His clothes are bigger. And his interests have somewhat changed.
So, I spent a few days this week working in the closet. I pulled everything out, rearranged some of the shelves and drawers, and am working to put it all back in a more cohesive way. I added a few shelves, removed a few others, and switched some things around to make the closet even more functional.
When we moved in, we took off the sliding closet doors. They were terrible and wouldn’t stay on their tracks. We replaced them with curtains which tuck back into the corners as needed. Honestly, they are rarely closed which is fine, but the closet needs to be neat and tidy as a result.
It’s still in progress, but it is looking much better, and I’m excited to finish this project in the next day or so.
The closet before…
… and during. The After is coming soon!
The Rug
One of the big delays on this project has been the rug. We had two green rugs in this room originally which are the wrong sizes for the new furniture layout. So I’ll be selling them on the FBMP this week. I wanted to do something green again — almost using green as the neutral in this hygge room. The original rug I chose is backordered and wouldn’t arrive in time. So I chose something else.
Rug is brighter and more colorful than pictured. Hmmm…
In the photos online, it looked much more monochromatic in tones of greens and blues. When it arrived it was definitely not monochromatic. This rug is a veritable rainbow — and Bambino loves it.
However, the rainbow rug takes this room in a very different direction than I had originally planned. My client’s opinions matter, though, and he loves the rug. So the room is taking a decidedly more colorful turn here at the end — less Scandinavian-modern and much more rainbow-Bambino. Rainbows are hygge, right? This Mama is just trying to adjust her expectations accordingly!
The Bed
So once the rug arrived, we were able to start assembling the bed. Bambino had requested a cozy spot for reading, and I wanted a little more designated storage. We got both. Under the bed is Bambino’s cozy Book Nook which will be outfitted with a twin mattress and will be a great place to read.
One of the last things we will do is clad the entire bed in birch plywood. It has been cut and sanded, and we have applied a boiled linseed oil finish. It’s outside curing. I am highly allergic to the fumes of boiled linseed oil. So despite our colder temperatures and snow this week, we are leaving everything we can outside to cure before bringing it into the house. This is also slowing things down — but it is better than getting sick as the alternative!
Ole peeks into the Book Nook.
My readers love the new bed’s height, too.
On the far side of the bed, Romano built cubbies for storage. We reused bins which I bought before Bambino was born, and he sized the cubbies accordingly.
I work really hard not to buy more and more storage containers. That’s one of the biggest lessons I learned from using the KonMari Method in our home. When I did the Workroom Makeover, I only ended up buying four containers for my entire workroom — and two of them were just to match things I already had.
At some point Bambino may think the bright colors aren’t his taste, and at that point I will swap out the green and blue bins for a different color scheme. But he still loves them, and these bins are still in great shape even after nine years of constant use. So they stay!
These bins are from Crate and Barrel and have stood up to almost ten years of use!
The Cleat Wall
The light fixtures for the Cleat Wall arrived, and we were in the backyard sanding for hours yesterday creating more bookshelves and boxes and brackets. We are very close to finishing it all — I keep saying that, but it is true!
Pendants for the cleat wall — a gift from ColorCord.
The cleat wall minus a bunch of pieces which are outside curing.
Also: The Nice List
Of course, in the midst of all of this, I also launched the 2020 editions of The Nice List, my Christmas planner and organizer. It’s available in my shop in three versions — digital, printable PDF, and paper. Be sure to stop by and check it out! Also coming soon: The 2020 Nice List Thoughtful Giving Guide.
So no, there’s nothing else going on right now… ha!
DIY Pillows
I also made some throw pillows from an old sweater which was fun and really easy to do! It has me looking at all of my sweaters wondering which ones need to be repurposed next!
How many more sweaters can I turn into pillows?
The next installment will be the final reveal. I can’t wait!
Week 6 | November ?? | Before & After
I’ll be sharing the how-to for all of our projects along the way as well as my favorite shopping sources for all things vintage and new.
Thanks to Linda of The One Room Challenge for organizing the One Room Challenge! Thanks also to Better Homes and Gardens, the ORC media sponsor. On Instagram, check out #oneroomchallenge and #bhgorc to see all of the amazing room reveals, or visit the One Room Challenge Blog where you’ll find the link-up to all of the participating blogs. There are rooms of every kind, aesthetic, and design. It is an amazing thing to explore and get inspiration!
You can follow me on Instagram or like Mid Modern Mama on Facebook for tips, tricks, and sneak peeks along the way, too.
Ok. Gotta get back to work!
Ciao!
Don’t miss a single update!
Sign up and each installment of the One Room Challenge will come directly to your email on Thursdays! And be sure to stop by the One Room Challenge Blog to check out the other creative renovations happening across the country. You can also follow #oneroomchallenge and #bhgorc on Instagram for more inspiration! Be sure to follow me as well!
