Fall 2020 – One Room Challenge | Reveal Week 6 | Transforming our living room - Liv & Bloom Fall 2020 – One Room Challenge | Reveal Week 6

It is REVEAL WEEK!!

Week 6 (extended) of the One Room Challenge have finally arrived and I am so happy to share the final result!

Have you had the chance to start looking at the other reveals on Instagram of the One Room Challenge event? If not you can check out the 20 Featured Designers and all the Guest Participants like me.

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Kind of like the first week, the reveal is a special time as you see what you had imagined in front of your eyes and start enjoying it. I’ll be honest, every time I pass by the living room, I smile and my heart is filled with gratitude to be able to do such a project and work and share with you one thing I’m passionate about!

And this feeling does not only come from the fact that it is a renovation or a new room, the feeling of contentment comes from much deeper inside.

BACKGROUND

Seven months ago, when we walked in this house for the visit, right before the Covid-19 confinement announcements, I immediately felt this place could be our home.

After the sale of our house, we had been in temporary housing with a lease coming to an end, and searching for a new home for a long time, so the anxiety of not being able to find a place was pretty high. After a first quick tour as the house was empty, I exchanged a quick glance with my husband and we immediately understood that this had to be it! Was it because we had no other place to go? Was it because we were just so tired and anxious? Was it the pressure of a new additional situation that we needed to manage on top of everything else (pandemic)?

I don’t know, probably a mix of everything and a very strong desire for stability and a new start. But, we felt great at this moment and already imagined so many things!

So, fast forward 7 months later, one room we really wanted done very fast was the living room as this is the first thing you see when you come in. It’s also the place where we host and spend time together. It was also a space with unusual dimensions, that looked rather empty and cold, and we had to make use of the wood burning stove in the winter which was not up to standards any longer.

I mentioned this previously, the living room is quite lengthy but not as wide, it had an exterior grey brick wall with an old wood burning stove. So, first things first, I wanted to get rid of the ugly wall and build in the stove, then I wanted to create two spaces in one without totally separating them.

Our first step, that was quite an easy one, was to add a little slat wall separation to define both spaces while keeping the open concept.

The second was to tackle the brick wall and wood burning stove with a space for a TV.

And the third will be an upcoming project that I will share in due time.

So my One Room Challenge was to tackle step number 2!

I wanted this space to be the beginning of a new chapter in our lives, so it was important for me to be intentional about it and to create a space where we would all feel good as a family. This is the space where I envisioned cozy movie evenings, the sound of fire burning, chestnuts that remind me of my childhood and also of great memories when we were only a couple.

So, I needed to dive deep into our memories as individuals and as a couple. I wanted to combine my Mediterranean and my husband’s Canadian backgrounds to create a space that is soft yet solid, earthy, simple, aesthetic and warm.

DESIGN CONCEPT & MATERIALS

Six weeks may seem a lot of time, but it’s actually not when you’re undertaking a major renovation during your free time after work hours. But, it is all worth it!

The concept was to come up with a space that was reflective of a combination of Mediterranean and contemporary North American design to express both our life stories.

By incorporating the arches, natural materials and an eco-friendly, chalk finish paint, we were able to achieve the Mediterranean vibe. And with the big wooden slab, the exposed log storage, we incorporated more of the Nordic Canadian feel to the space. The rounded forms in the arches combined to the square like structure in the log storage, wood slab and coffee table rooted the design with a dual feminine and masculine (soft & strong) approach that also hints to us as a couple (woman + man).

Finally, we needed to add functionality to the aesthetics, so we added shelving for decor and a cabinet for storage. The decor elements completed the space with the addition of branches, an olive tree, minimal art and a combination of vintage-like jars and vases. All elements are natural, adding a stronger earth inspired, grounded space including wood, clay, paper and florals.

I kept colors neutral as is the case with everything else in our home, adding contrast and rhythm with textures and materials.

I absolutely adored doing this project as part of the One Room Challenge organized by Better Homes & Gardens and loved that I was doing it as part of an inspiring community.

Here are a few takeaways I want to share:

Never compromise on your vision, despite obstacles find a way to work around them
Nothing ever goes as planned, but never undertake anything without a plan
Trends are great for inspo, but don’t get influenced, stick to your personality and your needs
Start from within. You live in your space day in day out, it has to work for YOU
Find the right balance between aesthetics and functionality, you won’t need to make major changes too often
Trust yourself, just try. If I can do it, you can!

A space contributes so much to how we feel and even how we shape the moments that define our lives. The spaces I’ve lived in or spent time in have always left their mark in my heart, and that is why home is so important to me, beyond the renos and the decor, and everything else, lies memories, connections and feelings.

My hope is to step into the Holiday season and into 2021 with a new blank page ready to be written with special times and fond memories!

SOURCES

Wood slab: http://www.sdmalo.com

Hardware: Amazon

Paint: https://www.rona.ca/en/boomerang-interior-latex-paint-378-l-moonlight-velvet-5181-10l19-8138019

Rough material: https://www.rona.ca/en

Ceramic tiles: https://www.latuilerie.com

Art prints: https://oppositewall.com | https://society6.com

Rug: https://ruggable.com

Coffee table: https://www.eq3.com

Pendant light: Amazon

Table light: Homesense Canada