Welcome back to Week #3 of the One Room Challenge with Calling It Home! I’ve been following along with the six week renovation Challenge from home, and we have been re-doing the boring white hallway that was filled with glass shelving, white carpet, and track lighting. We gutted it and we’re transforming it into a more useable space. In case you missed the first two weeks, you can catch up and see the Floor Plan and Design Perspective I created for this space from Week #2. Using my PINTEREST board filled with inspirational playrooms and homework centers, I created a budget friendly space for our three kiddos. So, construction has been happening! If you missed last week, here is the Mood Board I came up with to create a neutral, industrial inspired space:
So this is the week to get the main projects done. But I’m not gonna be there! W are taking our crew to sunny Florida, where we will be hanging on the beach all week! We stuck around Michigan while it snowed all Spring Break, but now it is finally our turn to be the sunny bunnies. So we had to get all of our projects done BEFORE we left. (While packing for five, chasing down the perfect travel snacks, and trying to track down the googles from last summer. Nope, never did find them!).
But we made it! And here’s all we got accomplished:
Luckily I had everything pre-planned and pre-scheduled, and thank goodness my hubby had gone to the lumber yard a few days ago with my list in hand. All of the lumber needed for the shiplap was sitting pre-cut in the space. And we installed our hardwood floors LAST week. So I’ll be honest, with everything going on getting ready for Florida, I’m a little light on photos for this week…forgive me!
We had already installed wideplank, hand-scraped natural hickory flooring in several rooms of our home already last year. At the time, my hubby and I finally narrowed it down after looking at dozens of choices. It ended up being both of our second choices, because that is compromise baby! My husband says it is the color of crumbs: perfect! Here is it on the board at the store:
And here is the finished product laid out, isn’t she pretty? I love the wild variations in it-just like our three kids!
Once all of the shelves were removed, it was time to paint those plain jane walls. I’m sort of infamous for mixing existing paint colors I already own to save money on paint. So I literally combined a gray color and blue color to create this cool gray paint for the walls. So I don’t have a paint color name for you, but it is always nice to save some money! (Just be sure to make sure there is enough leftover for touch-ups later, and label the can!) Here I am in my painting jammies:
I was super excited for the next step, it was time to install the ship lap walls! There are a million ways to do this, and I was (of course) looking for the most economical way to do this, because in this case, I really did want to the rustic look. So I sent my hubby to the lumberyard and he purchased three sheets of 4’x8′ of MDF that were 1/2″ thick. We chose 1/2″ because it would be easier to install on the walls, and it would be thin enough to die into the existing baseboard. He had the lumberyard rip down the boards into 7 1/2″ high pieces that were 8′ long. Most places will do this for free or at a minimal cost. It is always nice to cut down on labor on site! We bought four boards at $22/ea so all of the material cost for this wall was $88!
Our MDF boards were glued down with adhesive and then nailed with trim nails. We left a small gap in between the boards for that farmhouse inspired look. You can choose to fill the nail holes, but I am going to leave them exposed for a rustic look. Normally, I would suggest painting the boards AHEAD of time! It would work best to not only paint the front face but all four sides as well since it will be tricky to get into those small crevices. However, since I was in bed with the flu, I simply didn’t get the chance before installation day came. So I think I may have a little bit of extra work on my end when painting it.
The sconces had been hardwired into place before the shiplap was installed. If you missed it on the Mood Board, I chose these Barn Light Style Sconces that were only $69 each. I loved all of the high-end ones that I found online, at places like Barn Light Electrical, but they usually ran several hundred dollars. These sconces mimicked the look, but came in an oil rubbed bronze finish that I didn’t love. When I purchased them, I planned on painting them on site. Here’s what they looked like when I bought them:
Okay, even designers make mistakes. I love the color turquoise so I hand painted all three sconces this bright color. But once they were up, I realized they really took away from the neutral look I was intending from the beginning. I should have stuck to the plan. So we put the lights up, but then I re-painted them using a black matte paint. I also painted in between all of the gaps of the planks:
And the exciting news of the week was my Shades of Light fixture came, so we installed that as well! If you don’t remember, we had some oh-so-not-attractive track lighting here before (I’m trying to forget). But here is my new beauty! It is from the Young Love Collection and was only $79!
Wow, so the big construction jobs are now done. So it’s up to me to do some serious painting this week! At least I’ll have a tan now while doing it! For this coming week the projects are:
Paint the Ship Lap Walls
Wall touch-up Paint
Create a DIY Rug
Put together Desk and Chairs
Create DIY Vintage Flashcards
Stay tuned for next week when all of the fun starts: We’re getting our desk and chairs going! Check out all the progress on the 20 Designers at One Room Challenge!
Want to see behind-the-scenes photos of this project PLUS tons of free designs tips and ideas? Let’s play over on Facebook and Instagram!
And if you’re like me and love to see inside OTHER people’s homes (you know my secret, I could have been a real estate agent if I wasn’t a designer!), check out my Postbox Projects HERE
Kathy says
You’re cute! I love seeing bloggers in their photos. Great progress. Can’t wait to see the finished space!! That light fixture is really pretty.
Nancy @ Slightly Coastal says
Wow! I’m loving how that wall is coming together! You totally made the right call on the lights, especially after I see the Shades of Light fixture up. I can’t wait to see your reveal. I know it is going to be a stunner.
Nancy
PostboxDesigns says
Thanks so much Nancy…my love for turquoise gets the better of me sometimes! 🙂
Laura says
I love what you are doing.
This is so much fun to follow your progress! You are well on your way and everything is lovely.
I hope you will share this today at Thoughts of Home on Thursday.
Just stop by my blog to join in.
Enjoyed visiting,
Laura
White Spray Paint
Brit | House Updated says
Kristin it is looking so good! Love the walls and the lights and the floors – okay everything!
Sarah Sofia Knepp says
Kristin, I’m blown away at all you’ve accomplished at the 3 week mark! The wooden plank wall looks AMAZING, and I love your design plan and light fixture! What a cool space to create for your kids! Go enjoy sunny FL, ORC will still be here when you get back. 🙂 Let’s do this! XOXO, Sarah
PostboxDesigns says
Sarah, Thanks so much! It was nice to get a lot done before leaving…we are now officially back from the high of the surf and sand…back to work! 🙂
Lizzie @ Living Pretty says
Good call on repainting the lights – I love turquoise too but they’re lovely in black. It’s going to look so good when it’s all done – I’m so impressed with everything you’ve done so far!
PostboxDesigns says
Thank-you so much Lizzy! Sometimes it is hard to restrain myself from color and just go neutral! 🙂
Tara @ Lehman lane says
Wow, I love those wide plank hickory floors Kristin! Gorgeous. Your ship lap wall looks great too. Can’t wait to see your finished space!!!
PostboxDesigns says
Thank you so much Tara, I’m excited to have a finished space soon! 🙂