ONE ROOM CHALLENGE
Welcome to week 6 of the fall 2017 One Room Challenge! This week was a bonus week as this is typically a six week challenge; that leaves one more week to go! I clearly was unprepared for the extra week as I am 4 days late with an update. I am happy that the extra time was provided because it gave me time to do a little more DIY!
PROJECT RECAP
The downstairs half bath is starting to look so great. In week one I presented my design plan. In week two I painted the trim and window. In week three I painted the walls. In week four I painted the bathroom cabinet. In week 5 the husband and I installed a new toilet and I sewed new window curtains. Want to read more? You can catch up clicking the links below:
Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4| Week 5
WEEK SIX | DECOR
Before this project officially started, I went shopping. I had a vague idea of how I wanted the room to look when it was done. I went in search of the items that would complete my vision. I knew that I wanted to replace the photo and frame that was currently on the wall. Who wouldn’t? It was a pretty image, but not right for this space. For one, it is too large. Secondly, the dark frame only added to the cave-like feeling of the room. (Can you believe that this was ever my bathroom?)
My vision included something with a little punch of color, but not something with too much color as it may compete with the window curtains. It also had to go with the dark green granite counter top of the cabinet. Additionally, it could not be too dark or serious. My goal was light and bright.
As I was shopping, I snapped photos with my phone so I could text them to the husband for his feedback. He is awful to shop with; it was much more fun to go alone. (He simply does not understand how I can spend hours looking at similar items.) Here were some of my favorite choices:
I picked out a framed image and brought it home. As the project progressed, I realized that one thing wasn’t enough. It is a small space, but it still needed more. I had the image over the back of the toilet. It was pretty when you walked in. Mission was accomplished. However, once you turned away to actually use the bathroom, there was nothing but blank wall in front of you.
I really wanted bright and light, not boring. Somehow I was building a space that was pretty, but boring.
I had three little black frames from our home in Florida. I had them framed with images from a book I had picked up many years ago. It was a coffee table book that I had cut up in order to decorate my home on the cheap. The images were nice enough that I still have framed images up right now. For example, here is the one that I typically have in my entry way:
THE PROJECT
I removed the back, image, mat, and glass from each frame. I then lightly sanded each frame in order to get the paint to stick. I cleaned each frame because you don’t want to paint over dust. I took them outside and put them on top of existing paint cans. I proceeded to spray paint them with a white satin paint and primer spray paint. The issue? It was taking forever. The spray paint can recommends using this type of paint if the temperature is greater than 50 degrees. We have been hovering at 45 degrees. I had to bring my endeavor inside.
Spray painting inside is never a good idea. Even if the perfect conditions exist, the paint can travel and get everywhere. EVERYWHERE! It just sounds like a bad idea, like painting your nails red on a white sofa: not a good idea.
It took my little project into the dining room, where the temperature is a warm 70 degrees. I then proceeded to use some of my existing self-leveling cabinet paint to paint each frame. This was a view of my work station/dining room table:
I was careful to put down plastic so I didn’t risk getting paint on the table. I continued to use the top of paint cans to rest the frames on between coats. This turned out to be a great idea. The paint that got on the underside did not end up sticking to anything. This was great news. I ran into this issue when I was painting the shelves of my built-in cabinets (you can read that post here) and it took a lot of effort to correct the issue: sanding, repainting, sanding, repainting, etc.
A close up of my handy work.
The next step was to find artwork to frame. I used three Stanley Bielen images. (You can learn more about Stanley Bielen here.) I chose images based on the color scheme. I wanted some link back to the dark green of the granite counter top, but not so much so that it was overwhelming. I also liked the pops of pink, yellow, and blue.
THE REVEAL
The best part of every project is the reveal. Here is a close up of each of the frames:
Here is a full view of the three frames together:
The view you see when you enter the room:
NEXT WEEK
Next week is our final reveal…for real this time. I know it wasn’t part of the plan, but my husband surprised me with a lovely gift for the room. Here is a sneak peak of his gift. Come back on Wednesday to see the entire room!
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