One Room Challenge Week 6: Drywall, Painting, Chair DIY, and Final Choices
This week was a BUSY one, it was one of those weeks that flew by and yet seemed to last forever. However busy it was with clients and classes we managed to get a good amount done, which is a good thing considering there’s ONLY two weeks left of the One Room Challenge. If you haven’t yet, please check out all of the amazing projects from guest participants from around the world. There are so many good ones! On to the recap of our week 6.
This week has been such a whirlwind I have almost forgotten what happened. We’ll start with the China Cabinet. This little beauty has received a coat of primer and two coats of Black Cabinet & Trim paint by Behr. We sanded in between coats. To be honest I am very much over sanding BUT it’s not done yet because the cabinet is going to need a third coat which means one more sanding round. Then that’s that. It’s ok, we’ll make it. We put the first coat on with a ¼” nap roller. We weren’t crazy about the texture it left so the second coat went on with a very nice brush and that’s the same treatment the third coat will get. Here’s a peak at what it looks like with 2 coats, as you can see a third one is needed but isn’t she pretty?
One of the most exciting things that happened this week is a brand new drywall ceiling! The original plaster had cracked so much that it looked like a puzzle, I am over the moon to see that gone. It has been mudded, sanded, and painted. It is now ready for the electrician to come back on Monday and install our Moroccan Lanterns. I can’t wait!
Drywall gets some mud before it’s sanded and painted.
Painting was the theme of the week and we managed to get 2 coats of Sparkling Emerald by Behr on 2 of the walls before the drywall on the ceiling was installed. Right now there are drop cloths over the walls in preparation for the ceiling molding and stencil to be painted, but you can get an idea of what it looks like in the background of the above pictures. We have always had one wall painted in this, originally my “feature wall” until I decided to be bold and paint the entire room. Sometimes bolder is better. We have one more wall to do this weekend before the electrician comes.
One of the most fun projects we wrapped up this week (pun intended) was wrapping the side dining chairs in the beautiful cotton cord that came from Unfettered Co. It took a bit of finagling, in all honestly more like 4 hours of wrapping and unwrapping. We finally figured out exactly what needed to be done to use only 2 balls of the cord per chair. I love the results, they stay true to the chair while giving them a different look and making them more cohesive with the Moroccan inspired design of the rest of the room,. They aren’t finished yet, as soon as the fabric arrives we will be reupholstering the seats and making some extra special touches to really tie them into the rest of the room. In the end I hope that they will look and feel much different than they did.
This week we finalized some decisions that were hanging over our head like the fabric for the chairs and the never ending rug search. I had to finally realize that the rug I really wanted for the dining room is just out of my budget, but I’m ready for a new rug and a red rug at that. Red and green are complimentary colors, though it can read very holiday-ish, if done right it can be the perfect addition. I was looking for a rug that had diamond shapes in it, as that reminds me of the henna that was on some of the Berber women’s hands we met in Zagora. I was also looking for a rug with black and some of the other colors we are using in the room, I wanted the rug to stand out but also act as a bit of reference point for the other colors in the room without being to matchy. So 100,000 rugs later, I narrowed it down to 8 and then James helped talk me through the different choices until we made a decision together. We also received all of our fabric swatches and made a choice. We both thought the diamond/railroad print worked best and again the diamond echoed the memory of the henna. As I tell my spouse all the time, there is a method to my madness.
And #3 for the Win!
We went with the larger diamond pattern on the left.
Next week the lanterns will be hung, the cabinet will be completely painted and the gilded hardware and doors reinstalled, the walls and moldings will be completely painted, the captain chairs wrapped as well as the special touches for the chairs, and the ceiling stencil made and started on the ceiling, There’s still lots to do before week 8. Thank you for following along with us and our One Room Challenge adventure. Please be sure to visit One Room Challenge and their sponsor Apartment Therapy.
Cheers,
Karen
