Week 5
So the room is definitely now taking shape and all of our hard labor blood sweat and tears is paying off and finally seeing LIGHT at the end of the tunnel 💪
It was definitely a challenge getting the tall bookcases through the door and actually chipped a little bit of the wall lol. 😅
So I'll have to do some like patchwork. There was a lot of details to the furniture and assembly took hours and hours and my fingers are so numb and red. My body is exhausted and I can't wait to pass out!
So much dust I don't even know how it accumulated but it was great to really give this room a thorough cleaning to make space for all the new furniture which is looking good and like I said there was taking more shape so it's starting to feel like things are coming together.
There's definitely more work to be done like next week getting the paint on these guys. I definitely DONT want to leave this white vanilla room with all black dark furniture.
So stay tuned for a rainbow of color headed your way and painting as much as I can to bring a lot of VIBRANCY into the space to match the Foster Decor vibe that is throughout the rest of the apartment. 🦄
I can't wait for you to see but I definitely need some much-needed rest so I can recharge my batteries and have the strength to paint two tall bookcases, one new sideboard, two new nightstands and a partridge in a pear tree 🌲
Also we laid down the long-awaited snake rug that I've had my eye on for years and it's so great to see it in my space I am GEEKING out over here!
I also made a decision on the wall tapestry and I think it'll SURPRISE you which one I finally chose!
That's why I bought several because sometimes you really just need to see how to look in the space and I'm so glad I did and I can return the other three.
So get ready to be punched with color next week!
Week 6
Painting week has been very challenging to say the LEAST!😩
Like my mother I definitely want to get things done fast so I have to slow it down because painting takes time and several coats which infuriates me but I tried to paint the first coat and go and do something else come back after it was dry paint another coat rinse and repeat etc. 🖌
But what makes it difficult is the furniture already had a light varnish or coating on it which makes the paint bubble up and hard to adhere to.
I didn't want to take more time by sanding everything down so I used a special paint that had the primer and color in one to help. And then I did a polyurethane glossy varnish for on top to help the paint stick and stay and avoid chips and scuffs. ✨
That was a little tricky to put on and let dry but I got some spray can ones as well and did a final spray which worked a lot faster and did an even better job than manually putting it on with a brush. I had to air out the room because in the small bedroom the fumes are definitely potent and especially after applying that varnish spray it was just lingering in the air.
I've been taking Zyrtec just about every day with the ORC because of all the dust and chemicals that come with the project it's been really important to wear a face mask and take some allergy meds as well as stay super hydrated cuz I am just physically exhausted everyday that I can work on this. 🤣
This definitely feels like the last of the hump because the furniture making has been long and then the furniture painting even LONGER but now that the two hardest weeks are complete it's all about the fun placement time to bring everything together! 🍾
Stay tuned for next week's placement before and after and check out the progress in the previous weeks if you haven't already!
Week 7
I thought this week being about placement would be the easiest but somehow pulling everything together turned out to be a lot of extra work it's always that last 10% of finishing a project seems to take 50% times longer! 😭
You realize there's some scuffs in the paint or you forgot to buy this extra extension cord or you go back and forth and rearranging all of the tchockes and decorations.
But I am super grateful and HAPPY with how everything turned out. It was definitely a challenge! I really wanted to add something to the ceiling so that was something I did add in later. 🌟
I didn't want to go through the trouble of painting and taping more than I've already done with the two tall bookcases, new large console table, and two nightstands. I was over painting and my blue tape was running out. So I decided to order some fun colored duct tape off Amazon and created some fun rainbow stripes along the ceiling and walls to draw your eye up. 👀
Like in my other rooms this is definitely a Foster Decor staple because I love using up as much vertical space as possible and I've done this with my kitchen where your eye draws up in the galley style so you're not feeling as claustrophobic. You're able to see the rainbow runner, go along the floor that meets the ivy that draws your eye up to the disco balls. No disco balls here in the bedroom, I'm surprised, but I went with a stunning chandelier which I got off Amazon for a bargain. 💡
I'm so IMPRESSED with how much I can get off Amazon without having to leave my house being so busy with my consulting business, client projects, and painting, sanding- doing all the things. This has made it very convenient. I had to make a quick trip over to IKEA so that I could get some fake artificial plants to house on top of the bookcases to draw your eye again up towards the ceiling to make the room feel taller and bigger overall.
I also love that I was able to curate from my large collection of figures and put my favorite ones now displayed beautifully in these gorgeous new bookcase cabinets. The center console now houses all of our retro video games with drawers to neatly put away our controllers and excess system accessories. It feels so grown up but still catering to my inner child and GEEKY needs. But there's a happy medium to this whole room feeling more adult but still being playful, whimsical I'm a bold and edgy which is all Foster Decor vibes!
The Mexican heritage homage in the blanket translates even to the colors on the wall tapestry that I also got off Amazon for a steal. Now the rainbow stripes on the ceiling it all really ties together. My favorite part is the TV. It's a weird tomboy thing but I need to have one in every room. Now this is practically twice the size of the old one so I'm BEYOND excited. 🙌
After a long day I always look forward to chilling out in my bed reading, now housed beautifully in my new nightstand so I can curl up with a good book or turn on the huge TV or Netflix binge and chill. I'm really glad I was able to go through also my closet which is not photographed but just getting a lot of the clutter out from the closet to organize my clothes, as well, as get all the dust bunnies, and junk under my bed just makes this room now feel so much cleaner and lighter even in the spots you can't even see. 🧹
I had tons of bags of donations, trash, recycled stuff so it was a good spring cleaning in practically the winter LOL! 😂I'm so thrilled with how everything turned out and obsessed with my tall lamps and I found off HomeGoods. It's so hard to find tall lamps that aren't vintage from a thrift store. I wanted these to feel modern fresh and adult and I got so lucky finding a pair which is impossible sometimes in this beautiful chrome finish that feels contemporary. 😍
I always make sure to put smart bulbs in all of my lights including my new chandelier so that with the touch of an app I can control all the lights and make it colorful, dim them or be able to turn them off if I'm not even home. The snake rug definitely is so meaningful to me as I've wanted it and had my eye on this piece for years and used it for other people's e-design projects. ✨
It definitely helps to lighten the room because I'm trying to hide this gray carpet! I'm not technically the owner and this is a beautiful apartment we are renting so I'm glad I can take these pieces with me to wherever we land next since I'm unable to remove the carpet adding a rug on top that's PRETTIER to look at was a must!
I'm also obsessed with the desert Decor I was able to find this art randomly at Ross. You can find a lot of treasures at Home goods, Ross, and Amazon so this room wasn't crazy expensive at the end of the day especially since I did a lot of the labor myself. It's just physically draining but totally worth it in the end. I'm so excited and I hope you enjoyed the progress these last 7 weeks stay tuned for the recap next week!
This room project has meant a lot. I'm so grateful to be a part of the ORC w/ my peers.🔥
Week 8
Like I said in week one, I can’t believe the time flew by so fast from the last spring challenge I participated in. It was really so much fun to watch all my design peers makeover their spaces! I got to connect with sooo many amazing new designers which was awesome!🤘
This year it was a goal for me to finally bring some much-needed color into our gray and vanilla large apartment. I always tell my clients they need to ditch the vanilla so now it’s time for me to take my own advice! I took a few months early in the year to work on the living room, office, dining room, workout area, kitchen... I know my eyes are getting crossed too!!🤣
I had two directions in mind for my bedroom that I hadn’t decided on yet. One idea was to have the style match the rest of the house which is very bold and colorful Tokyo City style but it's pretty dark and might be a little heavy. My second concept would be something lighter brighter softer more Serene and anime or Manga inspired with a vaporwave look.
After a while I FINALLY decided on which vibe I wanted for my bedroom design! 🎊 I chose the darker mood board because I think that is more representative of my overall style. So it became an easy choice to go with the look I'm more comfortable with as this is for a bedroom. 🕶
I knew my next step would be to finalize the sourcing since that can sometimes take a while and there's only so many weeks with the ORC and somehow they fly by! So it's definitely a challenge to really sit down and source everything that I wanted to replace in this room. I finalized new bookcases, tapestry, wall art and new console table that will be a bit longer so I can house a larger TV. 📺
I took a LONG TIME ⌚sourcing the curtains and I always love getting them from society6 because I'm all about artists that are putting themselves in their work out there and it makes for more unique items in the space that not everyone has. I strive for unique creativity that thinks outside the box and not with the normal trends so the acid green and pink blackout curtains seemed really fitting and I really love creating a big statement on a budget.💸
I found my striped faux chinchilla throw pillows on Etsy as well as an oversized large snake rug. I'm super excited ✨about this since I wanted to hide most of this dark charcoal carpet to lighten the room since there will be a lot more pieces and color and I don't want the room to feel heavy so by lightening the dark rug we can go for a light and bright feel. ☀
Now came the part I was DREADING! It was time for me to go into my jungle of a room with a machete and chop down all the weeds and clutter that I've been avoiding! 😂
So I took it pile by pile and just started with the edge of my room and worked my way around. This is literally the last room that I haven't decorated since I did a full home tour video with the rest of my apartment. Unfortunately this room hasn't gotten any love but only is an extra landing place for junk clutter and dust bunnies. 👎
So the room was starting to take shape now and all of our hard labor blood sweat and tears is paying off and I was finally seeing the LIGHT at the end of the tunnel 💪
Painting week was the most challenging week by far! 😩
Like my mother I definitely want to get things done fast so I had to slow it down because painting takes time and several coats which infuriated me but I tried to paint the first coat and go and do something else, come back after it was dry, paint another coat, rinse and repeat etc. 🖌
This definitely feels like the last of the hump because the furniture making has been long and then the furniture painting even LONGER but now that the two hardest weeks are complete it's all about the fun placement time to bring everything together! 🍾
I didn't want to go through the trouble of painting and taping more than I've already done with the two tall bookcases, new large console table, and two nightstands. I was over painting and my blue tape was running out. So I decided to order some fun colored duct tape off Amazon and created some fun rainbow stripes along the ceiling and walls to draw your eye up. 👀 This is one of my favorite focal points in this room!
I love doing the one room challenge because sometimes as a procrastinator I can put my home and self-care needs LAST while I put my clients family and friends first (trust me I'm working on that)🤣
This is an opportunity for me to go back to my ROOTS of Foster Decor and design a beautiful makeover for a pending home project! 🔥
I definitely recommend the experience to any and every designer who also struggles to put themselves and their home first!🎊
I'm so glad I did it because if I hadn't participated my bedroom would be... Well what you saw pretty GROSS haha! 😝
It's definitely now LEVELED UP and updated into a beautiful adult and mature space that has a lot of COLOR and PERSONALITY thanks to my maximalist and wild side 🌈
But we didn't go boring mature we went with fun and whimsical space which is definitely a foster decor signature style 👽
This ORC challenge has been SOOO rewarding and fun and was the push I needed to finish my bedroom! Make sure to check out the video below to see the FULL REVEAL of all these pieces put together!