The fact that this thing is halfway over has me in somewhat of a state of stress, but I’m going to keep pushing forward and know that we can get it done! I thought renovating pregnant was hard, renovating with an 11-month-old is way harder. It’s week three of the One Room Challenge™ and in case you missed the last two weeks, you can find them here and here. It feels like we haven’t gotten much further this week, but floating and sanding the drywall takes several days. Tim finished up on Saturday and Micah got to work Sunday priming the ceiling to prep for the wallpaper, removing the old trim, and putting in the door and window casing and baseboards. Monday he started the crown and finished it up last night coping crown is the worst and most tedious part of the trim work. By the end of the week we hope to have all of the trim up and the closet door switched out so we can move on to paint prep.
While Micah is doing most of the laborsome prep, I’m doing all of the mental and logistical prep. Obsessing over shipping dates and artwork selections is the name of my game these days. Trying to make a room feel personal in six weeks isn’t easy, but I’m doing my best to incorporate personality and meaning where I can.
THE CHANDELIER: I love having objects in our home that bring back fond memories. Obvious ideas for this might be a framed photo or a souvenir picked up on a trip. But I like to bring these memories back in more discreet ways. The mural in our dining room feels nostalgic for us, and many of the books we have stir up memories of the past. A few months ago I got an email from a company who creates Murano glass in Venice, and I knew I had to work with them on something. Micah and I honeymooned there and visited the island of Murano to see how the glass was made. I was young and didn’t know anything about design and left the island with nothing…not even a paper weight. I always kind of regretted that.
Sogni di Cristallo is taking the 1,000-year-old art of making Murano glass and bringing it to people all over the world through the internet and international shipping. From Venetian chandeliers and mirrors to more modern designs, they make it all. Their work is mesmerizing, and I could watch the videos for hours. I chose the Crono, and the mid century style is going to really feel fresh against the traditional bee wallpaper that’s going on the ceiling.
THE ART: I’m working on a space in the room for Milly to have an art area. She loves to draw and color, but just as important to her is displaying her work. Mixing her pieces in with some other art will give a collected feel. Because the rest of the room is going pretty sophisticated and monochromatic, this is an area I want to bring bold, colorful personality. Art is so personal and whenever I’m working with clients I always get their input on art before pulling the trigger, so I did the same with Milly. Here’s where we’re headed…
Along with some great pieces from Artfully Walls, I’m so excited to be featuring some friends and a local business. Porter Teleo is a brand of fine art, high design wall coverings and fabrics that I’ve been following for a while now. When I saw they were located in Kansas City and sold some of their pieces as archives, I got even more excited. Then I saw that hot pink number, and there was no question – I needed it. Featuring friends is always a given if I can make it work, and Jenny is killing it with her print shop give me all the $15 prints! Then there is the crazy talented and kind Angela from The Painted House. I can’t tell you how good her work is, I’ve been DYING to get some of it in my house. When these prints showed up I swore they were originals…the quality is incredible! Someday I am getting my hands on one of her ribbons…someday.
THE CURTAINS: There’s one detail in the room that is special, not necessarily because of what it is but because of who is creating it. I was really inspired by this bed curtain and Corona I just learned this term I saw on Instagram a year or two ago.
I knew I wanted to recreate this look, so I headed to a local Fabricut showroom and was blown away by the selection (I’m going with this and this). The style brings a grand, royal feel without feeling too “princess-y.” I’ve sewn curtains before and figured this might be a project I could take on but then reminded myself about that life with an 11-month-old thing. Through a connection I have I was introduced to Kelly at Weave Gotcha Covered, and I knew instantly I wanted to work with her. Her voice radiated warmth and kindness over the phone, and then I heard more of her company’s story and made it my mission to get involved.
I’ve talked a bit before about how sometimes I feel like design and what I do doesn’t make the most impressive impact on this world, but Kelly has found a way to take her creative passion and talent and use it for good. Through her fabrication company, Kelly is committed to employing and training women constrained by generational poverty, addiction, incarceration and other life-circumstances as they work to reclaim their lives through economic sustainability. She allows her employees to always put family and school first, while giving them belief, trust, and ownership in themselves and their work. She even has an Uber account for her employees so they never have to miss work because they couldn’t find a ride. The more I learn about this business, the more honored I am to have their products in my home.
You can learn more about Weave Gotcha Covered here.
At the end of the day, I love what I do because I love the relationships I’ve built and the people I get to work with because of this blog. And these are all prime examples of that. I’m hoping next week I’ll be back with a much bigger dent in the bones of the room. Stay tuned and be sure to check out the other participants!
Boxwood Avenue | Coco & Jack | Design Manifest | IBB for DWD | The House That Lars Built | Little Green Notebook | The Makerista | Making it Lovely | Old Brand New | Old Home Love | The Painted House | Megan Pflug Designs | Pink Pagoda | Erica Reitman | Sacramento Street | Simply Grove | Jill Sorensen | Sugar & Cloth | Vintage Rug Shop | Waiting on Martha *
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Dianne says
I always check you first!!! Love how this is coming along.
Gwen, The Makerista says
That’s so sweet to hear, Dianne. Excited for it to really start taking shape!
Jenny B says
So great! I’m having major envy and PTSD reading about your Murano chandelier! When we did a remodel we bought a vintage 70’s Murano chandelier off ebay and (the kind with about 100 12 inch long triangular glass individual pendants that hooked on, SUPER heavy). It was the star of our dining room for years. One day my daughter and I were about 15 feet away in the kitchen and heard a horrible crash. The metal that the chandelier was made of had been compromised over the years, and the whole thing crashed down on the table. If we had been sitting there one of us at least would have been injured, possibly devastatingly because of the glass shards flying everywhere. I am so glad you are getting a new – but old looking chandelier! Thanks for this resource, I miss that gorgeous chandelier but vowed to never get something that old and heavy again:(
Gwen, The Makerista says
Oh my goodness, how scary! I’m so sorry that happened. Yes, sounds like you need a new (sturdy) one!
chloe | boxwood ave. says
LOVE that you’re getting to work with such a wonderful lady in business 🙂 Can’t wait to see the curtains. I had the same exact thought “Oh I can sew the curtains.” Thank God I came to my senses, and I don’t even have kids!
Gwen, The Makerista says
Me too! Glad I’m not the only one! I’ve always prided myself in DIY, but man, you throw three kids and their activities in the mix and life is just so full right now! I can barely get time to myself to go to the bathroom, let alone sew some curtains! Ha!
April says
I’m waiting patiently for your new room reveal because I know it will be awesome, but I just can’t get over your going to Venice (VENICE!!) and not bringing a thing back. It’s like when I lost my good camera on my trip to Charleston SC and refused to buy a cheap drugstore disposable one and now regret having a single photo of that beautiful city.
themakerista@gmail.com says
Ha, I know! Well, we bought a few nice things back from the trip, but no Murano glass! Glad we still have memories though!