Spring 2025 ORC Challenge: A Maximalist’s Bold Dining Room Makeover

It’s here, friends—the Spring 2025 One Room Challenge (ORC) is officially underway, and I couldn’t be more excited to dive into another round of creative chaos! For those of you who’ve been following my design adventures, you know I’m no stranger to the ORC.

Over the years, I’ve tackled everything from kitchens to foyers, and last year, my kitchen transformation even landed me a feature in Apartment Therapy’s “Before and After” series. (Yes, I squealed. Loudly.)

This time around, I’m taking on my dining room, fresh off the heels of finishing my office space. That’s right—I’m going back-to-back with these projects because why not keep the momentum going? The dining room is begging for some love, and as a maximalist who thrives on bold colors and playful design, I’m ready to give it the glow-up it deserves.

But before we get into the nitty-gritty, let me introduce myself properly: Hi guys, I'm Amanda Foster from Foster Decor Consulting. By day, I’m an Interior Design Brand Strategist, working with designers to elevate their branding and websites through coaching and mentorship.

But when it comes to the ORC, I get to step away from all that strategizing and dive headfirst into personal house projects that let me flex my interior design muscles. It’s like a creative playground where I can be as bold, colorful, and quirky as I want—and trust me, we’re going full maximalist with this one!

Oh, and did I mention? When I’m not participating in the ORC, I host my own e-design challenges! Just last month, I organized a Mardi Gras-themed challenge with some of my fellow design-loving peers.

It was a blast seeing everyone’s creativity shine—so yes, I’m all about these collaborative design adventures. Now let’s talk about this dining room makeover because there’s a lot to unpack (literally).

The Vision: Bold Design Meets Functional Flow

The dining room is part of an open-concept space that connects directly to my newly revamped office. While these two areas don’t need to match exactly (because where’s the fun in that?), they do need to flow together cohesively. 

My goal is to create a dining room that feels vibrant and packed with personality while still complementing the purple tones of the office across the way. Think siblings—not twins but definitely part of the same family.

Some staples are staying put because they spark joy (thank you, Marie Kondo). My floor-to-ceiling samurai tapestry? Staying. My black velvet armchairs with sushi pillows? Absolutely staying—they’re too cute to part with. But other elements are getting a major refresh.

Here’s my wishlist for this challenge:

• Paint storage cabinets in a funky color for a fresh vibe.

• Revamp IKEA Lack shelves with paint for cohesion.

• Remove rainbow duct tape stripes from the ceiling (yes, duct tape—don’t judge) and replace them with something cooler.

• Swap out the rug for something bold yet grounding.

• Give Keanu Reeves’ 3'x3' portrait a break (he deserves it) and bring in fresh art for a new vibe.

• Add display shelves on an adjacent wall for collectibles and comics because #nerdlife.

Step 1: De-Clutter & Conquer (Because Even Maximalists Need to Breathe – And See the Floor)

First order of business: tackle Mount Clutterest. Board games were staging a hostile takeover, and my collectibles were multiplying like rabbits. Time for Operation "Cull the Crap!" The overflow of board games, you can see them everywhere, and spilling onto the floor and collectibles was getting out of control. So, it's time to look through and curate my collection.

Hide the clutter because we have so many games. I want to paint side board and cabinets (to save money) to freshen up things as well as paint over to hide things. Remove the duct tape colored stripes. And do a KILLER paint job. Not sure what yet but paint will be awesome. Ill also remove the ivy since it's a bit dark, and maybe swap with some sculptures to add height.

Eight bags of games and ten boxes of collectibles later (TEN!), I could actually see the floor again! Turns out, decluttering is surprisingly therapeutic. It was like a weight off my shoulders – and my floors! I yanked out the dusty ivy, gave it the side-eye, and replaced it with sculptures. Because height, darling, height! Plus, a little art to gaze up to will definitely help. I love leading your eye up up up!

This decluttering mission doubled as a spring cleaning extravaganza (thanks for the nudge, ORC!). Every surface was scrubbed, every nook was vacuumed, and Keanu was gently removed from his post (we promised him a vacation).

I was glad we are taking advantage of this ORC Spring challenge with some spring cleaning! So taking down the dusty ivy, putting all the collectibles in boxes out of the way and same for board games. Seeing what can we trim down.

And also emptying these helps me to do a good clean before i paint them. So 8 bags and 10 boxes later its cleared and cleaned and ready for paint. That means my large Keanu reeves 3'x3' portrait needs to come down (not given away but put some place else) so I can see what new art can go there to change up the vibe.

Step 2: Duct Tape Down! (A Farewell to Rainbows – Hello, Artful Adventures)

Let's address the elephant (or should I say, rainbow-striped unicorn) in the room: the ceiling. Yes, I once adorned my ceiling with rainbow duct tape. It was a fun phase. The colored stripes were fun for a little bit but it was time to change it up so I could put up something new and striking! I am turning to paint as it will make a bigger impact and easier to paint white when we leave after renting. So, with a deep breath, I started peeling.

Some strips came off without a fight. Others? Not so much. There were sticky residues, torn paint, and a few moments where I questioned my sanity. But armed with my trusty spackle (and a whole lot of patience), I patched, I primed, and I persevered. Bye-bye, rainbow! Hello, blank canvas! It was time to rip off the rainbow colored duct tape from the ceiling strip by strip.

Some came off easier than others LOL. It got sticky and lots of tape everywhere. It left some marks and peeled some paint off lol but I can touch that up. With some handy dandy heavy weight spackling. Goes on pink and dried white and was as good as new. Or semi new.

Step 3: Fabric Frenzy & Rug Rumble (A Maximalist's Version of Retail Therapy - With a Thrifty Twist!)

With a blank canvas above, it was time to find some inspiration! I headed to Joann Fabrics (before they closed!) to look for some inspiration. I love fabrics to use as ideas for the color palette. The trip led to the discovery of a colorful kitty print that almost made the cut.

While it wasn't quite right for the dining room, it’s definitely going somewhere in my house. Because, let's be honest, there's always room for cats. I found a cute, colorful kitty fabric with interesting shapes, so bringing it home and seeing if it fits the vibe. Otherwise, I can use it elsewhere in another room.

Then came the rug rumble. I sold my old rug on Facebook Marketplace (cha-ching!), and snagged a black-and-white IKEA rug. I want to calm things down a little bit (I'm a maximalist, so I know that doesn't make sense), but if everything is competing for attention, it's too much, so we'll quiet the rug so we can do something epic on the ceiling!

It may be "used" but hey hey saves me money since I will be blowing tons on the paints. So I made sure to vacuum it since it was used, and they always claim "clean" but hey beats paying full price! 

I also made sure to clear the dining table, chairs, and rug since the spackle has dried so I can paint. Also, I need to take down the IKEA gold chandelier so that it doesn't get in the way of painting..

Now I can do a good vacuum since I will sell the rug and some of the overflow of collectibles and board games on fb marketplace. So I was multi-tasking between cleaning, vacuuming and selling on Facebook. When the ORC comes around, I grow 8 more arms somehow!

Step 4: Art Attack! (My Etsy Find Gets the Rockstar Treatment - DIY Style!)

I knew I wanted a statement art piece, and then I stumbled upon the perfect design on Etsy: a mashup of Daft Punk and Akira. It was bold, futuristic, and ridiculously cool, and belonged in my home, so I made sure to do the digital download for later.

I did some sketching of my sideboard and storage cabinets with their measurements to show Staples Copy & Printing Center what art piece I wanted to put in the center and get something custom-made to fit.

Now I didn't create the art piece BUT I did download it from the Etsy artist and take it to Staples! They staff were very helpful and wasn't too expensive either, they worked with me and gave me coupons lol. They had a massive poster that said PRINT BIG, so I knew I was in the right place.

I even made friends with the worker who is now following me LoL. The Daft Punk meets Akira art piece was printed out so amazingly. I left very happy. I love the hot pink color. It will definitely make a fun statement and change up the vibe in here! 

To make it custom and boujee, I went to Home Depot to get some cheap pieces of wood cut to the dimensions to make a cheap box frame for it. That way it can stick out from the wall. I glued the pieces together and then spray-painted them GOLD in the backyard to glitz it up a bit.

Then it was time to hang the art with some good wall anchors (we are prone to earthquakes in California). It turned out amazing so excited with the piece! Plus, I saved money at the end of the day instead of having to ship and print and pay for a big print. Wooo!

Step 5: Paint-a-Palooza! (Where Color Goes Wild - And I Get a Little Too Excited)

With my art masterpiece ready to rock, it was time to unleash the paint!

I was determined to use paint I already had on hand, so that's what I did. It wasn't just a thrifty choice. I wanted to keep things more streamlined versus all over the place and went with the palette I have going on through the home.

I already have so many paint cans from my other room challenges so I didn't want to spend any money on new colors so the flow would be more cohesive when you walk through the open spaces that blend together. 

I love emerald (as seen in my kitchen and foyer) and purples as well so I was thinking of bring those colors into the mix. It was really about building on what was already there and creating a sense of continuity.

Then it was the sketching time! I figured I could sketch some ideas out with old-fashioned pen and paper and test out my marker skills! This is faster than painting trial and error, which I had previously done in the kitchen lol. 

Once I landed on the colors, I decided to get to work and start with the purple paint and cover the drab black on the storage cabinets. It was coming along and looking good, but I still wanted to hide the board games so I ended up painting over the glass and made an arch shape that looks cool. Then I found these cheap peel-and-stick gold handles that I easily applied to swap out the drab black handles.

Then while that was drying, i started painting the same color on the Ikea vertical lack shelves so they look like a more complete unit versus hodge podge of random furniture. Color /paint can really help "cohesify" things. It was definitely looking more elevated so this was all coming together! 

Next, it was time to paint the ceiling. I got blue painters tape and measured to create some straight lines. Using string at the end, I created a dial by putting a tack in the string and tied my pencil to the tip, and made a cool arch for the ends. I thought with the emerald color it needed a friend and found Lunar Tide by Bear Paint.

It reminded me of the hills seen in Mario and figured that was perfect for a gamer like me. So I created a hill-like paint job on the ceiling with alternating green shades for each hill. Thanks to the weird stencil dial I used for the end, they have flawless curved ends. 

Lastly, a new area to paint was a little strip of wall near the dining room. It's important to connect the spaces with the same paint and continue the hill theme since they are open to each other. But I also want to display more art so I found some acrylic shelves I bought years ago off Amazon that would add some pop of color and house a spot to display more comics and collectibles. I did the same round technique, and once it dried, I was able to install the light and easy amazon shelves. I was hot, sweaty, a little sleep-deprived, but happy with everything coming together.

The Final Reveal: Maximalist Magic!

The result? A dining room that feels vibrant, cohesive, and unapologetically me. The new black-and-white rug grounds the space while green hills on the ceiling draw your eye upward to bold art pieces like my Daft Punk meets Akira poster.

It’s like stepping into a parallel universe where color reigns supreme and the ordinary is banished to the depths of design oblivion.I flanked this vignette with Kate Spade watercolor table lamps I found at Homegoods years ago. I love refreshing the space and not always having to buy new items but take things from other rooms and mixing things up.

The new paint gives new life to the flanking storage and connects the colors from the other rooms to help it be more cohesive in here. Especially as we are open to the adjoining office across the room and its all purple up in there!

My samurai tapestry stayed put (because why mess with perfection?), sushi pillows still bring whimsy to my velvet chairs, and colorful acrylic shelves now display comics and collectibles in style. The new rug really ties the room together, and makes sure that none of the other additions feel out of place. It’s like the glue that holds the whole design together, ensuring that nothing feels disjointed or out of sync.

This gamer/anime lover's paradise is packed with personality—and while it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s exactly what makes me happy! After all, isn’t that what home design is all about? Just don’t forget—I’ll have to paint everything back to white before we move out someday… but until then?

It’s maximalist free-range creativity at its finest!  It’s a space where I can relax, recharge, and let my creativity run wild. And at the end of the day, that’s all that really matters.

So, there you have it, guys! My Spring 2025 ORC dining room makeover. It was a wild ride filled with challenges, triumphs, and a whole lot of laughter. And I couldn’t have done it without you, my amazing community of design enthusiasts.

Thank you for following along on my journey, and I hope you found some inspiration, some entertainment, and maybe even a few laughs along the way. Until next time, keep creating, keep exploring, and keep embracing the power of maximalism!

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