One Room Challenge Fall 2021: Week One

Wow, it’s crazy to think that the last time I participated in the One Room Challenge was right before I had Lily. Now, two years later we’re back with a toddler and an infant. I’m ready to tackle another One Room Challenge! My room of choice? I’m turning the formal living room into a playroom!

Move In

I remember when I first saw this house and in particular, this space. Out of all the rooms in the house, I knew this would be the only one I’d have a hard time figuring out what to do. In fact, at one point I contemplated hiring an interior designer because I had no clue what to do with this room. At the very least I knew I’d want the Christmas tree in there, but that’s one month out of the whole year.

Jack of All Rooms, Master of None

We’re not the type of people to take advantage of a formal living room. We do all of our “living” in the family room where the TV is. So until I could figure out my vision, it became a dumping ground for extra stuff and furniture. It wasn’t ideal, especially since it’s the first space you see when you come through the front door.

At one point I tried to make it half downstairs office, half sitting room. Then once we got our Peloton, it became half home gym, half sitting room.

The Plan

This is what it currently looks like today.

Half the room is a mini home gym that is fenced off with a baby gate (because someone kept unplugging my Peloton). The other half is merely a sitting area which is where I plan to make the playroom.

The yellow couch is going into storage and the chairs will be relocated to the family room. I’ll move the kitchen set, drawers, and easel into the new playroom, and I’ll be adding a small table and chairs set.

I want to do a painted arch on the wall and put a couple of shelves up. Not sure if I want them to have books or do something more decorative since they will be out of reach.

I have a whole Pinterest board filled with inspiration, a lot of which is hacked versions of our kitchen set, so if time permitting I might give it a little spruce.

Stay tuned for next as I go into more planning and sharing my mood board + design inspiration.

Follow Along Week-by-Week

• Week 1: Room Announcement
• Week 2: Mood Board and Planning
• Week 3: Painting the Wall Arch
• Week 4: Completed Wall Arch + Plant Shelves
• Week 5: Planning the Kitchen Makeover
• Week 6: An IKEA Duktig Makeover
• Week 7: The Sneak Peek Before the Reveal
• Week 8: The Big Reveal