One Room Challenge - Week 6 Spring 2020: DIY Projects - Make It Your Own
Welcome back! We are still in Phase 4 of our design process – Construction & Project Management and getting ready to enter into the final step of the design process - The Installation. In my last post , I talked with you all about my finish selections and gave you a preview into the construction happening. We’ve made such great progress with painting and my subcontractor painted all of the walls and ceiling and even installed new base board trim this past weekend – and guys… it looks amazing already. My space feels so different… the project is really coming together.
One of the things I’ve really came to appreciate during this One Room Challenge is the chance to flex my creativity muscle – in designing, sourcing and problem solving. This week, I want to shift from working with a contractor to talking a bit about some of the DIY (do it yourself)/custom projects that I’ll be taking on to complete this project.
To start the fireplace is an anchoring piece and was the first DIY project we embarked on and completed (I know I’m calling it DIY, but it takes a great deal of skill to design and construction such a prominent architectural detail… so be sure to seek a professional for something of that scale). Ok, now that my disclaimer is out of the way… lol! last week I shared the construction and plan for the fireplace but are you ready to see the final product now that we have drywall and paint??!
Here it is!!!
I’m so excited! I literally sat in my living room and stared at it this weekend. It is all that I imagined and more. I am so excited to mount our television and electric fireplace this week. I think what makes this piece so unique is the finish. As mentioned previously I really wanted to channel Parisian architecture and decided to go with a paint on the fireplace with a plaster-like finish. Something that could look both old and new. So we went with a brand that I’ve admired for some time now, Portola Paint. This product we used is the Roman Clay product in the color Black Star. Look at that texture!
A smaller scale DIY project that I tackled during this phase was a Gallery Wall. I wanted to honor and highlight my family’s history past and present and thought a gallery wall in the entry of our home was a perfect place to display that, as it’s the first thing our guests will see when entering the home. This project cost me almost nothing, only the cost to print a few pictures at our local Walgreens. This is because I used picture frames that I already owned throughout our home. The only problem with this, was my frames were many different colors and shades; silver, gold, brown and black. So, I had to find a way to create cohesion.
Pro Tip: When creating a gallery wall you can create cohesion by using similar colors, shapes or sizes throughout. In this case I decided on using color to bring everything together. Color in both the picture frames and the colors in the photos. I spray painted 16 frames I had around the house matte black and printed all of my family photos the same hue of black and white.
Another DIY project I’ve tackled is sewing a few custom accessories. I dusted off my sewing machine and created two pillows for a set of accent chairs in the living room and fabric napkins for my dining room place setting, from this beautiful Kuba cloth (Kuba cloth is made of raffia palm leaves and it will add a natural texture throughout which I love).
In design projects I tend to say that window treatments are like your eyebrows on your face (lol!) You have to get them just right. They can frame a room beautifully. Custom drapes are great because you can work with a designer to hand select the best fabric(s), construction, and size for your space. For my dining room, I really wanted to incorporate a geometric pattern with lots of texture. But I had a hard time finding the exact fabric that I wanted for custom drapes and was running out of time. So after a while, I searched and searched for a store made option and still no luck until I stubbed upon these beautiful drapes at Target! Dining Room Curtains .Talk about a deal. I loved the pattern, texture and fabric, but I wasn’t a fan of the grommet holes. So I got creative and partnered with our custom window treatment workroom to change the tops of the panels from grommet to pinched pleat. Stay tuned for final photos!!!
Pro Tip: To create a dramatic impact and add the illusion of height, be sure to install your rod and drapes a few inches above and few inches wider than your window.
There were many other small DIY projects along the way like spray painting a collage of candelabras for a beautiful all black centerpiece for my dining table to painting a side table that I previously owned to reuse in the space. I truly believe that reusing items this way makes for a great narrative in your home. The idea of mixing the old with the new is exciting and interesting.
Don’t forget to visit the other featured and guest participants’ projects for more design tips and inspiration. Click Here
Talk with you next week!
XoXo,
Rasheeda Gray
