FORMAL LIVING ROOM MAKEOVER | ONE ROOM CHALLENGE: WEEK 4

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With two weeks to go in this Fall’s One Room Challenge, it’s officially crunch time. The to-do list ahead looms large! Fortunately, I have always done my best work with a deadline pressing.

If you found me through the ORC site, hello! I’m Carly, a SAHM and blogger living & loving life on the West Coast and renovating our 1912 Craftsman one DIY at a time. If you missed the plan for this formal living room makeover, catch up here: Week 1: Before Photos & Design Plan. Or pop on over to instagram and watch the process in live time throughout the week in my stories.

It was another ORC slow week as I continued my recuperation from last week’s health scare. However we got back to the tools Wednesday and made some significant progress on the built-in cabinets.

They’re installed but still require finishing details – face frames and shaker style doors are still to be built.

I literally squealed when I saw them in place. They make the space look so much wider and honestly look like they should have always been there. These windows always looked too small and high, but with the cabinets anchoring them they finally look proportionate. Scale is everything in a space, and without the built in the windows just looked tiny and insignificant.

Fireplace Makeover

The red fireplace tile received a fresh coat of Benjamin Moore Onyx. In my instagram stories this week the vote was 10:1 for matte paint over pearl, but I went with the glossier finish. I think the pearl more closely replicates the look of a finished tile. Also, looking at the space as a whole, there are not many reflective elements and I think a bit of sheen will add a bit of depth to the room.

While my list of tasks is already too long, I’m also considering adding another to the list – reworking the fireplace mantle. In Week Two we removed the pillars around the mantle, and now the mantle feels too narrow and small. The fact that it is wood only highlights its poor scale (remember, scale is everything!), so I’m thinking of replacing the mantle and painting it white.

Here are a few mantles I’m loving. They are subtle and painted the same colour as the rest of the fireplace surround.

What do you think of these inspiration fireplaces? I’d love to hear your thoughts on what to do with the mantle!

DIY Tree Stump Side Table

I’ve also begun work on the DIY tree stump side table. If you saw my mood board, my inspiration piece was this gorgeous West Elm side table. I was lucky enough to find a stump at my in-law’s property from a tree that had fallen in a storm last winter. It had been kept outdoors but under cover and was in pretty good shape!

I specifically chose a piece that had a fair bit of variation in its width and shape. The perfectly round ones just seemed to boring to me. I’ll add a full how-to tutorial on the process once I sort out exactly how to execute this DIY.

For now, the bark has been removed, the branches were removed with a Dremel, and now I am in the process of sanding the piece.

Next Up

Next week will be making the cabinet frames and doors, laying shoe mouldings, finishing the side table, and perhaps even beginning the DIY coffee table. It’s going to be a busy two weeks to reveal day!

Come follow along in my instagram stories if you want to see the project unfold in real time.

xo,

P.S. – You can check out the ORC featured designers and the other guest participants here. Scope out their incredible transformations, I am loving following along!

WEEK 1 | WEEK 2 | WEEK 3 | WEEK 4 | WEEK 5 | WEEK 6