one room challenge

One Room Challenge | Reveal of the Office Overhaul

May 10, 2018 by Natalie 12 Comments

The reveal of the Office Overhaul is finally here. This is my third time being at week six of the One Room Challenge and let me tell you it’s not easy. Even when you say you’re not going to get stressed, even when you plan ahead, something inevitably goes terribly wrong. Yet somehow I always get to the finish line even if it’s amidst a nervous breakdown and completely exhausted.

As I write to you from my newly finished office, I am so happy to show you the reveal of the Office Overhaul! I couldn’t have done it without Greg Pallante who came to the rescue and photographed the room on Monday. He did such a great job and is a photographer I’ve been wanting to work with for awhile and finally, the stars aligned. Maybe everything does happen for a reason.

Now for some Before + Afters. Drum roll, please!

Although this room wasn’t giant and just needed some small updates I think the end result has a huge impact. It just goes to show you that using paint and updating decor goes A LONG WAY. My design plan and inspiration from week 2 goes over everything but I was heavily inspired by The Parker Hotel in Palm Springs for my color and pattern choices. I decided to give the room a fresh coat of white paint and then color block the walls almost half way up with the color Bold Yellow by Benjamin Moore. Swapping out my giant desk for a smaller vintage one that I also painted was important. I actually found it on the Facebook marketplace in pretty rough shape for $75, sanded it down, and then repainted it with Razzle Dazzle by Benjamin Moore in a semigloss.

Having a smaller desk opened up the room a lot and allowed me to extend the shelving for storage. In the end, I decided not to make a seat cover for the acrylic chair because I love how it disappears into the room. It takes up no visual real estate, which also makes the room look more spacious. Another thing I added was the banana leaf curtains which are old H&M that I found on eBay. They draw your eye upwards, also giving the appearance of a larger room. I swapped out the outdated light fixture for this inexpensive rattan pendant light from IKEA that I’ve had my eye on forever.

Here are the full shots of the room so you can get a good idea of what I accomplished with my design plan. This room is narrow and therefore a challenge to shoot but I think Greg nailed it. I love how all the colors play off each other and the rug from RugsUSA ties it all together. As far as I’m concerned there can never be enough plants. I love brining the outdoors in and decorating with greenery. I think my office is now officially “The Jungle Room”.

I love that my new desk has drawers so that I have a place to store all my paperwork and files. This DIY ombré bookshelf that I made comes in handy to store and display cute notepads, my planner, and whatever books and magazines I’m currently reading. It is right next to the desk so I can grab something when I need it without having it clutter on top of the desk. I had the pegboard already and used paint leftover from the stairs to do the ombré. Then I purchased elastic cord and got the wood cut at Home Depot. Easiest DIY ever!

Here are some close-up shots of the shelves. I’m using the bottom shelves to store office related things in the baskets. On the higher shelves, I’m displaying a lot of plants (duh) and barware that I have collected over the years. I’m so happy to have my tiki mug collection out of storage finally. I have some super rare ones and I love that I can look at them now instead of them being in a box in the closet. The rattan tray from the Opalhouse Collection for Target houses all my special booze. Bottles that were gifted to me, limited runs of things, or brands that I’m currently working with. There is booze all over the house but I wanted to display the important stuff here. I may need to periodically taste some when I’m having a hard day. 😉

The desk will be more functional for everyday use but I really wanted to make my pink Royal typewriter the showpiece. I always wanted one and would search Etsy and flea markets nonstop but they were always super expensive. Then one day as I was strolling down the sidewalk on my way to work and she was sitting in the window of my local pawn shop at an amazing price. I even haggled the price down a little and then I walked out the door with her.

My Gray Malin print looks perfect above the desk and I offset it with planters from Project 62 and the hey neon sign from Oh Joy both from Target. I actually had the planters and the hey neon sign so this didn’t add to my budget. The dinosaur planter is from Homegoods and was in the living room so I moved it to the office where I think it will stay. The task lamp and swan pool float snow globe are from West Elm. Catchalls on top of the books are vintage and the gold banana vase is Jonathan Adler.

The string of pearls plant and wall hanging were last-minute additions. If I shot the reveal of the Office Overhaul last Wednesday they wouldn’t be in the reveal photos. So the plus side to not shooting last week was that I had a few days to put some finishing touches on the room. The wall hanging is by a friend who is local Margaret Margaret Gabriella that I purchased at Kanibal Home.

I’ve been searching for a string of pearls plant for years and my local garden center never gets them in. I went there over the weekend and boom! There it was in all its glory! I DIYed the same twine plant hanger that I did for the Hallway Refresh and also made that curtain tie back out of twine too using a pom pom maker. I love the texture that the wall hanging and twine adds to the room.

Participating in the One Room Challenge is fun but it’s never easy. I love that this challenge motivates you to finish a room in only six weeks. Which means you get to enjoy your room and your design sooner but it’s hard work! Not sure how many of you are slow decorators but I am guilty of taking my sweet, sweet time. That’s why I’ve been a guest participant for the last three One Room Challenges. Not only does it motivate you to finish a room but it also encourages you to connect and support other designers and bloggers which I think is the most important part. We’re all in this together and we’re all just trying to get to the same place.

I’m so happy with the reveal of the Office Overhaul. I can’t wait to spend many days and nights in here growing my business and staying inspired. Thank you for following along and make sure you check out all the other featured designers and guest participants rooms on the One Room Challenge site. I’ll be updating my Office Overhaul board on Pinterest with the additional product that I added to the room. I’ve also linked to past weeks below in case you missed any of my progress over the last six weeks. Cheers to another successful One Room Challenge everyone! Let me know what you think of the Reveal of the Office Overhaul in the comments below. I always love to hear what you guys think!

Week 1 // Week 2 // Week 3 // Week 4 // Week 5

Design by Natalie Jacob // Photography by Greg Pallante

Decor Sources:

Desk- Vintage

Chair- Flash Furniture Ghost Chair – Hayneedle

Shelving- VITTSJÖ, VITTSJÖ – IKEA

Rug- Adileh rug in orange – RugsUSA

Elephant Photography Print- Gray Malin Always Welcome at the Parker

Wall Planters- Succulent Wall Geometric Hanging White/Gold – Project 62 Target

Hey sign- HEY LED sign lamp– Oh Joy – Target – Sold Out

Banana Vase- Jonathan Adler Banana Bud Vase

Dinosaur Planter- HomeGoods (similar)

Table Lamp- Scoop Table Lamp – West Elm

Snow Globe- Swan Pool Float Snow Globe – West Elm

Wall hanging- Margaret Margaret Gabriella – Kanibal Home

Curtains – Banana Leaf Curtains – H&M – Sold Out

Catchalls- Vintage

Ombre Bookshelf- DIY

Rattan Pendant Lamp- SINNERLIG – IKEA

Uppers Canister- Jonathan Adler

Rattan Tray- Opalhouse – Target

Flamingo Canister- Flamingo Cookie Jar – World Market

Flamingo Mirror- Vintage

Yay Vase- YAY 3 letter vase – Oh Joy – Target

House Plants Print- Home is Where my Plants are – WildHartPaper

Elephant Basket – Opalhouse – Target

The Office Overhaul | Week 5 Disaster

May 3, 2018 by Natalie 4 Comments

It wouldn’t be the One Room Challenge unless something went terribly wrong, right? The Office Overhaul Week 5 has been quite the disaster.

While doing the Spring 2017 ORC the day I was having the wallpaper installed we realized we didn’t have enough wallpaper. Last minute we had to switch walls, which actually turned out for the better. THANK GOD! For the Fall 2017 ORC I had a lighting nightmare that almost made me not finish on time but then we were luckily granted a week extension. Phew! This time around I knew exactly what to do ahead of time to ensure that this project was smooth sailing. Sometimes things are completely out of your hands though.

I had The Office Overhaul finished ahead of time.

I need to stop for a second and pat myself on the back before I tell you that I drowned myself in many Aperol Spritzes last night. This room was completed ahead of schedule and is so glorious I exceeded all of my own expectations for it. I was suppose to shoot yesterday, Wednesday May 2, but the photographer flaked last minute leaving me in a lurch. Everyone is saying I should just shoot it myself but I dont have the correct lens and I wanted these photos to be 100%.

This is a huge setback as I need photos for the reveal next Wednesday. It’s already such a tight timeline to have photos taken and get edited product back in 7 days but in a few days depending on when I get them taken? I could be cutting this REAL close. There was a breakdown, then there were some tears, then there was a cheese danish (if you watched my IG stories), and then there were drinks. Can you blame me? Also the drinks are defintely to fault for me getting this post up late.

I took some quick pics yesterday just to show you what I got done last week. It’s a small room so I don’t want to show you the desk or shelves styled. I need to leave something if the final reveal ever happens.

Last minute I decided not to make a seat cover. I love the way the chair disappears into the room and because it’s a small room I like how it takes up now visual real estate making the room appear larger in a way. If I decided I want something removable I can always make it at a later time.

I DIYed this pegboard book shelf. It was SO easy. I used leftover paint from my hallway stairs to create the ombre effect, got wood cut at home depot, and used elastic cord to hold the books up. Pretty neat, huh? I already had the pegboard from my studio so I just repurposed it. So much of that stuff would be sitting all over the desk and now I have somewhere pretty to stash books and notepads that are easily grabable when I need them.

I’m sure you’ve seen these baskets everywhere, and for sale online for a lot of money. I snagged the baskets at IKEA for $12.99 and made my own pom poms using supplies I already had (pom pom maker and yarn).

There are lots of plants. Ethan has been calling it “the jungle room”. I’m not mad about it. I bought that plastic flamingo at Target for $1!!!

Erik approves of the room transformation. It also wouldnt be The One Room Challenge without one of my pets photobombing my images. How is he even comfortable lying there like that? lol. Wish me luck in my hopes to track down another photographer and get this room shot on time. Stay tuned for the reveal (hopefully) next week!

Images edited with Amethyst from Glow using the A Color Story app on Iphone

Office Overhaul | Week 4 and a Sneak Peek

April 26, 2018 by Natalie 3 Comments

By now I should be freaking out because it’s week 4 of the One Room Challenge. Maybe the third time really is a charm though, because I have So. Much. Done.

Last week for the Office Overhaul I painted the desk, painted the room, and received all of the product. I had a ton of wallpaper left over from my first One Room Challenge because last minute we had to switch walls. I decided to use the wallpaper on the sides of the desk drawers. It goes so well with the color of the desk and adds an extra splash of fun. Because where there is too much color and pattern, Natalie, decides to add more color and pattern. Are you surprised? A big plus that it cost no extra money since I already had the wallpaper. I still have to spray paint the hardware and put it back on. Also: Did you peep that rug? SWOON!

Monday I took a trip to IKEA and purchased the pendant lamp, which will hopefully go up over this weekend, and the second part of the shelving. While I was at work Ethan put the shelf together (he’s such a doll) and today we hung the curtains. I really won’t elaborate too much because I don’t want to give the whole reveal away. The least I can say is SH*T looks good.

After the light fixture goes in I’m going to DIY some last minute things and do the fun part, which is all the styling.

I unboxed the Gray Malin print, which looks amazing. It’s such a fun print and I can’t wait to hang it! I’m shooting the reveal next Wednesday so make sure you tune into my Instagram stories to see some behind the scenes. I’m beyond excited to team up with another local female photographer, Keren, of Finally Home JC.

One million glass clinks to a very successful week 4 of the One Room Challenge. I can not wait to show you what I’ve done with my office. I keep catching myself standing in the hallway peering into my office completely in love with it already. Mission accomplished.

Make sure you’re following along on Instagram with #TheOfficeOverhaul + checking in on my stories and my Office Overhaul board on Pinterest. Catch up on the progress of this room with Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3.

Office Overhaul | Transforming a Room with Paint

April 18, 2018 by Natalie 4 Comments

I’m so excited for Week 3 of the One Room Challenge. Things are speeding along and yesterday we began transforming a room with paint. It is really crazy how much of a difference a fresh coat of paint really does! I have to thank Ethan for this week because he started painting the office for me on Tuesday while I was at work and that has really helped me stay on track with the Office Overhaul. Everyone say thanks, Ethan!

I bought the paint on Monday night and decided to go with Benjamin Moore Bold Yellow which is part of their Classic Color Collection. At first, I was a little nervous that this color would be too bright. Should I have tested it? Maybe. Once the color was on the walls I knew I made the right choice. It is exactly the color I was dreaming of! Bright, sunny, and invigorating. I already can’t wait to get some work done at my desk with a cup of coffee and some lemon essential oil diffusing.

Now that the hardest part (I think) is over, I really only have a few more things to do. This weekend I’m going to paint the desk. I chose another color by Benjamin Moore Razzle Dazzle. I checked the last item off my product ordering list today, yay! So far the items that have arrived are the rug, curtains, all the paint, and the Jonathan Adler goodies. On the way are the chair and the Gray Malin print. Next week I’m taking a trip to IKEA to grab the pendant lamp and the second part of the shelving. Then it all comes together!

I’m going to try to carve out some time to get a few DIYs in next weekend too. I’m thinking this Litter Box Cover DIY and this Ombre Pegboard Shelf. Also, I’m going to get a cheap faux sheepskin from IKEA and dye it so I can use it as a seat cover for the acrylic chair.

Bowie was my little helper today. He desperately needs a bath and some grooming but he’s still a cutie. Make sure you keep following my Office Overhaul board on Pinterest because I keep adding ideas and items as I find them. Cheers to success so far with the 2018 Spring One Room Challenge! Are you following any other room transformations participating in the One Room Challenge? Let me know your favorites below! xo

If you’re just chiming in, make sure to check out Week 1 and Week 2 of the Office Overhaul. Follow along on Instagram with #TheOfficeOverhaul.

Office Overhaul | Design Plan + Budget

April 11, 2018 by Natalie 3 Comments

It’s the second week of the One Room Challenge and I’m sharing my Design Plan + Budget with you all today for the Office Overhaul. I’ve been very proactive this time around and have placed orders for a lot of items in the design plan. I’ve learned the hard way from the last two One Room Challenges that I have participated in. Things get lost or don’t show up, so the earlier you get your orders placed the better. I’m trying to keep the stress minimal. I will not stay up late the night before a shoot panicking because I’m not prepared. You know, like not having enough wallpaper or DIYing plant hangers that didn’t get here on time (insert eye-roll here).

So let’s move on to my inspiration, design plan, and picks for the Office Overhaul.

Inspiration

As always, I’m forever drawing inspiration from Palm Springs. I basically designed this whole room around my love for The Parker Hotel. I’ve actually never stayed there, unfortunately, it’s a little out of my price range. One day I will though and it will be glorious! Whenever Ethan and I visit Palm Springs we always plan to have breakfast in The Parker at Norma’s for one of our morning meals. The food there is absolutely amazing (try the oatmeal brûlée) and I love to sit on the back patio. The hotel, designed by my favorite interior designer Jonathan Adler, is someone I’ve admired since design school. When I’m there it is so inspiring because you’re sitting in the perfect fantasy of what a Palm Springs house should be.

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12 // 13

Design Plan

I decided to color block the walls instead of going with wallpaper. The upper part of the walls will remain white and the bottom half will be bright yellow. I picked a sunshiny yellow that reminded me of the yellow umbrellas on the back patio at Norma’s. For the carpet, I chose an orange one reminiscent of the orange rug on the floor at The Parker. The rug in the hallway of The Parker is actually the same rug in the movie The Shining, which totally freaks me out! I’d have nightmares so I didn’t choose that one, instead, I chose something with a little pink in it to complement the desk.

The desk was such a good find and I can’t wait to show you! I sold my original desk (before photos here) and actually found the desk of my dreams on the Facebook Marketplace. Crazy! It’s a vintage Hollywood Regency style desk with faux bamboo trim. I’ve linked to a similar desk above.

We drove all the way to Jackson Heights which is deep in Queens, NYC, and carried it down a four-story walk up. We almost died trying to get it into our house. Luckily a kind neighbor helped us carry it in. Anyways, it needs a little love and I’m giving it a makeover. I’m painting it a bright pink similar to the one pictured above. Did you really think I was going to design a room without any pink in it? To be fair, it is a different shade of pink than my usual pastel.

The larger IKEA bookshelf I already owned from my studio. I’m buying the smaller version to put beside it to increase shelving space. Since the new desk is much smaller, it opened up a lot of floor space for an additional piece of furniture. I’m going to swap out my current chair for a ghost chair. I love acrylic furniture because it’s useful but doesn’t take up any visual space because it’s clear. I’m going to DIY a seat cover for it based on a set of very expensive chairs I saw in a vintage shop in Palm Springs. Stay tuned for that!

Also from IKEA, I plan to get the rattan pendant lamp that I’ve wanted since it came out! Hopefully, there aren’t any problems with swapping out the light fixture like last time. Prayers and positive vibes everyone! It was really hard to find banana leaf curtains and these are actually old H&M that I snagged on eBay. Such a score because similar curtains are over $200 a panel. These only cost me $50 for 2 panels!

I’m having trouble with that desk lamp because the one I wanted from World Market is currently out of stock online. There’s a similar one on West Elm but it’s a little more expensive. I haven’t pulled the trigger yet. I’ll be adding plants (DUH!) in these cute wall planters from Target and hopefully a fiddle leaf fig in a seagrass basket. I have the basket already but I linked to the one pictured above.

The main star of it all will be this print by Gray Malin from his series At The Parker. I’ve wanted this print for so long and I bought it just a few days ago because he was having a free framing + shipping sale which saved me almost $200. This was the most expensive thing in the design plan but I really feel like this is the only photograph I want hanging above my desk in my Parker themed office. If Jonathan Adler is my favorite interior designer, Gray Malin is my favorite modern photographer. His work is fun and he has fused photography, interior design, and travel in a way that is full of adventure. When I look at his images I want to live in them.

Lastly, I couldn’t have a Parker Palm Springs-themed office without a gold banana vase from Jonathan Adler. For those of you that don’t know there’s a 7-foot giant banana sculpture on the lawn of The Parker. This one isn’t 7 feet but I needed a gold banana sculpture! 😉

Budget

As of now with the items listed above in the design plan, my budget is looking like $881 for this project. I’ve sold two items from my current office that raised $100 to put towards the budget which brings it down to $781. This will probably be adjusted as I go along and will depend on what lamp I decide to buy and if I use a few other things I already have.

I always aim to keep my design budget low and renter friendly because I am in fact a renter. I also believe that design and decor should be for everyone. That’s why I look for items and decor with approachable price points that can be accessible to a lot of peoples budgets. I already have the desk, large shelving, planters, and curtains. Orders for the Gray Malin print and rug have been placed, which I got both on sale! This week I’ll be placing the rest of my product orders and testing out some paints colors. Stay tuned to see what happens next!

One Room Challenge | Introducing the Office Overhaul

April 4, 2018 by Natalie 4 Comments

Inspiration // BHG // Glitter Guide // Apartment Therapy // Style at Home

Hey everyone! I’m so excited to announce that I’m a guest participant in the Spring One Room Challenge once again. I hope you will follow my progress for the Office Overhaul over the next 6 weeks. This time I’m turning my office into my dream workspace. My hopes are to transform a somewhat sad space into a bright and inspiring one!

If you’ve been following the blog for awhile you know I did the Spring 2017 ORC last year in collaboration with Michelle Gage, who is (gasp) a featured designer this year. We made over my living room (the Palm Springs Project) together which turned out more amazing than I could have imagined. Check out our features here, here, here, and here. I also participated in the Fall 2017 ORC alone and made over a much-neglected space in my home, my hallway (the Hallway Refresh). I was featured on Apartment Therapy and have a print feature which I’m so excited to share with you all very soon.

Now let’s get down to business. Terrible and embarrassing before photos.

My main goal for the Office Overhaul is to take advantage of the great sunlight this room gets. I want to turn it into something colorful and a place where I will constantly be inspired to stay productive. Honestly, I work from other parts of my home before this one and that’s ridiculous because after all, it is my office. Right now I’m typing from the kitchen table, but a lot of the time I work in bed or on the couch. This leaves me open to SO much distraction. I’ll get sucked into a show or a movie and will fall behind on work. Also, I’d rather cuddle with my dog than pretty much anything else. Can you blame me?

I need a place that I WANT to be in and work in. Every morning I want to wake up and make a cup of coffee and say,

“I can’t wait to be in my office!”,

“Let’s get shit done!”,

“Get it, girl!”.

Okay, Okay. I think you get the picture. My other goal is to be organized, which is so hard for me. I’m one of those people that has an immaculately clean and beautiful home but underneath the beds, in the closets, and in every drawer is a complete and utter disaster. I’m a secret messy person. If no one can see it, it doesn’t exist, right? Wrong! This messy part of me gives me so much anxiety. Since the start of the new year, I have made it a point to keep drawers more organized and I even tackled a few closets.

I killed that yucca. Oops!

My solution to this is to add more open shelving which forces me to keep things organized and looking nice. I loved my current desk that was from IKEA. I bought it when I had a studio which was a pretty big open room. Once we moved into this house I dissolved my studio with the intentions of working from the kitchen (where I shoot) and my office.

My current desk is way too big for the size of this room though. I was holding onto it because I liked it so much but honestly, it wasn’t that functional. I loved how much surface area it had, but it had no storage which meant everything was out in the open. Which you think I would have kept neat and clean. In reality, I did but I have so much stuff it just looks like clutter. SO I found the desk of my dreams locally on craigslist and I’m going to give it a little makeover. I can not wait!

Lastly, I’m going to give the room a coat of fresh paint. Originally, I wanted to do wallpaper but then I decided I didn’t want to have wallpaper in every room. Also, I want to come up with a solution to the litterbox being in this room by disguising it somehow. These are all small changes but I think they will go a long way and make a huge impact.

Stay tuned for next week when I reveal all my picks for the Office Overhaul, order list, and budget. I hope you’ll tag along with me for this 6 week Office Overhaul ride. If you want to see some of my inspiration I have an Office Overhaul board going on Pinterest. I also have a Work Space Goals board that I’ve been pinning to for years. Hopefully, my office will be “pin-worthy” someday soon. Here’s to another successful One Room Challenge! Make sure to follow along on Instagram as well with #theofficeoverhaul

My 2017 Highlights

January 5, 2018 by Natalie 2 Comments

Happy New Year everyone! This year is off to a crazy start with the blizzard we just had here in the Northeast. I’m snowed in and have had a lot of time to reflect so I thought I’d do a post on my 2017 highlights. 2017 was a difficult year overall for our country and the world in general but I was determined to make it one of my best. I have grown so much over the last year both personally and professionally. I traveled to so many places I only ever dreamed of seeing, collaborated with so many talented people, and moved into my dream home. 2017 was pretty much the best year of my life and honestly, I was sad to see it go. Here are some of my 2017 highlights!

Bowie and I started the year off as models for Gypsy Warrior. I always joke around that I should start him his own Instagram account. What do you guys think?

Ever since I studied design and architecture in college I have always been obsessed with Palm Springs, CA. 2017 was the year I made my dream come true and finally visited this magical city in the desert. I definitely found my spirit animal city and the place where I belong. Can’t wait to go back this year and I’d love to do a travel guide on the blog. The first photo is from our trip to Moorten’s Botanical Garden. If you’re ever in Palm Springs going there is a must. Admission is just $5 and looking at all the amazing desert plants and cacti is breathtaking.

I started contributing to A Beautiful Mess in 2017 which was a huge deal for me. I have long looked up to Elsie and Emma and am a long time reader of the blog. I’m so honored to be a contributor and am happy that I can bring my recipes to their readers. If you want to see all the recipes I did for A Beautiful Mess you can check them out here.

I collaborated with Michelle Gage for the Spring One Room Challenge and it was a complete success! My living room was (of course) Palm Springs-themed and I’m so happy with the results. It got a lot of features including ones on Domino, The Every Girl, Houzz, and Apartment Therapy. It was even named by Domino as one of their Most-Loved Living Rooms of 2017 and Wallpapered Rooms That Made Us Embrace Pattern in 2017. Does this mean my living room is so 2017? I still love it!

I traveled to Spain with Cardenal Mendoza which was a whirlwind. We did four cities (Madrid, Sevilla, Cadiz, and the winery/distillery in Jerez) in four days and I fell completely in love with Spain. There was so much brandy and sherry consumed on that trip and I was heaven. I have to edit the hundreds of photos I took while I was there and get them up on the blog. Keeping up with regular content is overwhelming enough that the thought of editing travel photos was daunting to me. Definitely going to try to be better this year with sharing travel on the blog.

I started contributing to Palm Springs Style as well which was so exciting. I’m such a fan of everything Katy does especially her Door Tour for Modernism Week. Can’t wait to go back this year and have people to connect with.

A huge dream come true and the biggest of my 2017 highlights was getting to finally travel to France. This has been a dream of mine ever since I was an Audrey Hepburn movie obsessed little girl so it was a really big deal for me. I got to travel with one of my favorite spirit brands Pierre Ferrand and Plantation Rum. We spent time in Paris checking out all the cocktail bars and also took a trip to Cognac to visit Chateau Bonbonnet and the distillery where Pierre Ferrand Cognac is made and where all the Plantation Rums are aged in barrels. Citadelle Gin is also made there among other spirits in their portfolio.

I stayed behind for a few days by myself and got to explore Paris alone. Something I wish I did in Spain. If you get the chance to travel, stay as long as you possibly can because you never know when you’ll be there again! I need to edit more photos from France and get them up on the blog as well.

As you know I was nominated for Best Drinks Blog by SAVEUR Magazine and traveled to Charleston, SC for the ceremony. Even though I didn’t win, it was a great trip and inspiring experience. I met so many bloggers IRL that I’ve been following for years and got to connect with new ones as well. It was great to be surrounded by so many like-minded individuals that are all trying to accomplish similar goals. Hopefully, in 2018 I can take the trip again!

After all that traveling in September and October, I came home and jumped right into the Fall One Room Challenge. I decided to do this challenge alone to motivate me to get another room done in the house. So happy with how the hallway and stairs came out. Still makes me happy every time I walk up and down them!

Ethan and I had to go to Texas for a family wedding. We were in Grapevine mostly but got to spend a night in Dallas. I visited my friends Christy and Chad’s cocktail bar Midnight Rambler. Can’t wait to go back to Texas and explore a little more. That trip was too quick!

The only bad part of my year was when I lost my best friend and kitty Phil the day before Halloween. He was so young and got sick suddenly so I was completely unprepared and totally devastated when he passed away. I still think about him every day and I know he would have loved the pink Christmas tree as much as Erik did. Erik sleeps under it almost every night. I don’t want to take it down!

My last trip of the year was going on a quick trip to Disney World in Orlando, FL to spend time with my mom, sister, brother-in-law, niece, and nephew. It was fun but I was excited to come home and spend some time here before the holidays. It was the first year I decorated for Christmas as an adult and I think I just wanted to enjoy it.

Thanks to each and every one of you for your continued support. Hope you enjoyed my 2017 highlights and I’m so glad I have all of you to share them with. I’m looking forward to accomplishing more and seeing what 2018 brings. Let’s kick some butt this year! Happy New Year one last time! xo

One Room Challenge Final Reveal of The Hallway Refresh

November 15, 2017 by Natalie 39 Comments

I am beyond excited to be showing you the One Room Challenge Final Reveal of The Hallway Refresh. Honestly, I almost didn’t survive this 6-week design challenge. After a few breakdowns and some tears, I think I can finally laugh about it. Despite some ups and downs with the light fixture and not getting a product on time, we pulled through and I am SO happy with the final results!

Originally I picked the hallway because the design process had already started in the rest of the rooms of the house. The hallway was neglected and kind of sad and dingy looking. When the One Room Challenge came back around I took it as my chance to force myself to fix up this space. I’m so glad I did because I think it is now my favorite area of the house. Is it weird if I just hang out in the stairwell?

In case you missed any of my previous posts about the One Room Challenge, I put together a few before and after comparisons for quick reference. Taking a look at all the before photos is recommended to fully appreciate the results of the One Room Challenge Final Reveal of the Hallway Refresh.

By far painting, the stairs is the biggest upgrade to this space. When we looked at the apartment the stairs and banister were actually brown, having never been renovated since probably the 1970s. When we moved in the banister was white and the stairs were painted a mustard yellow. This was definitely an improvement but the paint job wasn’t that great. I’m sure they were just rushing to get it done but the sight of it really bothered me. Now the stairs are so colorful and bright. The sun from the skylight reflects off of the stairs and brings a lot more light to the bottom hallway as well. Looking at the staircase instantly puts me in a better mood. How can you not be happy looking at a rainbow of pink?

The other goal of redoing this space was to brighten up the bottom hallway. It is the only area in the whole house with no window, therefore, it is the darkest. I picked a light and airy wallpaper for the accent wall and created a landing area. I bought this bench, this coat rack, and added baskets. Now we can hang coats, put down our bags, and store shoes. I’m really happy with this upgrade because it so much better looking but it is also so much more functional. I’m glad that the light fixture worked out in the end because it was so important to the design. It also gives off so much more light than the old fixture on top of also being way better looking. Thanks for all the support while I figured out how to install it!

The last problem I encountered was the macrame plant hangers did not get delivered on time. This really bothered me because they were the first things I ordered 6 weeks ago. I went back to my original plan of DIYing plant hangers out of twine instead. The stairwell wall gets so much light which is why it was important to incorporate plants here. I love how easy the plant hangers were to make and the contrast of the twine against the white wall. I wish I had stuck with that plan instead of causing myself so much stress. In the end, I’m happy with how this wall came out. There are never enough plants.

I needed art for the top of the stairwell and Ethan made this abstract painting that came out so good! I’m completely in love with it and so happy that we decided to do that last minute.

I could go on and on about how happy I am with the turnout of the One Room Challenge Final Reveal of the Hallway Refresh. I’ve listed all the room sources below as well as links to each week of the One Room Challenge. A huge thank you to the One Room Challenge for letting me be a guest participant, Ethan for putting up with all my craziness and my friend Thaddeus Rombauer (who is an amazing photographer) for helping me photograph the space. Be sure to head over to the Calling it Home website to check out all the other One Room Challenge guest participants room reveals today and also yesterdays One Room Challenge participants reveals.

Thanks for following along on this crazy journey! I hope you enjoyed the way the Hallway Refresh came together. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Wallpaper / Bench / Coat Rack / Light Fixture / Paint / Flower Pots / Baskets / Rug / DIY Plant Hangers

Week 1 / Week 2 / Week 3 / Week 4 / Week 5 / Week 6

One Room Challenge Week 6 of the Hallway Refresh

November 9, 2017 by Natalie 14 Comments

One Room Challenge Week 6 of the Hallway Refresh is going so much better than last week. I’m so happy to be in the home stretch of the challenge and for the stress to be over! Thank God for that extra week or else my Hallway Refresh project would have been a complete flop. Today I’m sharing what’s complete and what needs to be finished before the final reveal shoot on Monday.

The wallpaper came last week and I installed it on Sunday. It came out better than expected and I am completely in love with it. I wanted to go with another tropical/botanical print but was nervous it would clash with the living room wallpaper but it totally doesn’t! It’s neutral enough that it blends between the living room and kitchen. It’s crazy how a simple upgrade can really make an impact and brighten up a space. This is the darkest area of the house and my main goal was to make it feel lighter. I think I’ve accomplished it.

The coat rack was hung on Monday which I thought was going to be the easiest part of finishing that wall but I was wrong. We decided to hang it with anchors but hit a stud while drilling. So, we didn’t need anchors apparently. I’m very happy with how the dark wood and gold stand out on the wallpaper. The chandelier is up and working and an electrician is coming tomorrow to do final repairs. That light has caused me the most stress so I will be happy when that problem is over. If you didn’t read last weeks nightmare post then you can read it here.

The bench is in its forever home. I did really love it in the living room too. I’m on the hunt for something similar to replace it as a coffee table. Loving how it serves as extra storage plus a landing area.

I decided to swap out that jute rug for something less busy. It was clashing with the wallpaper too much and I just wanted something simple. Luckily I had this faux fur rug in my office that I’m using instead. I put the jute rug in there, so no money was lost. Bonus! I do wish Phil was still here to photobomb my One Room Challenge posts. He loved fuzzy rugs too.

The only big project left to do for the One Room Challenge Week 6 of the Hallway Refresh is the stairs which I will be tackling this weekend. I picked up the paint today and the colors are even better than the swatches. Painting the stairs is going to transform this area into a bright, happy, and colorful place. Is it okay to hang out in the stairwell or is that weird?

I picked up some plants today to put inside the macrame for the stairwell wall. The macrame still hasn’t arrived though. I tracked it and it says “in transit to destination” so fingers crossed they come tomorrow. They will only take a few minutes to hang so I’m not that worried.

The One Room Challenge Week 6 of the Hallway Refresh has been a success and I can’t wait to show you how everything comes together.

One Room Challenge Week 5 Lighting Nightmare

November 2, 2017 by Natalie 3 Comments

Do you guys want the good news or the bad news? I pretty much have all bad news so I’m feeling a bit discouraged. One Room Challenge Week 5 is a lighting nightmare among many other nightmares. My cat Phil who made an appearance on the rug last week suddenly became ill and died over the weekend. I’m absolutely devasted, I’ve been crying for four days straight. Dealing with FedEx sent me into full breakdown mode on Monday. They have been impossible to deal with and also it’s been impossible for them to do their job which is to deliver my packages. UGH. There is some good news before I move on to the lighting nightmare — the wallpaper arrived!

I’m going to tackle the wallpaper over the weekend so hopefully, that helps me feel better. Right about now I’m ready to throw in the towel though. Thank GOD they extended the challenge by a week because there is just no way that I would be ready to do a photoshoot for a reveal. I had a friend come by last weekend to help me get the new fixture up but what we found when we took the old fixture down is trouble. The wiring has not been updated in who knows how long and the hole in the ceiling is larger than the canopy of the fixture. I know what you’re thinking, a ceiling medallion, right? WRONG! The wires are hanging out lower than the ceiling so we can’t get the fixture flush. It’s been impossible.

This is the original fixture without the glass bowl over the top. Sorry, I forgot to take that shot.

This is what was underneath the fixture. This possibly couldn’t have gone any worse.

This is the closest we could get the fixture to the ceiling and we ordered a medallion that we thought would cover the difference but it didn’t work. This was not a DIY project. Changing light fixtures is easy when the electric is modern but we have no idea what the hell to do. I made an appointment with an electrician on Saturday afternoon. Fingers crossed he can figure something out.

If we can’t come up with a way to make this fixture work then we’re going to have to put the old fixture back up. That is disappointing to me because I really loved the new fixture and it completely transforms the way the hallway looks. The wallpaper will look great but there isn’t a ton to do with the hallway so losing one of the main focuses of the design plan makes the end result less impactful. I also can’t return the fixture because I put it together and threw away the box. I had no idea that something this awful was going to happen.

I’m sick, my cat died, my car got a flat tire, and this challenge is turning into a failure. Please send all the good vibes my way to help me get through it. If you have any solutions I would LOVE to hear them. Please tell me in the comments below. Hoping for a better tomorrow and a completed Hallway Refresh. xo

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