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One Room Challenge™ {The Guest Retreat} The Reveal

{Originally Published November 15, 2017}

YASSSSS We’ve made it to the end of the One Room Challenge! While there’s been a fair bit of drama along the way, I THINK I’m accurate when I declare that this was my first ORC without an ugly cry. I consider myself a champion for that feat alone. For those who have followed along on our seven-week bedroom and bathroom renovation journey – today is our payoff day. We will be sharing all the pretty AFTER photos with you just down below. For anyone who just needs a little refresher, here is our short and sweet recap. . .


This project began over the summer when my longtime client, D, asked me to renovate and decorate her hall bathroom and her guest bedroom, which also doubles as a laundry. I knew it would be a fun project as I’ve already renovated nearly every room in her house, love her style, and know her so well. Decorating with D truly is playtime. Her house is a blend of traditional and modern, old and new, colorful with crisp whites, full of patterns, and is a nice mix of preppy tailoring with bohemian accents. I knew the bed and bath would be designed with a similar mix – with their own unique translations, of course.


Just as I was beginning to develop my first design ideas, Linda invited me to this season of the ORC and it felt like fate. I knew this was a project I wanted to share, and due to my client’s trust and our good planning, I felt confident we could complete it within the short timeline. Because of our generous sponsors, we were able to splurge on a few big ticket, game changer elements like the bedroom wallpaper and custom vanity in the bathroom. While backorders kept us from our dream bed, we were able to pull together spaces that I’m really proud of. I hope you guys love it too and that you’ll find a few elements inspiring or beautiful. I’d love to hear your thoughts as to what stands out to you!


Without further ado, The Guest Retreat…


Catch up on our One Room Challenge Guest Retreat:

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GUEST BEDROOM—BEFORE & AFTER

Welcome to the new guest room! We strove to create a retreat that’s both relaxing and enchanting for either a guest to enjoy while visiting, or our client to adore while doing laundry. (More on the laundry below.) With our inspiration in mind – Preppy Bohemian with a British Colonial influence – we filled the room with a modern white canopy bed, lots of blue and white, vintage case goods, and furnishings, art & textiles sourced from India, Africa, and Asia.


The game changer for us was the wallpaper – a stunning blue and white striped paisley from Schumacher. It’s a beautiful stamped print that reads quite detailed up close, and more like a stripe from far way. It envelopes the whole room and allowed us to hide two sets of closet doors and a radiator. Can you spy the radiator in the image above?  (Hint- it’s under the left window. Impressive, right?)


Meanwhile, our problem doors… BEFORE & AFTER

…turned into doors that I cat-call every time I walk into this room. Behind those doors, we improved the laundry set-up considerably.

BEFORE & AFTER

We stacked my client’s machines and added a hanging rod, a pull-out ironing board, and drying racks attached to the door.  The best part is that you can close the door with the drying racks extended, so all those items can do their own thing behind our pretty papered doors.


BATHROOM—BEFORE & AFTER


In the bathroom, we pulled off quite the transformation, and it was all made possible by simply moving the doorway less than 12” to allow for a double vanity. Due to the constrained space, we went with a custom shallow vanity cabinet that we had constructed out of walnut. Wall-mount faucets allowed us to have larger sinks and ample counter space. The result is a space that feels larger and more open, despite having much more cabinetry than before!


We went big with our plaid floor, which seems to be a big hit with all of you guys (thanks for your support on that one!). The crisp white subway walls provide a nice balance to the statement floor. We kept the other elements clean with a few traditional embellishments on our faucets, lighting, and accessories. Our British Colonial influences are more subtle in here than the bedroom, but the warm wood chest styled with campaign hardware was a nod to that. Perhaps a blue and white bathroom would have been a more obvious pairing to the guest room, but we already have a blue and white kitchen in this house and I was excited to translate our theme with a more neutral palette.


I could go on and on, but I know what you guys really want are the pictures! So I’ll let the rooms do the talking.

MORE BATHROOM



MORE BEDROOM







ROOM SOURCES

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BEDROOM

Blue rug: Annie Selke

Duvet cover: Pine Cone Hill

Coverlet: Pine Cone Hill

Ceiling Fan: Haiku Home

Floor lamps: Bellacor

Table lamp: Bellacor

Bench: The Mine

Arm chair: The Mine

Tray: The Mine

Vanity & dresser: vintage


BATHROOM

Custom vanity: Ramwood Custom Cabinetry (available through DM)

Sconces: Lamps Plus

Shower fixtures (all Hansgrohe): Rain shower head,  hand-held shower head, &  plumbing valve

Sink faucets: Hansgrohe 

Medicine cabinets: The Mine

Toilet (The Mine): bowl & tank

Shower curtain: Schumacher’s Moncorvo

Nude painting: The Mine (vintage)


I hope you’ve enjoyed the tour of our Guest Retreat. The space would not be possible without my amazing team, Chrissy and Tori, plus a special shout out to Buono Construction Group for bringing this space to life.  Bryan Buono was truly a team player here, managing the project ahead of schedule, accommodating every request with a smile, and even ripping open new tile to raise up the shower head when needed.

A heartfelt thanks to Linda of Calling it Home for organizing this event and inviting me to be a part of it once again. The One Room Challenge has become such a huge affair and I just feel so grateful and humbled to be a featured designer. I’d also like to thank our generous sponsors The Mine, Hansgrohe, Annie Selke, Bellacor, Lamps Plus, and Haiku who provided some of the wonderful products we used in the space. And of course, thanks to House Beautiful for your media partnership. . . feel free to publish these rooms in your magazine.  📷


Lastly, thank you to my client, D, for trusting me, taking risks, having fun, stretching the wallet (just a little), and letting me run a 3-ring circus through your house for the last many weeks. Not many people want to share their dirty laundry, so I appreciate you letting us behind those doors.


I’m just so grateful that I have wonderful clients who allow me to earn my living transforming their homes. I really am a lucky lady. A lucky lady that is in desperate need of a nap. So that’s all from us!  Don’t forget to keep up with the Week 7 progress of my fellow ORC featured designers:


Media Partner House Beautiful | TM by ORC


Catch up on our One Room Challenge Guest Retreat:

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