Hip Hip Hooray! It’s week 7 of the One Room Challenge. If you haven’t been following along and are new here, the ORC is a biannual event every April and October. Each round, Guest Participants (me) take the challenge and transform a space in 8 weeks.
You can do a quick tour of my weekly progress here:
This week is “finish all the projects” week for me. The last and most anticipated project was creating diamond window grille inserts for my room. My husband was up for the challenge and conquered it.
I think big clear, clean lined windows can be beautiful in the right home. However, in my sunroom I wanted a room with some cottage character that only a window with diamond muntins can accomplish.
(What is a diamond muntin you ask? A muntin is a strip of wood or metal that separates and holds panes of glass in a window. Diagonal muntins create a diamond grid system). I've been in love with diagonal window muntins ever since I was a little girl. I think it‘s the whimsical charm that they have. I always envision a storybook English cottage or an enchanted castle. (Little girl or grown woman, I still love these things).
Many new windows are now made of a single glass pane. Not that my windows are “new”, but they were installed in the 1970s. The decade all charm and character left residential homes. So… my quest to recreate decorative diagonal muntins began. Thankfully, I have an incredibly gifted husband, that can make all my design dreams a reality. I’m truly blessed when it comes to husbands. I show him a picture, sketch a drawing and he’s good to go.
To create the diamond grille you need 1 1/8” lattice pine strips, glue gun, staple gun and an easy cutter.
Aaron (aka husband) created a super easy way to ensure that our DIY window grid fit just right, and didn‘t even need a tape measure. Just a big enough piece of paper, some tape to help out, a pencil, and the easy cutter ultimate.
How he did it:
1. Make a paper template of the inside of the window and cut it out.
2. Quarter fold the paper. (Fold top to bottom then side to side.)
3. Fold so top right corner and bottom left corner fold in line (like a paper airplane).
4. Repeat the corner fold with the other corners.
5. Unfold your paper template and color in your lines.
6. Since we used thinner wood for the grid he used easy cutters to cut everything out. So simple!
A little glue and a staple at each intersection and he was done! Only he had to do it 7 more times!
After we insured all grilles fit properly, we gave them 2 coats of paint.
Let dry, then proceeded to install.
I am absolutely giddy with the outcome. It has made such a difference. To be able to add character, charm and detail to a room under $350 provides dramatic results!
While we are finishing up around here, be sure to go check out the other participants on the ORC blog. I just looked and there are some amazing room transformations! I can't wait to sit at my laptop later today and go thru each space.
❤️