We are doing it! I surveyed the internets and thankfully you agreed that I should take it easy this round and finish up our eat-in kitchen area. We eat here every night and while it is far from where we started when we moved in, I’ve got some cheap and easy (famous last words) ideas to take this space from 75% to 100% complete.

If you’ve landed here from the One Room Challenge, Welcome! We just moved into our second home, a gloriously 80’s contemporary, located in Upstate NY. She just needs a little TLC to bring her back to her former glory. If you’d like to see some of our past work, start here.

Need a refresher? Week 1 ~ Week 2 ~ Week 3 ~ Week 4 ~ Week 5 ~ Week 6

The FEEL:

I’ve always loved plants and we FINALLY have a space that has enough light to keep some alive. I recently read someone comparing owning plants to getting tattoos – once you start (and have managed to keep them alive), it’s hard to stop. For the record, I am tattoo-less (I was more of a 90’s piercings girl) so I’ll take the comparison at their word, but man, do I suddenly feel empowered with plant ownership. Of course Instagram also tells me plants are very hip right now,  so the plan is to bring in a few more and make this space feel like we are dining al fresco, year round. As I did a little research, apparently this is also referred to as “conservatory dining”, where people who actually have greenhouse rooms attached to their homes (what, you don’t?) move a table in to add another eating area. Doesn’t that sound energizing and relaxing all at once? That’s the feeling I’m working towards.

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The ROOM:

We all know it’s not an intro post without a poorly lit, bad angle, shot of the before:

It could be worse, but I know we can also make it way better! Behind those vertical blinds are huge almost floor to ceiling windows.

The PLAN:

In true 80s form, this house had an intercom in every room that we promptly removed when we first moved in. This was my first attempt at patchwork – and to say I oversold my skills to myself is an understatement. We need to fix one wall and repaint everything.

Speaking of paint. I love how white and bright this room is. But I want a liiiiitle something more in here. I’m going to try my hand at a wall stencil (first time stenciling!) with a tone-on-tone to give it some ‘quiet electricity’ (<–I think I just made that up but now it’s my favorite description).

Did you see my recent post about my latest crafting obsession? I’ve been making macrame and macraweave projects for everyone but myself for about a year now. But I’m finally making some plant hangers (do you want a tutorial for some simple knots?) that I intend to hang in front of the window frames so I don’t obstruct the view but still gain some more indoor plant life opportunities. I’ve seen some great ones on IG that I want to try to figure out for myself.

I ordered some velvet fabric samples a few weeks back and I’m pulling the trigger on some yardage to update the cushions to the chairs (first time upholstering!). I’ll be shifting some of the artwork around that we hung before we brought in the shelves.

The biggest hurdle will be the vertical blinds. We NEEDED these last summer, the sun was so strong in the afternoon. But. I. Hate. Them. They are ancient, and dated, and stick and the get stuck on the runner, and I get angry every time I pull the cord in the wrong direction. They are also blocking those last 2-3 inches of light my plants on the shelves need to be happy, especially in the winter months. I need to find a reasonably priced alternative in order to convince Tom we can do it (not the first time I’ve had to convince Tom to buy something he thinks we don’t need-ha).

Let’s do this.

That’s it!  I think it’s very manageable. It has to be since we have several parties planned during the next six weeks (Easter, birthday parties and GoT viewing parties) so I can’t handle a complete construction zone. And I’m really not actually doing much until after my tax season ends in two weeks, so this is more like a 4 week room challenge instead of six. I’m sure something will come up to give us a few nail-biters, but I know it’ll all be worth it in the end!  Are you joining in on the fun?

A huge thank you to the creators of this blogland spectacle, now in it’s 15th season.  If you’d like to follow me along in real-time I’ll be posting to stories quite a bit on Instagram HERE once I get through tax season (consider this your friendly CPA reminder to let your accountant extend your return if you didn’t get your information it yet!).

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