I can’t believe there is only ONE week left in the One Room Challenge! For the past five weeks I have been decorating a loft area in our son Wesley’s room. (To catch up on previous weeks, see week 1, week 2, week 3 and week 4.) This past week had some ups and downs. I’ll start with the good news first: our guard railing arrived yesterday!
I’ll give you the back story on the railing…before Wesley was born I shared this photo from K Mathiesen Brown Design as part of a home tour on House of Turquoise:
It hadn’t even crossed our minds to ever change what we had, but seeing that space made us want our loft to be open, with a more modern, sleek railing than what we currently had. (Thanks a lot, Internet!) The area up there is already so dark, the half-wall going up just made it all the worse.
So shortly before Wesley was born we tore down the wall. And there it sat until now! We simply ran out of time before he was born to put up something new and knew we wouldn’t be using the space anytime soon. And now, thanks to the ORC, we’re finally getting it done!
Here in Minnesota there are strict codes about railings, so we knew ours couldn’t look like the inspiration photo–mainly it would have to be at least 36″ high. We ended up finding another photo that would be more realistic to what we needed:
So we contacted a local company Accent Ornamental Iron and had them make us a custom railing. It’s still taking some getting used to…we both really liked how open it was without a railing…but as far as railings go, we love it. And it’s way better than the wall!
Here’s a view from up in the loft.
Our Jenny Lind bookcase also arrived this week! Chris mentioned it was the easiest piece of furniture he’s ever put together…he needed a break by now, so that was good! Of course he had a little bit of help putting it together….
Wesley sure loves his “steps”! Anyway I love the shelf and am happy we have the room for it now without the window.
By the way, I’m sorry about the terrible lighting in these loft photos above…they were taken in broad daylight with the window wide open (granted with my iphone…). Goes to show why we need a skylight. I still can’t find anyone to install one anytime soon….but we definitely will be doing that, ORC or not!
When we were on the Land of Nod website purchasing the shelf, we came across this An Adventure a Day Banner and thought it could be a fun, colorful addition to the space. Chris is all about the adventures, so he was particularly excited I think! 😉
Now on to the lows of the week…
We received our light fixture in the mail but were disappointed to see it did not have a switch on it. I know a lot of hardwired fixtures don’t but the image looked like it did, and I called customer service and they agreed with me (but admittedly didn’t know for sure.) The fixture we received in the mail didn’t even look like the photo, there were no knobs on the plate. Not sure what was going on there.
We returned it and moved on to Plan B, the Norwell Lighting Aidan Swing Arm Wall Sconce–which for sure has a switch. Thankfully Wayfair (one of the ORC sponsors) had plenty in stock and fast shipping, so I quickly ordered one and it will be here at the end of the week!
The other disappointment for the week was with our lounge furniture. We bought the ottoman to go along with it (it’s the Cushy Lounge Sectional from PB Teen), but there’s just not enough space for it with the shelf in there. So that went back. But in good news, we love the furniture…it really is super comfy!
It looks kind of purple here, but it’s definitely navy blue. Can’t wait to put the throw pillows on it!
There is still much to do before the final reveal next Wednesday:
-Find knobs for closet door (thank you all for the helpful suggestions!)
-Install light fixture
-Touch up paint
-Find a lamp for the bookshelf
-Hang up artwork
-Arrange furniture
-Fill bookshelf
-Accessorize
-Continue quest to find someone to install a skylight
And with that, time to check in with the other ORC participants! One week left you guys!!!
Love turquoise? Visit my shopping blog Everything Turquoise…updated several times throughout the day! Check out Decor by Color for even more color-themed shopping!
I love that lounge sofa so much and the JL bookshelf is adorable. The print you found is perfect and that railing makes the space so much brighter- looks awesome! I can't wait to see the big reveal next week.
Love this week 5 update! Can't wait to see the loft and a peak at the entire room, I hope.
Ugh! I hate the setbacks, but who cares when you can sit back in your comfy lounger and stare at that gorgeous bookcase! 🙂 Can't wait to see your space next week (and I can't wait to be done ;)…I'm getting to old for this!) 🙂
The railing makes a huge difference. And the Jenny Lind bookcase is so cute. Everything is looking fabulous. Can't wait to see it all come together next week.
I I love your room. it looks amazing, especially the lounger. I'm looking for something very similar for our basement playroom. Can you please tell me where you found it? Thanks so much. Can't wait to see the final reveal next week!
Erin – It looks fantastic. Love the "art work"!
Thanks everyone!! Anon- The lounge furniture is from PB Teen…it's the Cushy Lounge Sectional without the base. We love it!
It's looking so great! I actually like the railing–adds a bit of modern to the space. What a lucky boy! It's going to be fantastic when you're done.
I love love the Adventure A Day print…how sweet! And the shelf looks amazing (my favorite) and how great does the loft look with it more open now! Cheers to the final week doll, I know we're all feeling the heat! Big hugs xo
Please, please attach your bookcase to the wall. My sons found the "steps" so tempting, and you don't want it to fall on your adorable son.
Anon- yes!! The bookcase came with the hardware to attach it, just have to find the perfect spot first! I hope your sons never got hurt! They are definitely tempting!
AH that Jenny Lind is so adorable. Looking great!
http://www.designsbykaty.com
Love the rail and what a difference – great job with the Jenny Lind bookcase…excited to see it all come together next week!
I love reading how little glitches have not slowed anyone down! This group can role with the punches….love the railing and I know this room is going to be so cute!
The rail looks fantastic!! Wesley is going to LOVE his new space!
It's coming together so nicely! I see I am not alone with minor glitches
OH I love everything….and I know how frustrating setbacks can be but it will all come together. One other little cautionary tail from experience. Watch that your son doesn't use those rails as a latter as he grows. I designed custom iron spindles for our stairs….I was horrified one day when I found my son using them to hoist himself up to look over the railing. Never in a million years would I have ever even thought of that when I designed them!
I love the railing you went with! It does keep it feeling open! Everything is looking so good & that banner is perfect! So happy you were able to get a replacement scone in time! Cannot wait for the reveal! x jana
Love, love, love the railing. I want a loft. How wonderful a skylight would be. Good luck with that one. Hang in there.
It looks like it is starting to come together! Just curious. Is the green diamond area run a Dash and Albert indoor/outdoor rung? If so, I was thinking of getting it and was curious in your thoughts about it.
Anon- Yes, it is a Dash and Albert! I have several throughout the house and LOVE them. With all our animals and the little guy, we need durable rugs and these really are. AND they are super cute! Highly recommend!
Thanks for the recommendation. I have two you boys so durability is a must. Oh and how many times can I misspell rug in one short comment?!
Nice railings! And I love the lounge sofa.