One Room Challenge: Week 1 (the Before Shots)

I’m thrilled to be taking part in the One Room Challenge again! A huge thank you to Linda at Calling it Home for organizing the event and inviting me back. I worked on our bedroom and den last time; both are right next to each other on the second floor. Going to sleep and waking up in a finished space is especially nice, but what’s that just beyond the door? Oh, right. A hallway that still looks like this after we rewired the second and third floors of the Victorian.

So as I was thinking of which space I wanted to do this time, everything just felt wrong when we still had glaring issues along that hallway. Conduit along the ceiling! Holes everywhere! Bare bulbs and missing light fixtures!

But is that really enough of a ‘room’ for the One Room Challenge? After working simultaneously on two spaces for the ORC last time, just doing a hallway seemed way too easy. Hmmm… What if I do the hallway and down the back stairs, out to the back door. We’ve never touched that space, and it could really use some help.

That’s more like it. Now we’ve got some work to do. Ah, but what about the front entry? It doesn’t need all that much, but wouldn’t it be nice if the front and back door hardware matched? Plus I’d been thinking of changing the paint color again and I hadn’t gotten around to swapping out the light fixtures yet. Let’s add that to the mix.

OK, the front entry, up the stairs, down the hallway, and down again to the back door. Wait, maybe I should update the third floor hallway too? It isn’t as awful as the second floor hall, but it is in need of some repair. I was already planning on changing the sconces up there and the doors could use a bit of love at the same time.

The front entry, up the stairs, down the hallway on the second and third floors, down the stairs, and out the back door. Have I made enough work for myself yet? Yes? Good. All of the connecting spaces together at once. I’ve been planning the design, but work hasn’t started and will be progressing in real time. Six weeks! Six weeks to do all of this…

• Repair Walls and Ceilings
  back entry and stairway: fix cracked plaster, patch holes
  2nd floor hallway: patch holes, new drywall framed, hung, and taped
  3rd floor hallway: patch holes

• Stairs
  front stairway, second to third floor: remove old carpeting, repair treads (as needed), install new runners after painting
  back stairway, basement to third floor: remove old carpeting, repair treads (as needed), install new runners after painting

• Prime and Paint
  front entry and stairway: walls, ceiling, stairs (second to third floor)
  back entry and stairway: walls, ceiling, door, trim, stairs (basement to third floor), railing and spindles
  2nd floor hallway: ceiling, doors, trim
  3rd floor hallway: walls, ceiling, doors, trim

• Hang Wallpaper
  2nd floor hallway: walls

• New Door Hardware
  front entry: door knob and deadbolt
  back entry: door knob and deadbolt
  3rd floor hallway: door knobs, hinges

• Window Treatments
  throughout: roman shades

• Install Lighting Fixtures
  front entry: two pendants
  back entry and stairway: pendant and two sconces
  2nd floor hallway: four flush mount fixtures, three sconces
  3rd floor hallway: flush mount fixture, sconce

You know. Plus the pretty stuff. Lamps, art, furniture, all that.

I’m going to get more into the design details next Wednesday, but for now, I’ll leave you with my color inspiration. The red and pink sandstone of Hawa Mahal in Jaipur, India.

Images: 1 • 2 • 3

It’s going to be so good! Every single room in this big old Victorian feeds off of these connecting spaces. Getting these right is going to make a huge difference.

Follow along with the One Room Challenge participants!

• Jana Bek • Chris Loves Julia • Shannon Claire • Coco.Kelley • The Curated House • Driven by Décor • The English Room • From the Right Bank • Sherry Hart • Hi Sugarplum • House of Jade • Hunted Interior • The Makerista • Making it Lovely • Marcus Design • Pencil & Paper Co. • Megan Pflug • Place of My Taste • Suburban B’s • Waiting on Martha • Media Partner House Beautiful • TM by CIH

My One Room Challenge Posts

Follow along from the beginning!
• Week 1: The Before Shots • Week 2: The Design Plan • Week 3: Work Very Much in Progress • Week 4: Those Stairs, That Hall • Week 5: When it Rains, it Pours • Weed 6: Final Reveal!

p.s. If this sounds like the kind of thing that would motivate you to work on a room of your own, join in as a guest!