One Room Challenge Begins! Week 1
Talk about procrastination. I have known about the One Room Challenge for quite a while and thought it would be an amazing experience to participate in. Spring 2020 ORC has finally arrived in the midst of covid19, and everyone, myself included, could not be more excited to give attention and time towards our creative side. It is now the last day of week 1 (mother’s day), 10:59pm. The dust from today’s festivities has settled and I am writing my first blog entry, based on the highlights and progress of week 1 ORC. So…truthfully, I haven’t physically done anything to the room as of yet. I have been thinking and deciding the direction of the design. And ready or not, here I go! I am excited to be joining this amazing group of people, designing their hearts out in front of the world. I have chosen my master bedroom to be my 1st ever ORC! Why, do you ask? Because I feel, it is so truly important to love your bedroom. This is the perfect place to let your personality and style takeover. And that’s exactly what I intend on doing.
So for all you other 1st timers, you might ask…well what is the “ORC” ? It is the One Room Challenge, where designers, DIYers and anyone adventurous enough to redesign a space can do so during an 8 week period with the support and companionship of the masses. Participants share a weekly progress blog and hammer through till the end design to meet the deadline.
In the midst of the world dealing with Covid19 it is imperative that we find ways to satisfy our creative soul. We are blessed to be a part of this event and many thanks and appreciation goes out to Linda from Calling It Home, who has been working tirelessly with her team to make this happen. And ofcourse a huge thank you to the Media sponsors, Better Homes & Gardens for always putting out a binge-worthy reading.
As I mentioned above,
Mother’s Day was a whirlwind today. My 3-yr old son Andreas and my o-so-amazing husband Carlos treated me to a 5-star breakfast which obviously included mimosas. After an eventful day filled with lots of laughter I can sit back and say I am truly blessed to have a life filled with love. My husband loves me so much he willingly participates in all my crazy design ideas. Well maybe not always willingly but we make it happen. Together, we have been able to do a major renovation to our new home, which we purchased in the summer of 2019 in Long Island, NY. Unfortunately, I have completely neglected my bedroom, but that stops now.
Moodboard:
Thinking of a Master Plan:
1) ORGANIC- We are a nature loving family, and love bringing nature into our home. So what better than that for inspo?! While living in Puerto Rico, Carlos’s native island, for a short time (about 3 years ago) , I seriously fell in love with the island’s beauty. I have endless photos of our Casa de Campo (country house) which sits atop a mountain and is surrounded by luscious rainforest landscape. I’d love to envelope myself with that feeling every morning, here in NY. It seems that Lenny Kravitz had the same idea of bringing natures beauty inside his walls. He commisioned artist Chris Wyrick to mural images of his Brazilian plantation throughtout his home. Wyrick’s technique has stuck with me and I hope to utilize it for my own vision. Below is a photo of Casa De Campo, one I plan to use for imagery. Might I also add, we exchanged our vows in this magical place so naturally it is dear to my heart.
2)ETHNIC BOHO - Traveling is our pastime, and I try to pickup treasures along my travels, which retain a feeling of its origins. I definitely have a collection of special pieces that are waiting for their permanent home here within my home. I am planning to incorporate bold patterns and colors in the bed and/or bedding. The windows are old, and in odd location therefore a simple window treatment will be my first approach.
3) VINTAGE - And lastly, vintage pieces utilized in a modern approach, in order to keep things poppin. Several of my current furniture pieces are vintage or thrifted, and I will be finding ways to use them. For example, my dresser and one nightstand were thrifted, and not in great shape. I have touched them up in the past, changed hardware and given them new life.
Current situation:
The room right now is a complete mishmash. Theres crackling old paint on the walls, ancient roller shades, and multiple layers of unsightliness. I am planning to do a black and white graphic on the walls, I have been investigating several techniques and artists for inspo. I will be bringing in some traditional ethnic fabrics and rugs. Beyond that, everything is still up in the air. I promise to kick it into high gear this upcoming week though. I have some catching up to do for sure.
If I have kept your interest up until this point then I hope you can leave a comment and also follow along on my design jourmey. Also be sure to check out the ORC ORC BLOG and ORC Instagram and explore the 20 official participants and the rest of the guest participants. This is going to be a hell of a week so hang on tight and lets get this party started.