Approaching the Finish Line
One Room Challenge, Week 8
BEFORE
AFTER
It’s Week 8 of the Fall 2025 One Room Challenge and it’s time to reveal all our hard work! This season has been a huge challenge for us because of time constraints. We still have a punch list of things to do and things to buy. When I look at the before pictures though, I think we have come so far and the room has had quite an impressive makeover!
There’s something else that I’ve realized in making over this room.....we truly get better with every project! This is exciting because next year we have the biggest project yet that I will be announcing very soon! We will not be participating in an 8-week challenge to get it done though.....it’s too massive. Stay tuned for that!
This week, we finished up the last bit of trim that we had to do and custom fit the last piece of picture frame molding. I also caulked everything which with this much trim, was quite the undertaking! It truly is the difference between an amateur diy job and a professional finish though. The 2 days I spent caulking were totally worth it. I’ll link the exact caulk I used and the special tools I used this time to make this job go quicker and easier. Truly, anyone can do it!
Once we took up the drop cloths and protective paper, we were so excited to see how the floors look with the wainscoting and wall color! It’s amazing! We did a quick cleanup of the floors and rolled out the new rug. For this room, I chose the Chris Loves Julia x Loloi Jules rug in Terra Cotta. It plays so well with the wall and floor color and really warms up the room and adds a fun texture. I didn’t think it was possible for us to roll this rug out while the heavy desk was in the room, but I trusted Doug on how to make it happen, and we were able to do it. The man truly is a mechanical genius! (And yes, I doubted him at first.) 😅
Coco decided that a rug was a great idea and promptly laid right in the middle of it before we rolled it out. It took about 3 times of moving him before he got the hint and laid on the bed in the next room.😂
We then hung the curtains. For Doug’s office, I wanted something a little bolder so I chose the same embroidered square patterned curtain from Ballard Designs. I now have these curtains in most of the rooms downstairs and in my office. It brings cohesiveness to the house and I love it.
We brought in a few pieces to style the space for photos, but we will be shopping for a few things in the coming weeks. Doug would like to have a console behind his desk for more surface area and storage. We also want to get a loveseat or small sofa to go across from the desk. (Coco needs a comfy place to hang out in here after all!) We are hoping to find a comfortable sleeper sofa, but are open to just finding a sofa and using an air mattress in here if we need to use the room as a guest room.
When we placed the artillery shell that I’m making into a lamp and the old naval class photo that Doug’s grandpa is in on the marble table, I got really excited at how these pieces look with the wall color. It’s even better than I dreamed it would be!
We still need to find Doug a comfy office chair. And, I will be taking the artwork to get it reframed for this space. We will bring you along for these finishing touches so stay tuned for our final reveal!
Check out the other participants’ projects at www.oneroomchallenge.com - there are some amazing projects this season!
Decor & DIY Tools We’re Loving for this Project
Restoration Powder to Clean Antique Linens Safely
Preassembled Picture Frame Moulding
PB Comfort Modern Square Arm Sleeper Sofa in Chambray
Chris Loves Julia Terracotta Rug
Hinkley Harper Ceiling Light
The Active Painter's Dream Package: Handy Paint Pail & Liner Combo + Free Paintbrush
Paint Spray Gun
Wooster Brush
Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Earbuds
White Vinegar
Sanding Sponge
Mister Rui Foam Paint Roller
Brown Paper Roll
Frog Tape
Brown Kraft Paper
Canvas Drop Cloth
Disposable Aluminum Pans
DryDex Heavyweight Spackling
Workpro 4-ct Spackle Knives
Kilz Interior Primer
Plastic Painter's Drop Cloth
Paint Samples
Benjamin Moore Paint
Press N Seal
