ONE ROOM CHALLENGE | FALL 2018 REVEAL
Are you ready, HEY, are you ready for this?
Are you hanging on the edge of your seat?
Out of the doorway the bullets rip, to the sound of the beat.
Sorry.... I have had Queen on repeat, obviously. Another ORC bites the dust and Y'all... it's been one for the books. Yet another vanilla box has been turned into something fun, quirky and a little more Southern Mesa style. Of the three One Room Challenges I've participated in, the bedroom has been the easiest. No tiling. No concrete. No grout. No wallpaper glue. Other than a ceiling fan face off it was relatively easy-peasy.
Let's take a little walk down memory lane to remember the bland oatmeal that was my master bedroom.
Here's the highlight reel:
-Dusty mini blinds
-Walls the color of stale bread
-90's ceiling fan complete with wall holster for the worlds bulkiest remote control
-Lackluster bedding
-Blank walls
-A hodge-podge of books and random decor
I began planning this room the day after the Spring 2018 One Room Challenge was completed. The excitement, energy and community atmosphere is addictive and I was already itching to jump into another project. The crew at One Room Challenge and Better Homes and Gardens have created such an amazing opportunity to bring together Bloggers, DIY-ers and Instagrammers who all rally around one another and complete a room renovation in six short weeks. Yep. SIX. Isn't that insane? It doesn't feel insane when you have a tribe of friends following along and encouraging you along the way.
It's exhilarating and highly addictive.
You've been warned.
ZEN
That was the buzz word I kept repeating when planning this room and I knew I wanted to incorporate the element of water in some aspect. Murals Your Way truly took my spark of an idea to the next level with the Great Wave mural. I installed their Eco-Bella, a thick, lightly textured Peel-and-Stick material and it was so SIMPLE! The mural arrived in five panels with a peel away backing and plenty of overlap allowance to make installing a breeze. I started in the far left corner and within an hour all five panels were up and smoothed flat with an old hotel room key. ( I knew that thing would come in handy) I used a sharp utility knife to trim off my excess and the hole for the window and badda-bing I was in business.
Can we take a moment to talk about the crime against humanity known as my MINI BLINDS?!?! Cue the horror film music because Y'all... IT. WAS. EWWWW.
Just when I thought I'd be the next victim in a very boring horror flick starring a mini-blind serial killer... in walked my HERO, Sunburst Shutters.
I truly enjoyed working with a local company and the family that runs it! Sunburst Shutters is right here in the Panhandle of Florida and made the entire process so simple. A short visit to my home to measure the windows and see the different material options and we were ready to rock-n-roll. The install was quick and simple and the entire staff was just phenomenal and now I feel like a Disney princess every morning when I open them up to let the Florida sunshine in! I chose their Polywood option in white with a simple and clean styled trim for the durability and lifetime warranty! Saaaaayyyyy whaaaaa? I can't even explain how much these shutters have transformed the room. I feel so grown up now!
Now that the Florida sun rays of death were under control, it was time to focus on making the bed into a meditation station that would take me to Never Never Land. I already owned the beautiful, chunky based platform bed from Wayfair but we all know it's about how you dress it right, ladies?
Keeping cool, lightweight and cozy at the top of the list I began hunting for the bedding that would pull this space together.
We'll start at the bottom. The base layer. The best sheets of my life. Molecule.
I don't wanna get all science-y on you buuuuuuut... these sheets keep you cool at night with EUCALYPTUS TREE FIBERS?!?!! 😮Oh yeah, you read that right people. These sheets have eucalyptus tree interwoven with the cotton for soft, ultra light weight sheets that feel like you're being kissed by angels. I went with the classic white Molecule TENCEL™️ Lyocell infused king sheet set and I'm never going back to plain cotton. I deserve to be kissed by angel fabric at night.
You can't just top off those angel kisses with any old duvet either. Nope. I needed the softest, yummiest cotton duvet that would hold up to Marvin 🐶 and the many washes it would inevitably need while also being cozy enough for an accidental nap while blogging.
Just kidding.
That never happens.
I was resting my eyes.
Shut up.
Back to the topic, I partnered up with the wonderful folks over at Wonder Home NYC and the most cuddly, stormy grey duvet you ever did see... They have an amazing selection of quality bedding at affordable prices to suit your budget and your napping requirements.
And before I can move on from the bedding ice cream sundae we gotta talk about the cherry on top. The pillows. The place where I lay this idea machine to recharge every night. For months now I've been waking up with a stiff neck shoulders thanks to a sad, deflated pillow. Well, folks, SAD NO MORE thanks to Downlite Bedding and their new Hanes collection of cooling pillows with a down alternative fill (because my dog is allergic to like... every kind of bird. He's soooo extra) and I have been waking up feeling like a champ! So much of a champ that I'm ready to show you the fun things you've been dying to know about.... the accessories!!!
No bed is complete without some pillows that scream PET ME, SQUEEZE ME, KARATE CHOP ME... right? I wanted yummy textures and a mix of patterns and a splash of color to break up all the grey and Cassie from Modern Clementine made me two rust colored VELVET babes that fit the bill perfectly. The soft texture is perfect and the deep orange is that perfect 1-2 punch of color that I needed. I mean..... CAN YOU EVEN??!!
To add a little more depth I added my ANaber Designs black African mud cloth printed lumbar. It gives off that surf, chill vibe that really tied all the grown up aspects together while keeping it laid back. I may or may not have squealed with delight when this bed was finally all made and put together. Never have I ever had a bed that looked this good.
What would a ZEN MASTER RETREAT be without a little aromatherapy, right? Well... I was a newbie to the whole essential oils and salt lamp train but if I'm going Zen I'm going all in! Lemme practice my OHMMMMM real quick. I added this HathaSpace marble look oil diffuser to my book shelf and with just a few drops of eucalyptus oil I'm so relaxed I forget Christmas is about to railroad us all. I love the simple design and how easy it is to just hit the button and zone out. I also added this beautiful, handmade Himalayan salt lamp from Hazantree to help purify the crazy out of me. Just kidding, but it does ionize the air as it focuses and calms your mind, boosts your immune system, improves respiration, and provides for a better night’s sleep. At this point I should be in a "Zen Coma", right?
I had my thrifting sansei, Kiova, hunt down a rice patty hat for my focal wall and she did NOT disappoint. The hex shape of this beauty is so fun and unique. I don't have the luxury of free time to thrift and find treasures so amazing shops like Gold Dust Goods do the hunting for you and have shops full of amazing finds. And speaking of treasure hunters.... my favorite rug shop in all the world.... June & Blue found me the most magical rug of all time. It's the piece that started it all. The color scheme. The idea. The dream. She scours the shops of Morocco to find one-of-a-kind vintage rugs that tell a story and pull a space together like a magical carpet should. I don't know what sorcery she uses to find them but.... it could be a magical lamp?
I replaced our outdated ceiling fan with a crisp, modern style from Casablanca and I can even control it all from my phone. Technology, man... so cool. Now I can feel hurricane force winds while inhaling eucalyptus scented air in my angle kissed bedding with my shutters keeping out the light and dreaming of catching a massive wave on the ocean. I've found my ZEN. I have my retreat. I have a place to zone out and keep driving the #JUSTCHILLNATION.
Make sure to hop on over to the official ONE ROOM CHALLENGE page to see all 20 of the featured designers and the super talented guest participants who all rolled up their sleeves and made magic happen these past 6 weeks. Sending all the heart eyes to Better Homes & Gardens for hosting this crazy train and of course, thank you to all of you for following along!
Rock On,
Christina