Week One: the ORC and I’m Guest Participant!! What-What??

Well, after more than two months of Radio silence here on the blog, I have signed up for the One Room Challenge, and I will be taking part as a Guest Participant. What???????

What is the ORC, you ask? It is a six-week design challenge featuring 20 interior designers and over 200 guest participants. Each one is challenged to makeover one room, collectively posting once a week over at the One Room Challenge website.

You can also see photos that are posted on Instagram using the hashtag #oneroomchallenge

Well, I will admit that I am a bit overwhelmed about what this will mean for the next six weeks, but I am also pretty excited! I love a good challenge, and you can take a look at how I did for my last challenge here.

What room have I decided to tackle this time?  Well, every year around this time I am looking to decorate a space that I know we can’t wait to enjoy and use. A space that I can make simple changes to and get a whole new refreshed look. A space that I can use all sorts of thrifted items, be it furniture or accessories. A space that can be personalized with crafted and DIY projects. Do you know what space I’m talking about? The space I chose is….. our backyard Patio!!!!!

Here’s a quick look back at the Patio from Summer 2017. You can see a couple of the original posts here and here.

We did a lot on the Patio last year to make it comfortable for entertaining. This time around I will be changing up the layout of the Patio. I plan to move the sitting and dining areas around. And find a new home for the grill.

What is most notable from last years Patio is the colors that we used- bright Teal and Indigo Blues. I had wanted to push myself to stay in a very tight color scheme. The Blues, Blacks, Grays, and Browns made up the color pallet. Which will all be making a return appearance this time around too. As much as I loved just using the Blues, this year I crave more color! I am planning on injecting a bit of Pink and Yellow colors. And maybe some Red and Purple too.

These shelves I placed on the side of the garage last summer were amazing! Each was thrifted for under $10, all at different times- of course. They added some height and display areas. I loved playing around with the accessories and plants to dress up the shelves. Unfortunately this year I will not be using the shelves. They have all moved to our basement to hold inventory for our Etsy shop.

The plan this year is to build a potting bench or table for plant display. We also have a found free by the side of the road cabinet that we will refinish to be used outside for display of more plants and accessories.

Alright, are you ready for an updated dirty/ ugly Before photo from just this last week? I warn you- this is truly how it looks today, this is real life showing here! Proceed with caution!!!

That’s right! Snow. In April. In Michigan. Can you believe it? I can. Ugh.

You know what? It’s OKAY! This space looks a mess right now, and wet, and cold. But by the end of the six weeks, it will be an inviting space for us to enjoy through to the fall.

Here is the basic plan:

• clean up the yard
• refresh the mulch for all of the garden beds
• tackle the ugly/ stained concrete slab
• build a potting table or bench
• makeover the found/ free cabinet
• refresh existing patio furniture- clean, stain or paint
• refresh or replace existing pillows and furniture cushions
• refresh or replace existing umbrellas
• rearrange the furniture layout
• move/ make a new home for the grill
• makeover the grill? paint legs? still undecided here
• refresh pots and containers for plants
• bring in LOTS of plants and succulents
• add more patio lights
• add color and texture
• do everything for under $300!!!

Seems doable. Don’t you think? Well, I guess I better get to work! Be sure and check back and see how I’m doing. I will need you all to cheer me on!

Check out the One Room challenge website and follow the hashtag #oneroomchallenge on Instagram