ORC Week 4 | New Living Room Design Plans

We’re half way through the One Room Challenge. Quick recap: the ORC is an eight week design challenge where lots of interior designers & design influencers makeover… can you guess? Yep – one room. I’m giving the living room in our rented Edwardian semi some attention, to make it lighter, brighter, happier and more livable. You can catch up on previous weeks progress through the links at the end of this post.

So what’s been cracking this week? Well, with the TV hung, all of a sudden there was a massive black rectangle above the fireplace. It’s aesthetically challening but it’s the only functional spot for it.

Hanging The TV Above the Fireplace

The obvious way to balance the telly’s self-absorbed oafishness is by styling the built ins to make that whole wall visually softer, then adding art around the rest of the room.

Shelf styling generally involves pulling out all possible options, then playing. For a long time.

It’s far from done so I’m not going to share any more just yet, but it’s on the way.

Redesigning

I started having doubts about parts of the mood board. I got distracted by a very pretty chair that I’ve had my eye on for literally years.

This was the original mood board, which I shared (with sources) in Week One.

But then the very pretty chair got involved, and there were shipping/availability issues with the landscape art print and the pouf. So I tweaked the mood board.

Mid-week it was looking like this, although I hadn’t pulled the trigger on anything yet.

Wall Hanging // Pendant Shade // Oil Painting // Curtains
Chesterfield Sofa Bed // Mudcloth Cushions
Pink Cushion – Anthro // Side Table – West Elm // Lamp – DIY
Bean Bag // Jute Rug (similar) // Moroccan Rug – Marrakech
Task Lamp – West Elm // Poof // Velvet Accent Chair
Wevet Paint – Farrow & Ball

The new chair was £600 versus the £114 rattan one I originally had in mind. But I could stay in budget if I kept our existing rugs and artwork, and went for curtains instead of blinds. Now that the living room is (mostly) painted, it’s bright enough that I have no issue with curtains reducing the light, and they’re a much cheaper option.

Then I got cold feet about spending that much on a chair I couldn’t test out before buying. It needs to be comfy! I also missed the organic feel of the rattan one, so I tweaked the design again until it looked like this.

Wall Hanging // Pendant Shade (similar) // Oil Painting // Curtains
Chesterfield Sofa Bed // Mudcloth Cushions – Danielle Oakey
Pink Cushion – Anthro // Side Table – West Elm // Lamp – DIY
Bean Bag // Jute Rug (similar) // Moroccan Rug – Marrakech
Task Lamp – West Elm // Hmong Pouf // Rattan Chair // Hmong Cushion
Wevet Paint – Farrow & Ball

I’m happy with this version. It’s still soft and happy and calm, I’m not splurging anywhere unnecessary, and it’s using a lot of existing pieces, so it’s budget-friendly.

Samples & Shopping

Although it doesn’t look it on the mood boards, the new blush pink beanbag is the same fabric as the very pretty chair. I got a fabric sample in yesterday, as well as a bunch of potential curtain fabrics. I narrowed them down to a few…

I’m digging it. As was the dog.

I’ve just pulled the trigger on curtains (guess which fabric I picked?) and most of the furniture, so it’s happening.

The Living Room To Do List

1. Make it Lighter & Brighter

• Strip the wallpaper ✔
• Repaint – just the bay left to do
• Replace curtains with blinds – ordered
• Add mirrors – maybe not anymore?

2. Make It Tidier & More Functional

• Hang the TV ✔
• Rehang the door ✔
• Get rid of/replace some of the furniture – in progress
• Organise storage for electronics & guest bedding – in progress
• Lighting plan/execution

3. Make It Happy

• Add colour with art & textiles
• Style the built ins with pretty things – in progress

What’s Next?

This week I want to play more with the built-ins and finish organising the electronics. And more shopping!

Head to the One Room Challenge to check out the featured designers’ progress this week, as well as all the guest participants.

Catch Up On Other ORC 2020 Posts

Mood Board & Plans (Week One)
Stripping & Painting (Week Two)
Creating More Light & Space (Week Three)
New Design Plans (This Week)
Week Five (No Post)
Shelf Styling (Week Six)
Design Updates (Week Seven)
The Reveal (Week Eight)