The Big Reveal: One Room Challenge Week 8

This is the week of the big reveal! The week I have been waiting for since the beginning of May, when I originally signed up to be a participant in the One Room Challenge. You probably already know, but in case you do not the Challenge is to transform 1 room in 8 weeks. Its a great motivator to see a space, create a plan and get it done. I loved the deadline part, it assured me that we had a timeline, and it had to be completed. The other challenges were mine personally: to do a kitchen makeover on the smallest budget possible and to make it a cheerful and colorful space.

The kitchen already had good "bones". The cabinets were usable and we had fairly new appliances. So no budget went to those big items. This is what the kitchen looked like at the beginning of the Challenge:

What did we do you ask? Let me tell you. We took the existing range hood (my husband had constructed 3 years prior), painted it green, and added a scallop detail, plus trim. The counter top was replaced with butcher block that we gave a whitewashed stain, we installed a farmhouse sink and built a new sink cabinet with lattice detail. We also added one other cabinet base to replace the lost space from the small hutch we removed. The existing island was rotated, shelving added and painted. The light above was also rotated, and a few more recessed lights installed. We also wallpapered and added 2 more wood shelves on the wall. The most dramatic change would have to be the floors. We sanded and painted all the floors a creamy white. This might be my most bravest and rewarding design decision ever. I seriously love how the floors turned out.

The kitchen has an adjoining dining area that also received a new light fixture and of course the white painted floors. The kitchen also opens up into a walk way between living room and hallway. We removed part of our existing pantry to widen this area. Even though its not exactly in the kitchen, it has made the whole area seem so much more spacious. The floors were painted white in this area (and throughout the entire 1st floor), a new lantern light was installed and I painted a custom piece of artwork to tie all the colors in the adjoining rooms together.

There you have it. My first ever officially completed One Room Challenge. It was fun, it was exhausting and can not wait to do it again!

Here are a few more photos of my space. After you finish viewing them hop on over to the ORC site, to view the other amazing participants rooms. Thanks so much for following along on this journey with me. I'd love to hear what you think.

Paint colors used:

Amy Howard Easy Street (everything painted green)

Annie Sloan Original (floors)

Porter Paint Abbey White (Cabinet base and soffits)

Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee (wall color)