Naomi Stein
- May 7, 2014
- 6 min read

One Room Challenge {The Lounge} Week 6

{Originally Posted May 7, 2014}

Congratulations, you have made it to the finale of the One Room Challenge! I don’t know about you guys, but these six weeks have FLOWN by. It seems like just couple of weeks ago I was staring at my third floor in total disgust. And then I hatched an ambitious scheme to completely transform my attic into the hippest lounge ever. Today, I enjoy the fruits of my labor as I recline on my new daybed to write this blog post. I am totally in love with the space. I never want to leave.

Oh look at me… I completely made over my lounge in 6 weeks.

No big deal.

I also tackle DIY projects in heels.

HAH.

Have you caught up?

WEEK 1—Before Pictures and Plan WEEK 2—Inspiration WEEK 3—Furniture Pieces and Textiles WEEK 4— Chair Makeover and Barn Wood Wall WEEK 5—Art Selections and Wallpaper Options

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If you’ve been following along week to week then you know this challenge has not been easy for me. Rushed decisions led to mistakes. Indecisiveness forced down-to-the-wire deadlines. My To-Do list would have been steep for my whole Design Manifest team to do as a “real job”, but it was near impossible for my boyfriend and I to tackle on nights and weekends. I had moments of sheer panic, stress and exhaustion where I was sure we would not pull this room off. When I left you last Wednesday the lounge looked like this…

Later that same day I came home to discover my basement filled with sewage. I’ll spare you the pics (they are on instagram) but it was gross, scary and dangerous to our health. We lost our paint, our work space and a night’s worth of labor. Certain people thought I ought to delay the room and deal with real life. What’s was the big deal if I shared the room a few days late? Shudder.

I was certain I wouldn’t let a pile of poisonous shit rain on my parade.

So we kept going, pulled in incredibly long hours and late nights. We cried, we laughed, we bled, we ached, we spilled wood stain on our Ugg boots. (Insert expletive of choice here.) George deserves some kind of metal of honor for endurance, craftsmanship and compassion towards me and my complete design mania. I would not be standing here a triumphant decorating champion without him. Thank you, Georgie- this room is yours too.

The point is, 7 days later, the same spot looked like this…

Hey awesome room. You so sexy.

The biggest architectural element / home run/ sentimental favorite would be the built-in daybed and barn wood wall. As soon as I discovered these reclaimed planks in my father’s garage I knew I needed them in my life. Then my parents told me the wood came from the barn they were married in and I knew it was destiny. I love how the installed effect is modern and masculine yet also organic and really cozy.

George expertly engineered and built me a daybed that has a ton of storage and is damn sexy. We clad the drawers and end tables in the same barn wood for a clean and seamless effect. We painted the end tabletops in flat black paint for a little calm moment amongst all the wood. I still need to add pulls to the drawers but I totally love the whole wall. I couldn’t have dreamed up a better result.

BEFORE & AFTER

Hey there’s my secret wallpaper! I absolutely love how it compliments my barn wood. A little feminine mixed with the masculine. The paper I chose is Eleonora by Zoffany and it was finally installed this Friday and Saturday.

I decided to go with a winding pattern of birds on branches to compliment my wood wall. I love that it is neutral yet colorful, traditional yet organic. It captured my original inspiration colors of green and coral (ok, pink) yet it wasn’t so colorful that I would tire of the palette. I knew I would love it now and 5 years from now. It’s my little treehouse… perfect for my work area.

I love the dichotomy of the more traditional wallpaper against the modern table and chairs.

One of my biggest complaints about this side of the room is that the right wall was broken up with unsightly HVAC components There was a trap door to my heater, a large return duct and a vent. It felt broken up and way more functional than pretty.

I knew wallpaper would mask these issues and really designate the office as a separate area from the other zones. I love how my paper hanger Keith, was able to cover my vents and outlets. Never have I enjoyed HVAC ducts as much as now. Just put a bird on it.

I had no proper lighting in my office area so I picked up this plug in fixture for some quickie lighting. You can see the wire running down the wall by the ceiling. That’s the ugly truth of plug-in features. But you know what? The piece is cute, it was cheap and the wire doesn’t bug me too much.

The TV Stand

The final big piece hanging from last week was the TV stand. I mentioned how we scored this amazing live-edge cedar from my dad. Our plan was to make this boxed live-edge cedar base that would be wrapped with inset metal legs. It was going to be very gorgeous and complicated to create. Alas, we ran out of time to finish it properly before the shoot. Whoopsies. I want to give a huge shout out to my dad who worked tirelessly for days on the piece. We WILL finish it together and it will be awesome!

Love you, Dad!

Around noon on Sunday it became apparent to me that we would not be able to finish the TV stand I’d planned on, so I turned to George and asked him to make me something really simple with wrapped metal legs. He carried this upstairs to me on Monday morning just in time for our photo shoot. Baller!

I love the simple, chic combination of white and brushed gold.

It balances out the warmer elements like the wall and this croc danish chair.

This chair is so comfy and has such beautiful lines.

It was built by my furniture-maker beau, so it has a little sentimental value too.

And then there is my art wall.

It only took me three versions and several nail holes, but I really love the result.

I mixed personal pieces like a picture of my dog, a silhouette of my niece and LOVE sign gift from a friend with modern and vintage prints, drawings and collages. My inspiration started with the cactus print and was added upon by two prints from our generous sponsors, Minted. It was a little scary to stand on the railing and hang the pieces, but I’m glad I went for it.

I’m loving my bench from our sponsor, Lamps Plus. It’s such a great multi-function piece.

Right now it greets you at the top of the stairs, but it will definitely be used as an ottoman for the daybed and seating for the table.

I love how my meditation nook turned out. I’d say there is 50% more chance I may meditate there some day.

The burnt bergere chairs turned out pretty snazzy. We just used a basic white vinyl for the upholstery.

I’m super sad that buttery white snakeskin leather didn’t work out, but my wallet is not.

I hope you enjoyed the tour and like the space. I’m certainly glad it no longer looks like this…

Cause this is much more my thing…

Thanks so much to my family, my DM crew and most especially George Coldren for helping turn this little room from a fantasy to a reality.

And of course I need to thank Courtney Apple for the beautiful photography and coming out to shoot my space while suffering from bronchitis.

And lastly thank YOU for following along and supporting me. It’s been an awesome ride.

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Have you caught up?

WEEK 1—Before Pictures and Plan WEEK 2—Inspiration WEEK 3—Furniture Pieces and Textiles WEEK 4— Chair Makeover and Barn Wood Wall WEEK 5—Art Selections and Wallpaper Options

Linda, thanks so much for including me again. The One Room Challenge seems to get better and better every season. Now I’m off to check out what this incredibly talented line up has created. It’s sure to be a good show!!