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WE MADE IT.

BARELY.

This has been one whirlwind of a challenge – but I am happy to say, we have survived. I’ve eaten full meals pretty regularly, cleaned those kitchens and everyone is still a happy family over here (for reference, week four’s highlights were breakdowns)! However, as was typical of this fall’s challenge, I am hanging on by the skin of my teeth.

My status when I first started writing was pretty excited – 9:30 p.m., eating Halloween candy, the night before the guest reveals, writing a post with zero pictures because I didn’t even have my room together enough yet. But it’s ok.

Breathing.

Because the reveal is worth it!

Since then, my plans to post this reveal at 5:00 p.m. earlier this evening got sidetracked after I received news that my grandfather had passed away this afternoon. I was sitting down, editing my photos with my sister while watching some scary shows to help her not die of boredom. Sorry Julie!

When my mom called me to let us know, it sort of took the evening in a different direction entirely. I spent most of this evening at dinner with my family, talking about happy life stuff and good memories.

He was the grandparent I was closest to. I have so many fond memories with him – a trip to Disney World for my 8th birthday, long afternoons fishing in his boat while he told me stories of my dad growing up and memories of him singing, “Moon River” to wake me up as a child. I remember hating that song when he would make me wake up early, but funny enough – it has been stuck in my head the last day and a half or so. I don’t really listen to that music, but for some reason, it was there.

So, on this most anticipated day of the past six weeks, I would like to dedicate my reveal to my grandpa – he was full of the best stories and I hope he will continue to tell them up in heaven with his beloved Patsy, my grandma.

If you are new here from the One Room Challenge site – welcome to my DIY world! I have tackled the transformation of our master bedroom from a dark, drab afterthought to a light, modern French Country escape. My project list has spanned from scrap wood storage beds to modern sliding barn doors – everything in this room is either built or refinished by yours truly – all in the span of 6 weeks.

Week 1 – Starting Late, Inspiration On Vacation | Week 2 – Going Crazy on Facebook Marketplace| Week 3 – Scrap Wood Storage Bed| Week 4 – Lost It | Week 5 – Pulled It Together, Furniture Transformations | Week 6 – REVEAL DAY!!

First Stop – The Before

I don’t really have a ton of good before pictures because – well.. I changed the entire room I was doing the day of the first blog post and was in New Mexico, so yeah. The mood has been hectic since day one.

But, it was dark – the nicest things in there were the headboard and foot board pieces that I built (first ever project woohoo)!

The real before featured nasty brown carpets and green walls – like a thin mint room!

We installed the hand-scraped acacia flooring last fall, so luckily that part was checked off.

French Country Style

What exactly is French Country? Well, as a DIY-er, I didn’t really know. I just saw it one day in a magazine in Lowe’s and it was love at first sight. I have held onto this love for years because my husband doesn’t really care for the “old” look. When I finally got the OK to go for it, I had to do a lot of Googling – it was so fun learning about this style:

The style originated from French palaces dating to the 1600s. Louis XIV was on a mission to make France the symbol of style and refined taste. By the late 18th century, people all over Europe were seeking this style, including those who lived in the more humble countrysides. They wanted the sophistication of the French goods, but functionality and “every day living” led to a mix of old and new. It’s a focus on every day use of the home and the tradition of family – many of their fancier pieces were handed down from generation to generation.

So, some of the key elements of this style I wanted to bring in were:

  • Colors – rich grey and cream tones set the neutral backdrop for the pop of the Provence blues I wanted to bring in.
  • Furnishings – the distressed look embodies the hand-me-down feel. Curves and embellishments bring the fancy but the distressing brings the love.
  • Patterns and textures – Cottons, linens, animal prints and natural woods throughout the room mix together a unique, layered blend that creates some visual interest. PLUS my husband really likes wood and animal print stuff – I mean, I think he is thinking more along the lines of the massive elk hanging in our living room – but hey, I am compromising!
  • Accessories – I wanted to blend the ornate with the rustic – so you will see vintage chippy windows, classic crystal vases, antique jewelry boxes and gilded frames.

Other important elements were my projects – each one is mentioned in the below photos – like I said, I made or refinished every single piece of major furniture in this room transformation!

Welcome Home

So comfortable she only lasted one minute! You can see some of my projects here – the upholstered chair, the scrap wood storage bed (don’t worry you can see the drawers soon!), the painted furniture, the hand scraped acacia flooring and the vintage windows.

Ahhhh! So excited to share – I am so in love with this bedroom now and PROUD that I created so much of it with my own two hands.

I took pictures of the bed nicely made and nicely “mussed” as my sister put it. Haha! I prefer the mussed look – that’s the way I live my life most of the time.
My original plans included layering the windows above my long dresser. However, when the barn door went up, it really messed with the balance of that wall. So, I opted to go a little bit lighter above the dresser and spread the windows out a bit. The wreath from Homespun Farmhouse was too beautiful not to include. Even though its original home was on the layered windows, I am really happy with where it ended up.
At the bottom there you can see the drawers peeking out – that’s right – a custom built scrap wood storage bed that boasts six massive drawers and houses our King size bed!
All of the antique furniture I sourced off of Facebook Marketplace and painted with Ava White – a resistant, durable paint in matte emulsion supplied by my generous paint sponsor, Graham & Brown.
My side of the bed features these two cute country birds and a little teacup made in Japan from my grandmother’s collection – painted with gold, it was a perfect piece to bring into the display.
The other bedside table includes this teapot. It was a wedding gift – it has always been so gorgeous but I’m scared to use it!
Another plus of using the vintage windows like this is that it can also be converted into a functional storage area – for nice looking things obviously.
Ahhh my favorite of the botanicals – these are what are known as air plants. They exist in air with no planting at all! My sister introduced me to them and bought me several because they were so cool. I soak them once a week and put them in place for the rest of the time.
THE modern barn door – the tutorial and idea were from Angela Rose Home. She has such great things going on constantly. It crashed on my foot but what is a One Room Challenge without a little blood, sweat and tears?
Vintage furniture and antique frames sourced from Facebook Marketplace. Off to the right is one of the jewelry boxes from my grandfather – prized family heirloom for me!
On the top is a seriously old hymnal – I can hardly read the writing on the front. I have had this sitting around with my piano for YEARS. It now has a place where it will be loved.
I picked up this old mirror at a thrift store when we first got married, thinking I would use it in my wedding invitation/sign business way back in the day. After collecting cobwebs in my garage for almost a decade, she is back and warming up the wall across from the bed.
This armchair was another Facebook Marketplace find – $30 and $75 to reupholster.
Antique frames sourced from Facebook marketplace and several vintage items that have been collecting dust around my house for years.
The absolute best flowers ever – my mom saved me and brought me a HUGE assortment to pick from.
Artwork was found at Ross and the rest I had on hand (except for the flower arrangement).
I have two jewelry boxes that my grandfather gave me – they were most likely from his travels in Japan. They have always held a special place in my heart and room and will continue to do so!
Who could forget to credit my leading lady?? Lola is always my favorite accessory in any room I am in. We live our life with our dogs as a part of our family – true to the French Country style, we are valuing our family and making sure our space is ready for every day life! My dad joked I should rent her out – she’s a great model.

That’s it!! That is the craziness that has been my life for the past six weeks. I could never have come this far without a little help, though.

Thank You

This would have been a complete train wreck without the help from some pretty important people in my life! To my husband, who put up with me almost completely dedicating my life and our finances to this for the past few weeks – you are awesome. Next time I make over our room I will aim for more of your modern style.

Thank you to my dad who came over to help me build that modern barn door – even if it did fall on my foot, it would never have been hanging without your help! Thank you to my mom who brought me fresh flowers to stage the room the day before the big reveal, and thank you to my sister who put up with me texting a stupid amount of pictures when I was trying to figure out styling and will help me photograph the entire thing tomorrow (which I guess will be TODAY when people are reading this).

To HomeTalk, who always gives my projects such love and support and to Graham & Brown, my incredible paint sponsor – thank you so much for the opportunity to share with your communities!

Thank you to Ana White DIY and Angela Rose Home for the inspiration and plans to tackle some of the most incredible projects!

Finally, thank you to everyone at the One Room Challenge – Linda at Calling it Home for imagining this event each spring and fall, Better Homes and Gardens for media coverage and all of the amazing, incredible, talented people who support each other through the blood, sweat and tears in pursuit of gorgeous spaces. THANK YOU!! You are the life blood of this challenge and I’m so grateful to have been a part of it for the second time.

I will be blasting these pictures for eons I’m sure – follow along on Instagram to catch some future projects once I exhaust media coverage on this one!

Meanwhile, enjoy some of the fellow ORC wonder-people out there who have created such insanely beautiful rooms.

To wrap things up – here are some places to find the beautiful things I actually ended up buying for this room.

Laura Ashley Amberley Spa Blue Quilt Set | Amazon Basics Oversized Coverlet in Spa Blue | Lush Decor Ruffle Skirt Bedspread Ivory Chabby Chic | Unique Loom Traditional Vintage Gray Rug | Hotel Style Luxury Sheets from WalMart | Vintage Windows – Pickers Paradise in San Antonio, TX

Thank you again for your patience while I worked to get this live tonight! I love this challenge even though it really takes a toll on my sleep and regular life for those few weeks. The joy I get from refreshing the spaces in our home is so pure and leaves me feeling excited for the next round.

Until next time – I will be sleeping for an entire month.

Pin it for later – when you have some coffee! I feel like that’s what I will need to function.

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