One Room Challenge Week 1: Tiny Living

For this Spring’s One Room Challenge, I’ll be redoing a bedroom in my Mother-in-Law’s house! I have six weeks to totally transform the room and I’ll post updates each week here on the blog and on Instagram. To view other participants transformations, check out the ORC website here: www.oneroomchallenge.com/orc-blog

The Backstory

You might remember that Brad and I moved out of our Austin rental back in December and embarked on what was supposed to be a 6-month sabbatical. After our sabbatical, our plan was to settle down in West Palm Beach, Florida and build a multi-generational home for ourselves and our parents to live with us. Unfortunately, our sabbatical was cut short by COVID-19 and, after getting stranded abroad for a month, we finally made it back to Florida. While we work on building our home, we’ll be staying in a spare room at my Mother-in-law’s house. She generously agreed to let me makeover the room!

And here’s the floor plan. As in most Old Florida homes, it’s a cozy space so the design needs to be really well thought-out and efficient.

The Goal

This bedroom will be our only space for the duration of the house build, which could take up to two years. We both work remotely so it’s our office as well. And, as if that’s not enough, we’ll be sharing a bathroom with Brad’s younger brother who is also living here temporarily. Organization and function are going to be critical in this space but it also really needs to feel like a private retreat for us.

Before I ever start designing a space, I think through all of the functional needs. A pretty room is nothing if not comfortable and usable. (You can read more about my design process here.) Here is what we need to accomplish:

• Replace furniture
• Paint
• Maximize closet and storage space
• Improve traffic flow
• Maximize natural light
• Create height to help the room feel more spacious
• Carve out space for a small desk

A note: I also want to be incredibly conscientious and thoughtful in how I achieve a room transformation during these times. I’ll be purposeful about which businesses I support during this endeavor and will source from a number of small shops. I’ll rely on online purchases and will do all of the work myself.

The Aesthetic

I love a breezy, coastal aesthetic but smaller spaces really benefit from some richness and depth. My goal is to strategically layer in some darker pieces to visually maximize the space and to create something that feels calming and sophisticated. I’ll dive in to the details next week!

Let’s be neighbors! Follow me on Instagram @goldcoastcanvas for more home decor conversations.