For those of you who know me I am not a very patient person. When I found out the one room challenge was already underway I had to get involved immediately! The next ORC isn’t for another six months and I just couldn’t wait that long! Not only is this my first time participating, but I’m at a 4 week disadvantage! I live for a challenge 😝😃😉
My house has been undergoing lots of changes in recent months due to me leaving the business world/fashion industry and returning home full-time. Needless to say my house was ridiculously neglected for far too long. Even though I have simultaneously been redecorating every room of my house I decided to focus my attention over the next few weeks on our home office area.
This is the one room I had not put any attention towards. I just haven’t had the inspiration UNTIL I reupholstered my grandmothers antique sofa she gave me.
This sofa has been sitting in our basement for over a year. I was excited about the idea of refinishing it but, seeing that I had never reupholstered anything before I was super intimidated!
I had watched a couple of videos a year ago but really had no idea what I was getting myself into. Tearing off the old upholstery and padding was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time! What if I could never get this beautiful piece of furniture back to looking like its glory days?
After several hours of work it was finally complete!
Taaaadaaaa!! A luscious, creamy white, furry, antique sofa complete and ready to welcome on some bold and beautiful pillows!
*Now I must say this! For anyone out there who wants to try to reupholster for the first time, I would highly recommend using fur! All the fuzziness hides the imperfections so beautifully you wouldn’t know there were any!
I’m not sure yet how well it will hold up, but I’m hoping for a long term furry masterpiece and not a scary matted mess. Maybe I should brush it periodically. 😜 Does anyone have experience with fur covered seating?
Sooooo anyways, now that I have this gorgeous sofa it was time to start clearing out the room and build my story board.
We have A LOT of books!! It took an entire evening just sorting through these babies and deciding what to keep and what to give away.
Now here is a snapshot of some of the gooey goodness that will be part of this remodel! Ok maybe not literally gooey, but good nonetheless.
I love bohemian eclectic design because it allows for so much creativity. This office space will be a mixture of bold color, overload of texture, old traditional pieces mingled with new, sequins, fur, and natural elements. So just about anything and everything!
There are definitely some challenges with designing this space. As you could see in the before image it is actually an open area upstairs that overlooks our living room. It is rather skinny and long so my sofa barely squeezed in right where I wanted it.
I would love to spruce the space up with a fresh coat of paint, but because it is not a separate room from the rest of our open floor plan that was not an option. As much as I would love to repaint our entire house we cannot afford to do that right now. I racked my brain with all the ways I could still make a big statement and decided to create an accent wall with a gorgeous yet removable wallpaper. I’ve been swooning over this print for months!
This was my first time trying out this new phenomenon of removable wallpaper and it was incredibly easy to install! I bought all that was in stock at my local store, but it was still not enough so I had to order more online. I am waiting for the rest of it to show up. Hoping and praying it shows up before the great 6 week ORC reveal!
Another challenge was that my husband did have some stipulations on the design. I don’t blame him and am happy for his input seeing that this is his home too. He didn’t want me painting the bookcase…
Aaaaaand, I had to keep the large work of art that he had custom framed a few years ago. This art piece will actually turned out to be a major focal point on one wall. Just expect the unexpected though…. You will be surprised how I use it!
I am taking the liberty of painting this desk and boy I can’t wait to see it finished!!
What do you think about this color?!?! I’m gitty!!!
There are so many more things I want to share but I’m going to restrain myself for now! The best part about this challenge is not only do I get to share it with you, but I’m doing it on a shoestring budget. It is so rewarding to design a space by repurposing, remaking and recycling items I already own or have found at yard sales/fleamarket’s. At the end of all of this I will add up what I’ve spent on this project and let you know how I came out. I think you will be surprised at how beautiful a space can turn out even when designing on a dime!
To see all the inspiring guest participants click on the link below….starting Thursday morning when everyone gives updates to their week 4 of the One Room Challenge!!
Until next time…Dreamers keep on dreaming!
Samantha Miller Interiors 