One Room Challenge 2021: Week 3- Dutch Door, Wallpaper, + More Updates
Well this should be the week everything starts falling into place and I start rolling on this project. Unfortunately that is definitely not the case. None of my projects are going according to plan so far and I can’t even get a quote for the renovation portion of my project from anyone. I’m feeling beyond frustrated and defeated this week, which I don’t let happen often. Here’s all the updates I have for this week:
Be sure to follow along here to see all the One Room Challenge posts in one place! You can also follow the hashtag #oneroomchallenge on Instagram to discover all the projects and progress !
I was hoping to have the back wall of the staircase landing ready to reveal to you today, but it’s only about 75% done. I will still leave it as a surprise for next week (hopefully), but it definitely took MUCH longer and had many more tweaks and edits than we were expecting. Basically the fact that nothing in our house is level or square continues to haunt us on every single project we do, no matter how big or small. Just the joys of living in a one hundred year old house! I am still super excited about how it’s turning out and can’t wait to share with you!
Speaking of the perks of living in an old house, I also am feeling like I’m going to have to seriously edit my to-do list for this space in regards to the renovations I was hoping to do. The first contractor we had come out said he didn’t feel comfortable taking the wall out in between the living room and staircase without doing some additional foundational supports in the crawl space (which would seriously amp up the total budget majorly). If we have to do anything that serious, opening that wall up is probably a no-go. I am hoping at the least to still get the underneath of the stairs opened up and my l-shape bench made to fit the space, but even that is looking difficult now, as I can’t get anyone to come out and commit to the project or even give me a quote. Hopefully I get some good news regarding that in the next week.
I DID pick up my dutch door today, which I was able to snag on Facebook marketplace for $350 (check out some before photos below). I know that sounds like a lot but there are seriously zero dutch door options online less than $1200-1500, and even a brand new door with zero hardware, unpainted, not dutch door style, and not pre-hung would have been $300, so I am thrilled with this. Even better, it seems to be the exact measurements of our old door or at least extremely close. The only disappointing thing is that I realized the hinges are on the opposite side we need when we got it home (of course)! So there’s one more project that was supposed to be super easy and will turn into something much more labor intensive. I am hoping we can still make it work either switching the hardware to the opposite side or hanging it the opposite way our door is now. I plan on painting it a slate blue color and possibly getting some beautiful new knobs/hardware (even though it did come with all the hardware which is brass and very usable!).
The brightest news of the week is that all but one of my wallpaper samples came in and I’m in love with so many of them. I definitely feel like one of these is the perfect fit for the space and will make the entire project, I just have to decide which one! I think I have narrowed it down to the right three- blue floral, gold floral, and Celestine (and the one remaining sample I have on the way). I feel like these are all vintage inspired but also lean more classic/rich/antique feeling and I also feel like they will coordinate beautifully with a vintage rug stair runner. As soon as that last sample arrives I will make my decision and go ahead and move on with beginning to wallpaper, which I’ve decided I might even try to tackle myself! That is at least one thing I know I can get done on my own! Let me know your final vote for your favorite wallpaper in the comments below!
blue + gold floral wallpapers linked here | Celestine wallpaper linked here
Sorry for the Debbie Downer post, but that’s just how it goes some weeks. I’m hoping next week I’ll have tons of progress to show you! In the meantime, pray my luck turns around and I can hopefully have at least one project go smoothly this week!
xoxo
Emily
Be sure to follow along here to see all the One Room Challenge posts in one place! You can also follow the hashtag #oneroomchallenge on Instagram to discover all the projects and progress !