ONE ROOM CHALLENGE – WEEK ONE

doorknob / trim / wallpaper / fabric / mosaic marble hex / beige glass tile / tassel

Here we go again!  It is the Spring 2020 One Room Challenge and I could not be more excited to be a featured designer once again.  For those of you who are new around here, welcome.  My name is Kristin Jackson and I am an Interior Designer who loves classic lines, moulding (like obsessively!) and a touch of modern in every space.  My go to colors are black and white, and I love to go on the hunt for pieces to fill spaces that are functional as well as beautiful.  Most of my favorite finds are thrift store gems that both add character into my designs, but also allow the budget to go that much farther.

I have had so much fun participating in the ORC in the past (here & here) but can you believe I have never designed a space for my own home?!  Fortunately, we moved last October (you can see our new home here) and have PLENTY of spaces that need some love.  This One Room Challenge will be a bit different however due to the current environment we all have been living in.  Fortunately the deadline has been extended by two weeks, so we will be tackling our spaces in eight weeks vs six. Phew!  Another personal challenge hit us a few weeks ago.  When we were planning for the ORC, originally we had a long list of things we were hoping to tackle.  And we had created a budget to match… However, much like a lot of others, my husband was laid off due to the virus.  So our budget was immediately shot.  But you know what, I started this blog with a focus on working with what you have, so that is exactly what we are going to do.  Plus, this means I have extra hands to help me with projects!!   We are really trying to be very positive about this entire situation and feel fortunate we are now provided the time to be able to take this head on.

Now onto the most important question?!?!!  What room are we doing?!  After a lot of thought and serious consideration, we have decided on our Basement Entry.  Now I know that does not sound glamorous or exciting.  And to be honest it is not right now!  But, the potential is there.  This room is the crud catcher of our home currently.  It is how we enter the house as a family, so everything just lands right there.  Usually in a big pile on the floor.  So right off the bat we need some organization/function for this space.

Another need we have is for an office.  I would love to have a standalone office that isn’t in our living room.  At the old house, we made it work, but now that we have the space we should absolutely make that happen!  Also, since my 9 year old daughter is home & digital learning for the foreseeable future, this space can be utilized by her as well.

So here are the before pics…

This is our entry door downstairs.  It provides tons of natural light, and the space quite honestly does not feel like a basement at all.  Most of the older homes we looked at while house hunting had dungeons for basements, with ceilings that were very low.  As a tall family, we instantly appreciated the full height ceilings, plus the abundance of light.

Opposite the door are the stairs leading up to our main level.  When we first visited this house, I loved the symmetry of this area.  What I did not love was the 90’s dry bar situation happening on either side.  It would be one thing if the cabinets and counters were in good condition, but much like the rest of the cabinets in our new to us home, they have seen better days.  So consider those guys gone!  We have much bigger plans here.  I cannot wait to share the details!

I mean, this space is pretty boring.  It needs a major injection of character… and is screaming for builtins and some moulding!

Opposite of this blank desk wall is the entrance to a huge closet, we have decided it would be more useful as a mudroom.

This closet was an afterthought for sure.  The walls were barely mudded & the paint is virtually transparent in person.  But there is room for a dance party in here!  That is probably an exaggeration, but in comparison to our old home that only had two 2×6′ awkward closets, this thing is massive.  The problem with leaving it as a closet, with no real function, is that everything would be shoved in here.  Instead, we will take the door off, open it up to the office and add some mudroom lockers.

Opposite the future lockers sits one of my favorite finds!!  I found this Figured Walnut Armoire on Craigslist back in January for a STEAL!  This guy is staying!  I mean it is almost a perfect fit in this little nook & currently functions as our coat closet beautifully.

Now I know this is the ONE Room Challenge, but since the mudroom will be opened up into the office we decided to include it as well.  And if we are going off of that thinking, our guest bathroom opens up into this space as well.  It would be a shame to have the space complete and then walk into this…

This is the bathroom where brown/beige have gone to die.  And since we have the extra two weeks, plus the extra man power at home why not?!  This will be our first foray into bathroom remodeling.  I am slightly terrified, but also very excited!

And to put all of the spaces into a little more perspective for you, here is a floor plan of our future space.

Remember how I said we were going to work with what we have?!  Here are the items I am pulling out of my hoard for this space.  Many of these pieces have been in storage for years after being inherited or scooped up at antique/thrift stores.  So I can’t wait to dust them off and give them a new life.  Especially my pair of Double Arched Cabinets that were my late father’s bourbon cabinets.  I cannot wait to look at these beauties every. single. day.

I hope you all are as excited as I am about this.  It is certainly a welcome distraction!  I will take sawing, painting & sanding over the news any day.   So be sure to check back every Wednesday to see our progress.

Just in case you missed any of the other weeks, here are the links.

Week One // The Before
Week Two // The Bourbon Cabinets
Week Three // The Built-Ins
Week Four // The Built-Ins + Moulding
Week Five // The Mudroom
Week Six // The Bathroom
Week Seven // The Final Touches

Also be sure to follow along with the other Featured Designers!  I am dying to know what all of their creative minds have come up with.