One Room Challenge – Week 4 – Art And Troubles

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This week of the One Room Challenge has been about choosing art and other details for my kids’ room.

Deciding on art for a room takes me a lot of time, sometimes years, because I like using vintage pieces and thrift store finds that you don’t encounter in just one visit to the market.

Throughout the years, I have been collecting cool art for the kids’ room from estate sales, flea markets and thrift stores, but I need more!

I want to have this wall covered with art from top to bottom:

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I want the wall to have a worldly feeling with art from different geographical places and cultures. In my last trip to Chile, I bought some pieces that I want to add. I also went to the Rose Bowl this month and found some cool and colorful paintings. I am also thinking about adding some of my own photographs to the wall because it is a cheap way of adding art.

Here are some photos of my trip to the Rose Bowl, my favorite way of spending a Sunday:

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These are some of the items I  found.
jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com--ORC---wk4--9 jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com--ORC---wk4--8 How cute are these bronze figures? jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com--ORC---wk4--3 jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com--ORC---wk4--2And these small penguins!!! I bought them in Chile.

I have found more art for the wall, but I will wait to show you the rest… I don’t want to give out too much before the big reveal.

Now, the question is, how do I fix the dresser?

First, I need to finish taking out the stickers and cleaning the surface. I had bought these knobs from Anthropology to replace the current hardware, but they don’t look good – they are too small and get kind of lost. I am thinking I should do some DIY copper hardware to add to the dresser instead. I like that the dresser is white, so I won’t change the color, but it definitely needs an extra “something” that I am trying to figure out.

Maybe this should be the plan?

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So it looks similar to this bookcase from The Land Of Nod? We will see.  Next week I will let you know what I have done.

As for the problems I have to solve this week, I need help deciding on:

  • Bedding: what color should I use? I am thinking about something neutral because the emerald toy storage and the yellow door give the room enough color, plus, the gallery wall will be colorful and I don’t want the room to look too busy. Any ideas on what I should use? Also, I need to get affordable and fun pillows. Any ideas on that, too?
  • Rug: I am inclined to get this one. Thoughts?

Right now I am a little bit stressed out about the final details. I don’t have much time to order items and receive them before Week 6, so I need to make decisions by Sunday. HELP!

Here is my story for this challenge so far: Week 1Week 2 and Week 3.

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ORC – Jest Cafe – Wk3 – Painting Furniture

jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com-ORC-week3-1-This week, for the One Room Challenge, I had to make decisions about color for the bunk beds and storage units to organize the kids’ toys.

1) Storage units – As I mentioned in this post, I decided to buy Ikea furniture. If you buy furniture with pine finish, it is very easy to paint, unlike other IKEA finishes.  I bought two TROFAST storage units and tried deciding on a color later. I wanted a dark green, and I was deciding between Lawn Green or  Emerald Isle from Benjamin Moore. In the middle of this process, I saw this post from Justina Blakeney. Can you believe the coincidence? THE day I was trying to make this decision she posted that. Well, people, I believe in signs from life, and this was obviously one so I had to go with Emerald Isle. No regrets!jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com-ORC-week3-7 jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com--wk3-17 jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com-ORC-week3-6 Here is the Emerald Isle color.jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com-ORC-week3-5 You definitely need two coats when painting IKEA pine furniture, and remember not to paint inside holes because you will need to assemble this furniture later and will need those holes to be their original size!jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com-ORC-week3-4 jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com-ORC-week3-2jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com-ORC-week3-16This is how it looks now: after painting and assembling…I really like the green, even though this photo doesn’t make it justice… Also, the unit is great for storing toys because they give easy access to children.

2) Bunk Bed: I went back and forth about which color to use for the bunk bed. I thought about grey, yellow, but, ultimately, settled on white. I used decorator’s white – Benjamin Moore. Same color I used for the wall and ceiling. The furniture is glossy and the wall is flat.

I decided to use white to brighten up the room and give it some cohesiveness. Also, having a colorful bunk bed would have been too busy, as I already have an emerald storage unit and a yellow door. jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com--ORC-wk3jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com-ORC-week3-3 jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com-ORC-week3-13 The kids love the bunk bed. Well, maybe love is an understatement, because they have decided to play and eat up there every single second of the day, which means an adult has to be near at all times because Max is only two and not able to make wise decisions regarding child safety.jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com-ORC-week3-9 jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com-ORC-week3-14jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com-ORC-week3-11jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com-ORC-week3-12 I got this light fixture from IKEA. It has copper, just like the details of the wallpaper and I really like it. I think it looks good with the rest of the room, don’t you think? Copper is IN!

This coming week, I will be looking for art. I want to do a gallery wall on the blue wall. Other things I need to do are:
jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com-ORC-week3-10And, organize this mess:jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com-ORC-week3-15

Here is what went on in Week 1 and Week 2 of this challenge at my place.

Here is my Instagram account in case you want to follow other details of the #oneroomchallenge. Also, any advice on how to decorate this room is welcome!

Thanks for stopping by.

 

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ORC – Jest Cafe – Wk 2 – Kids’ Room

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Here we go…One Room Challenge – Week 2

As a fun summary, here are the positives of participating so far:

  • I have connected with a lot of bloggers out there
  • Traffic jump to my site
  • My kids’ room is looking better
  • I still have 4 weeks to go… which gives me some sanity
  • Víctor is so excited about the upgrade! He talks about it with everybody that will listen: the cashier at the grocery store, the attendant at Home Depot, neighbors, etc., etc.

Here are the negatives of participating so far:

  • My husband is a week away from divorcing me
  • I haven’t read a book to my children in 2 weeks
  • I walk around the house hysterically planning color schemes
  • I wake up thinking about this at night
  • I need to find a rug TODAY to make sure it arrives before the end of this challenge!!!!!!! Any recommendations? (Elise, I decided to go with a rug instead of leather… but thanks for the advice!)

Progress this last week:

  1. Painted walls
  2. Installed wallpaper (which was pretty much a nightmare… says my husband)

Here is what I did, in pictures with explanatory graphics that I learned how to do 2 days ago:
jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com---ORC-week-2-18jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com---orc-week-20Before starting any project, here are the basic steps you need to follow:jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com---ORC-week-2-14jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com---ORC-week-2-15jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com--ORC-wk2-30Cute, ha?

Now, back to work:jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com---ORC-week-2-17

The first thing I did for this week was to paint walls. Because the wallpaper is so dark, I wanted to paint the ceiling and one wall true white. I chose to paint with Decorator’s White from Benjamin Moore that is SO white it also works as a primer. Best decision ever! It looks beautiful.

jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com---ORC-week-2-13See the difference?jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com---ORC-week-2-12

After doing that, I painted the opposite wall in a blue that matched the wallpaper blue color. Why? 1) Wallpaper is too expensive so I didn’t want to cover three walls with it; and, 2) the wallpaper I chose has a busy design so I wanted to give the room a little bit of breathing by having a darker, moody wall painted to match the wallpaper color without being too busy.

I went to match the color to Cox Paint. They were so nice and put a lot of effort into finding the right color… and they did! I love how the blue looks.

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For painting the ceiling and tall walls, you need a long stick to put the roller in. At the beginning, I was trying to use a stool… bad idea. A longer stick was much more useful. Also, for a darker wall, you need two coats of paint no matter what.

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For the white wall I didn’t need two coats of paint. I even tried doing another coat in some places of the wall to see if it made a difference but it didn’t. One coat was enough. I was very worried about being able to paint a true white wall by myself after reading this post that Emily Henderson wrote in her blog a couple of years ago, but because the wall was off-white already, getting the true white to shine was easy and it only required one coat. Score!

Next up, the wallpaper. I will write a post on how to install wallpaper later this month, but, in the mid-time, take my word for it… it is very, VERY hard!. I tried to do it myself but couldn’t because I am not the handiest person in the world. Lucky me, my husband is, so he took over and did most of the work installing this paper. I became his minion by applying paste, singing songs, and cheerleading along the way.

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Hygge & West gave me a nice discount on the Underwater World –Blue wallpaper that I have been wanting for this space for a while. I LOVE the copper details, crazy drawings and dark navy color for a moody look. Everybody that has been in our place since we installed it has commented on how cool the wallpaper looks. I am very, very happy with the decision. Here are some photos for your enjoyment:

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If you like what you see, would you consider following me on Instagram for the latest updates? Here is my account.

Next week: Furniture painting and building. See you then!

And, here is the link to the Week 1 post that has more before pictures and plans for the space, in case you haven’t seen them.

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Lindsey Hampton Ceramics

jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com--pantone-colors-2016This year, Serenity and Rose Quartz have been chosen as the Pantone colors of 2016.  I have noticed how pastels are showing up everywhere in design lately, don’t you think? I really like these colors, that is why I fell hard for Lindsey Hampton when I first saw her ceramic line.

(On a side note, it is interesting that Pantone sees 2016 as a serene, muted, and calm year, when, for me, 2016 has been everything but serene. This year seems like a crazy and sad time, filled with bad news, so far. Although, one of my best friends told me yesterday that she is expecting a beautiful baby, and that made me so happy!…, life starts its beautiful cycle again.)

As you might now, I have been into flower arrangements lately, so I have been searching for beautiful vases to put my flowers in. That is how I found Lindsey Hampton ceramics, which are perfect for a lot of reasons, like their beautiful shapes and nice colors (aligned with the Pantone colors of 2016).

I could have my house filled with all these ceramics and be very, VERY happy…  for a couple of days at least, because we all know material things do NOT bring happiness in the long term (cuek!). Although, as a Taurus, I might disagree with that statement sometimes.

OK, let me stop with the non-sense chit chat and I will let you enjoy this line of ceramics. Perfectly organic and mellow, just like the year 2016… not!!!
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One Room Challenge – Jest Cafe – Week 1

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Okie Dokie. Call me crazy or whatever but, with no design background, I have decided to participate in the One Room Challenge starting today! Here is a post about what this challenge is all about.

This is the thing, I love interior design and I have followed design bloggers for a while, so I am ready to take on a challenge, although, I am a little bit worried about that 6 weeks deadline to fully renovate a room with a limited budget. Does not sound easy.

My inspiration is the photo above. I have a Pinterest board filled with other inspirational pictures, but I keep on coming to this one because I LOVE that nursery. Why do I love it so much? It is bold, whimsical, and it takes you out of your comfort zone (Black for a nursery?? who would have thought!?). Also, there is a little of mismatch design in this room, don’t you think? Not sure if that rug is the obvious choice for this space, but it works!

For this One Room Challenge,  I have decided to transform my kids’ room – the ugliest room in my house- to say it is horrible is an understatement. Please, see the pictures below and judge for yourself. My feelings won’t be hurt!

DISCLAIMER: You are about to witness the ugliest children’s room that exists on planet earth. If you don’t like to look at dreadful spaces, SKIP the next 6 photos, or venture to look at them at your own risk. Just be happy to know that in 5 weeks all this ugliness will be mostly gone (hopefully).

jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com--before-photos3jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com--before-photos8 Did you spot that diaper baby in that last photo? I didn’t know he was in that picture until I uploaded the photo to my site. I’ll might just take photos of him and post them on the blog instead of going through this whole ordeal. The result would be equally as cute, don’t you think?jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com--before-photos7jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com--before-photos2jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com--before-photos5 The real challenge will be to figure out what to do with all these books:jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com--before-photos4There you go. The worst is over. Now, you can breath again.

Right in this moment you might be asking yourself what am I going to do with this space? What is the plan?

I could go for the easy choice: white walls, pastels, and gold accents, but it is not what I intend to do. The easy road is not for me, my friends.

I want a moody room with unexpected pops of color (not chosen based on the  obvious opposite “color wheel” options ), some vintage/thrift art, and “IKEA” hacks. I don’t have the budget to buy all new furniture, so some IKEA DIY transformations will have to happen around here.

Here are some of the items that I am considering using:

jestcafecom.bigscoots-staging.com---ORC-week-1--collage1.BÖJA – Pendant Light / 2. Lemon – Benjamin Moore / 3. TROFAST – Storage /

4. Campaign Bookcase / 5. Underwater World – Wallpaper / 6. Multicolored Rug /

7. Mid-Century Rocker / 8. Deep Green – Benjamin Moore/ 9. Mydal Bunk Bed

About the items with the pine finish, I am planning to paint all of them in a different color. I can’t afford the mid-century chair and the white book case, but I’ll might be able to find something similar on Craigslist if I get VERY lucky.

How do I feel about participating on this?

SCARED! I have absolutely NO experience re-decorating a room from scratch, but I do have a lot of opinions and, what I assume to be, a decent taste, so I will jump into the swimming pool (not knowing how to swim) and reach for the gold. Ha! I am ridiculous, I know.

At the end of this challenge, you will be the judge of the room. Hope you like it!

If you want to take a look at what other bloggers are doing, go to Calling It Home (lots of talent out there), and don’t hesitate to give me your opinions as I go along. I appreciate all the comments on my blog, so thank you for sharing. And thanks to Linda for organizing all this!

Wish me luck (and a little bit of vodka)!

For more, here is Week 2 – Week 3 – Week 4 of the challenge.

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