One Room Challenge Fall 2017 - WK 1

Well looky loo who’s back?!  As I live and breathe, I simply cannot, for the life of me, believe that I am voluntarily jumping back on the ORC link bandwagon.  Committing to the One Room Challenge™ is knowing that for the next six weeks, I am basically subjecting myself to something akin to self-flagellation.

I have participated in three - one of which I was one of the 20 featured designers - and have sort of lived to tell the tale each time.  And while my marriage was truly tested – the mister and I do our own work – my tiny postage stamp of a house is better for each one.  The One Room Challenge™ is just that, a challenge.  It is not a contest ( ahem, Mom ) but rather a challenge to design and finish a room within six weeks.  All organized by superstar Linda of Calling It Home, who, over the course of 12 seasons, has been personally responsible for inspiring over 1,700 transformations and garnering major media attention along with generous sponsors!

So I am officially dusting off my design duster and reviving the blog to address a loooong overdue makeover.  So overdue, in fact, since I promised it right after finishing my first ORC in 2013.

For the first ORC as a guest participant I made over my bedroom into a moody layered retreat.  4 years later and I have not changed a thing.  One of my most shared projects to date that ultimately found its way onto House Beautiful’s website.  Totally pinch me moment.

For my second ORC, I was invited to be one of the featured 20 designers which was totally mind blowing given all the talent.  I felt a lot like Molly Ringwald sewing my own damn prom dress with no date.  That go round it was a soft reno of the kitchen.

The last ORC I did a few years ago again as a guest was my Auntie Mame inspired bathroom.  It is by far my absolute favorite as it is completely and totally me.  All the saturated and layered gestures in one fell swoop.

As with every ORC, we do all the work ourselves so things take For Like Ever.  And it always seems to come down to the nail-biting wire with paint going up the night before.  Budget is always tight but that’s how my mister makes me roll.  Hello, I’m Greek, and my last two nickels would burn a hole in my pocket.

Without further ado, on to this ORC…

A high spirited 9 year old with a penchant for bold strokes, pattern, purple and glitter.  Can get down with the first two, but, um, no glitter.  Like ever.  And the dreaded purple.  Hate purple. Like really, really hate purple like I hate root canals and fake friends flowers.

Everything with this little gal is more.  She is expressive, creative, and passionately curious.  Enthusiastic gestures and the tenacious pursuit of the next shiny thing are her milieu.  Read: dramatic, stubborn, demanding, unfocused ball of never-ending energy. 

Life with this dervish, while never dull, can be challenging at the best of times but especially when executive functioning is called for.  Finding errant shoes and the dog-eared homework in time to make the bus is never a simple task as one is likely jammed in the back of the super cool Zaha Hadid-esque fort, erected the night before from a tower of dirty clothes and duct tape; and the other, well, likely smeared with peanut butter and not completed because of said fort construction.  Sarah Cynthia Silvia Stout by way of Little Peggy Ann McKay comes to mind.

We need a bedroom to match that bold-size personality.  But it must be both beautiful and functional.  One that fosters creative expression while also functioning to organize all the bits and bobs of a girl on the cusp of becoming a tweeny screenager.  Lord, give me strength.  Much like her tenacity, the room must have staying power.  But heaven help me, she demanded purple.  All the purple.  In spite of funky arm pits ( at nine?!!! ) and eye rolls on repeat, she still adores purple and glitter.  Hard pass.  Instead, she will get all the PINK IS THE NEW PURPLE propaganda I can muster.

Who am I even becoming?  Form and function is laughable coming from the Queen of All Show and No Go.  It is totally normal to wear 4” heels and lipstick to the delivery room, right?  I was once 5 hours late to a date ( likely our 3rd date ) with my future husband because I got distracted by a good book while searching for that perfect shade of red nail polish.  The dervish totally gets it from her father.

But for my own sanity, while painting a colorful canvas, we must assign a place for all things in Dervish’s room so we can make it to the bus on time once in 2017.

The BEFORE state is a rather disjointed jumble of mismatched castoffs.  The only two intentional items in the room are carryovers from her nursery when we moved her into the bigger room - the glider - which has seen better days and - the painting over her bed - which was commissioned from Jenny Andrews Anderson.  The painting is the ONLY thing likely staying.  If you are eagle eyed, you will notice many of her pieces feature prominently in my rooms.  I love me some JAA.  All the rest were thrown in from various rooms in a weak attempt at a big girl room.  Now it is time to give her space proper intention.

Soap operas aside, my little gal has a flair for the dramatic and is a collector at heart.  She is an old soul that reacts viscerally to color, smells, and music.  Coupled with a strong sense of self, her determination to walk to the beat of her own style drum is something I want to cultivate.  The following gals show a similar sense of individualism in their personal and professional lives and so serve as inspiration for our direction.

As of this late writing, I have yet to inform the mister that I am committing us for another challenge.  Be sure to check back in next week to see if I still have an intact marriage.  Or if you are flaky like me and can’t remember tomorrow’s meeting let alone a date next week, check me out on Instagram.  I will endeavor to overshare and overstory in a weak attempt to be relevant.

Forgive me if I’ve forgotten something important or to link someone because it’s been 100 years since I last blogged.  Be sure to catch up on the 20 featured designers.  Also, check out everyone else.  They are super swell too.

all design, layout, styling and photography by Emily Vanderputten except the following noted inspiration photos 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6