Finally, it's time to reveal my One Room Challenge! For those of you who haven’t been following my journey, I’m Natasha Habermann, interior designer, stylist, and blogger. For my One Room Challenge, I decided to transform our library.
The “library” is technically the dining room, but as we have a large, eat-in kitchen, we decided to forgo a formal dining room to make the best use of our 1,700 sq/ft home. So, without further ado, here is the finished space!
The design for this project began with the bookcase. We have tons of books and not a lot of storage. One might say I have a penchant for blue bookcases. In our old apartment, we had a similar piece which I loved. Even though it's a color, in my mind, it acts as a neutral.
Once the bookcase color was determined, the next hurdle was the wallpaper. There’s a plethora of gorgeous wallpaper out there, and narrowing it down was the hardest part. Luckily, we'd ordered our Roger & Chris Chesterfield in green leather, so that helped cull down the options. I’m delighted with the wallpaper that we ended up with; it’s interesting without dominating the room. After picking out all of the major elements, everything else fell into place.
Now, THE SUPERLATIVES:
THE BIGGEST HEARTTHROB: The Chesterfield. I was hesitant that it was going to feel too classic, but I have zero regrets. It's luxurious, comfortable, and the best part about this sexy beast is he’s a pullout! We want to to use this room as a guest room, and he checked off all of the boxes.
THE PRETTIEST: the rug from Old New House. If you’re not familiar with them, please check them out. They have the most drool-worthy rugs. Not only that, they’re fifth generation rug sellers making them incredibly knowledgeable about the quality, authenticity and craftsmanship of the rugs they sell.
THE MOST IMPACTFUL: the bookcase. As soon you walk through the door, the scale strikes you. It's truly the most dominant force in the room and is further proof that Farrow & Ball's Hague Blue can do no wrong.
MOST TRANSFORMATIVE: the wallpaper. If you're looking to make a drastic change to your home, consider wallpaper. Initially, I thought about painting all of the walls dark, but that wouldn't have been nearly as interesting!
THE SASSIEST: the scarlet red chair from West Elm. It's not the chair I initially picked out. I was considering a chair from Anthropologie, but it was three times the price and didn’t have an ottoman. When I was shopping for the ORC, I saw this sexy lady and fell in love with her curves, and the price.
THE MOST ECONOMICAL: the curtains and curtain rods. I purchased three different sets of curtains for this room. White linen, blue linen, and blue velvet all of which are from IKEA. In the end, I decided to go with the blue velvet because it seemed apropos for season. As for the rods, they’re from Pier 1. They have adorable acorn finials that fit the bill.
THE BEST DEAL: the orange velvet pillows. I found them at a thrift shop for I kid you not, $7.50.
THE BEST DIY: the window paneling. My dad made the molding, which we added to the top and bottom of each window to make them appear taller.
THE MOST SERENDIPITOUS: The mustard velvet tufted ottoman. My mom was at an estate sale just days before the I started shooting and she picked it up for me!
THE MOST ECLECTIC: the art in the room. The George Washington collage and falcon oil painting are by my mom, Grace B. Keogh. The hunting prints above the couch are a family heirloom. I purchased the Miro print on Etsy a few years ago, and the little bird between then windows is a framed postcard.
THE FRIENDLIEST: the black reading lamp from Restoration Hardware Outlet. I’ve put this lamp in every corner of this room and other rooms in the house, and it looks great with everything!
THE MOST TROUBLESOME: The sconces. First, the carpenter broke one of the shades. They’re antique gas lamps, and finding the exact shade seemed improbable at the time of the crash. Luckily, the eBay seller had an identical sconce and sold me the shade. The second problem with the sconces was they were converted from gas and weren't intended to be hardwired. There was no way to mount them, but my dad figured out a genius solution.
MOST IRRESISTIBLE: The West Elm squirrel pillow with pom poms. Once I saw it, I knew it was coming home with me.
MOST DEPENDABLE: The Marble tables. I picked them up at a thrift shop over three years ago. At the time, I didn’t have room for them, but it was one of those deals I couldn’t pass up. I knew I would find a place for them in a future home.
ALMOST FLUNKED OUT: the West Elm blue velvet chair. I was hesitant about the way it looked with the desk, but in the end, I think it turned out great.
TRAVELED THE FARTHEST FOR: The desk. It's admittedly not my favorite piece in the room, but it has a ton of storage and isn’t too big. I found it on Craigslist and drove to upstate New York to get it.
I'd like to take a moment to thank a few people. First I'd like to thank Linda for hosting this fantastic event. You've built an incredible community that comes together twice a year to cheer each other on throughout these whirlwind transformations.
Secondly, I'd like to thank my parents. This challenge would not have been possible, or turned out the way it did, without you! My dad helped me hang the wallpaper, he figured out the sconces, built the molding for the windows, patched up a million holes, and so much more. My mom helped tremendously with the design and direction, and together we were able to create a refined, playful, and comfortable library.
I'd also like to thank my husband for letting me run wild with this project and supporting all of the decisions I made.
Lastly, I'd like to thank all of you who have been incredibly supportive over the past seven weeks! I cannot thank you enough! Please join me in exploring the amazing rooms that my fellow featured and guest bloggers worked so hard to create!
xxx
Natasha
Sent from my iPhone