What an incredible experience! I thoroughly enjoyed decorating and designing our living room and dining room. I know we will use these spaces much more than before. I picture birthday dinners and Sunday morning brunches around the dining room table with my family. I see many game nights, coffee mornings, girls’ nights, and afternoon daydreaming happening in our new living room. I may have bit off more than I could chew on this challenge, but I was determined to tackle this open area floor plan all at one time.
What was accomplished in a week? A LOT!
- Installed wallpaper in both the living room and dining room
- Removed the old chandelier and installed the new one
- Replaced four can lights
- Laid the new rugs down with rug pads. Rug in the living room and rug in the dining room.
- Cleaned and rearranged furniture
- Found a fabulous antelope antique side chair
- Reupholstered wingback chairs were delivered (Fine Touch Furniture Restoration)
- Removed old fabric and recovered 10 dining room chairs
- Added greenery arrangements and flowers with the help of my mom.
- Cleaned and decorated the china cabinet. Added these lights on the inside here.
- Arranged items on my open shelves with the help of my sister in law Chrisa and friend Jeni. I installed these picture lights for above the shelves. I added acrylic double sided frames too.
- Added some decorative elements throughout the room.
- Spray painted some goodwill vases
- Ordered some finds off Etsy to fill my shelves
- A few items I ordered that haven’t been delivered: Sideboard, frame tv, ginger jars, Staffordshire dogs, and a martini table.
Before and After Pictures (aka my favorite part)
The ORC is a fantastic experience! I’d definitely do it again, and I’d highly recommend giving it a go. I am most proud of how my box molding turned out. It looks polished and perfect for this room. I feel like the rooms ooze Allie Shay in all the best ways. I can’t wait to enjoy these rooms with my friends and family.
Things I wouldn’t do next time:
I would not change room plans a week before the start date, and I would start planning at least a month or two in advance. I would wrap up any client projects as well before starting a full room makeover.
Order items well enough in advance. We are still waiting on a few late arrivals to do our finishing touches. “After all, tomorrow is another day,” said the beloved Scarlett O’Hara.
I hope you had a chance to find new friends to follow along with during the One Room Challenge. Check out all the before and afters here on reveal week for the ORC!
And lastly, a big THANK YOU! Thank you for answering the polls, sending me finds that I’d love, encouraging me, and joining the fun at Pinch Me, I’m Home!
Absolutely fantastic–one of the best ORC transformations I’ve ever seen. You did so much and with two complete rooms! I’m sure you’ll enjoy the new spaces for years to come. And thank you for showing us how to calculate and install box molding!
Thank you so much for all the kind words Susan! What a compliment! If you need any help with box molding or have further questions let me know. I’d love to help. I know we will have lots of great memories in these spaces.
“Such a stunning spring ORC reveal! The transformation is absolutely beautiful and inspiring. Great job on the design and execution! – Nicole Bates”
Thank you Nicole!
Anna: “Spring ORC Reveal was such a fantastic experience! I had so much fun decorating and designing our living room and dining room. I can’t wait to see how it all comes together in the end.”