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The Library: One Room Challenge Week 6

Today is the day! Good grief! It has been six  l o n g  weeks. Yesterday, I finally had to stop working in the library and simply move forward with the project as it was. I realized that I could not make the library better in two days time, but I could certainly make it worse. It was a little difficult to let go of what I imagined in my head, but course correction is the name of the game during the One Room Challenge™. Tomorrow, I will post about where we go from here, but today, today (!) is all about how far we have come.

If you would like to catch up on the entire six weeks, feel free to read all of our ORC posts.

week one / week two / week three / week four / week five

Before

I love sharing before photos because they are such a reality check. Although the library in BHH was our favorite multi-use room, it was in a state of great disrepair. There was significant water damage throughout the room, there were acoustic tiles on the ceiling, and the windows and floors required complete restoration.

Weeks 1-5 flew by in a blur of sawdust, spackle, and paint. I worked many twelve hour days.

Sunday, Andy and I were still hanging the grasscloth wallpaper.

Even this morning I was dabbing black paint on the chalkboard wall. This restoration/renovation was the most physically demanding DIY project that we have completed to date.

But, it is all a pleasant blur now because we have a beautiful new library. Picture me with my hand over my mouth, making the stereotypical HGTV crying face because this. is. happening.

After

Just look at it.

The tall table is a stand-up workstation that I built with my own two hands. The bandaids on my fingers tell the tale. Mistakes were made, but there it is.

The wall hanging is a vintage map of Scotland. When we moved into BHH, we found it here in the house. It belonged to Dorothy. Her husband was Scottish. It is a beautiful piece, and I love that it still has a place here in BHH. It is perfect for this room.

The other side of the room is a cozy reading area.

One of my favorite last-minute projects was this side table.

I bought the metal table base at an antique store last summer and promptly forgot about it. This morning, I was scrambling to find a table when I stumbled upon the base in the garage. After I dragged it upstairs, I ran to Home Depot for a piece of pre-cut plexiglass for the top.

As I was creating the design plan, I knew that I wanted the whole room to be full of quirky little details such as our rock collection from California and New York. The large piece of petrified wood came from our property in California.

We pick up smaller rocks here and there when they catch our eye.

The library was also the perfect place to showcase Andy’s childhood comic book collection that the kids still read regularly. Check out those authentic Guardians of the Galaxy comics.

And my personal favorite, Richie Rich. (He has zillionz!)

The chalkboard wall, still a work-in-progress, is a place for the kids to have free expression, and M. couldn’t wait to make her mark.

Every shelf is a little museum display of our memories and interests.

Our new fish, Gil, lives on the work table. He keeps unburying his plants.

Coincidentally, or not, although this project was incredibly demanding, the emotional return on our investment was almost immediate. The library is now a cozy and functional multi-use space for the whole family. We couldn’t be happier.

Be sure to come back Monday for the bloopers, budget breakdown and the down-low on all of our sources. A million thanks for keeping me company this past six weeks. Your encouragement and support kept me going.  You are the wind beneath my wings or something like that.

Please head over to Calling It Home to take a look at all of the One Room Challenge™ rooms from the featured designers and the other guest participants too. You are in for a treat. I am so proud of everyone. If you participated in this challenge, pat yourself on the back. You did it, and I hope you enjoy some well-deserved R&R.

Next week, I will share all of my favorite ORC projects. There are so many good ones.

52 Comments

  • Andrea Matters
    Posted May 11, 2017 at 1:33 am

    Utterly lovely!

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted May 11, 2017 at 8:35 am

      Thank you, Andrea!

  • Ame Jo Hughes
    Posted May 11, 2017 at 6:22 am

    What a fabulous difference! You did such wonderful, hard work. The table! The windows! The WALLS! Will there be a shot from the stairs?

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted May 11, 2017 at 8:36 am

      Thank you, Ame! There might be a shot from the stairs soon. The library is between floors which makes that photo a little tricky. 🙂

  • Jordana @WhiteCabana
    Posted May 11, 2017 at 7:46 am

    A house with a library! Now that’s a gem!

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted May 11, 2017 at 8:37 am

      Thank you, Jordana!

  • Kalila
    Posted May 11, 2017 at 8:02 am

    It came out wonderful! You have inspired me to participate in the next ORC.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted May 11, 2017 at 8:37 am

      Thank you! I’m so glad you will be joining the ORC in the fall. I can’t wait to read all about your project.

  • Liz
    Posted May 11, 2017 at 8:44 am

    Wow! It ‘s beautiful! I love the light that comes through those restored windows and the floor…oh, that floor! It’s cozy, yet appears to be so much bigger than it was in its former life and it obviously tells the story of your family. Well done!

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted May 11, 2017 at 1:54 pm

      Thank you, Liz. The beauty of the library is that even on the cloudiest day, it has natural light. It’s weird how much bigger it looks!

  • Betsy
    Posted May 11, 2017 at 8:50 am

    It came out great! BHH is luck to have owners who are restoring, and not demoing . I think your hard work paid off for sure!!

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted May 11, 2017 at 1:54 pm

      Thank you, Betsy. <3

  • Jessica | House Homemade
    Posted May 11, 2017 at 9:03 am

    That turned out beautiful! Love the space

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted May 11, 2017 at 1:55 pm

      Thank you, Jessica! 🙂 I flat out love the playroom you did.

  • SH
    Posted May 11, 2017 at 9:21 am

    Everything! Just everything! All the textures and colors invite you in. So much character. And light. How fortunate to have found the side table base when you did; it really belongs in there. I’m so excited for you, I may have made that HGTV face too 😀 I will be rereading this post more than once today. Love it!!

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted May 11, 2017 at 1:56 pm

      Oh SH, thank you! Thank you for taking this crazy ride with me. 🙂

  • Devyn
    Posted May 11, 2017 at 9:38 am

    Looks fantastic! I love, love, love, the leaded glass interior window, and the dark color on the chalkboard wall only serves to bring out it’s beauty. I admire the level of commitment you have done during this past six weeks, I know it was a lot of work, but the rewards are worth it in the end.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted May 11, 2017 at 1:57 pm

      Thank you, Devyn! I always get a crazy thrill when you post that you like something that I did. You have such great taste! 😀 Additionally, I am pretty sure that I could not sustain this level of commitment on a regular basis. LOL

  • CoCo
    Posted May 11, 2017 at 9:49 am

    Oh my word, I can’t even talk about how gorgeous this library is! It’s so crazy how different it looks. I love the grasscloth wallpaper, the map, the shelves, the windows, the last minute table – don’t even get me started on that rug – it’s so awesome! love the way this space came together. I know you are really proud of it and I am too. It’s just stunning. Hugs, CoCo

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted May 11, 2017 at 2:00 pm

      CoCo, your comment seriously made me tear up. I’m so weirdly emotional about this particular project. Thank you for your kind comments these past few weeks. I felt very supported during the challenge.

  • Cassie Bustamante
    Posted May 11, 2017 at 10:50 am

    WOW! what a difference! this looks awesome! love the wall treatment, the rug and table/stool set up! oh and that crystal art is fantastic!

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted May 11, 2017 at 2:02 pm

      Thank you so much, Cassie! I sure do admire your black and white hall makeover (and everything else you do!)

  • Andrea Matters
    Posted May 11, 2017 at 11:43 am

    There’s so much to love about this project, but I think my favorite part might be the map of Scotland that belonged to a previous owner. It’s just something about the historical continuity, and honoring/remembering another family who lived their lives there.

    We live seven blocks from my grandparents’ old house. They were the original owners of that house, which was built in 1925. I have gotten to know the present owner a bit, and last year I asked her if she would like a hand-painted cup and saucer that my grandmother made. Grandma painted an entire set of china dishes in the 20’s; I guess that was a “thing” back then. The new owner was absolutely thrilled to have it, and it makes me smile to think of that cup and saucer “back home” at Grandma and Grandpa’s house, where they lived for over fifty years and where Grandma’s special dishes were always displayed on the sideboard.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted May 11, 2017 at 2:05 pm

      I love this story, Andrea. I think it is so special that the cup and saucer are back home. I think of it in those terms too. I have a few items left by Dorothy, and as far as I am concerned, they live here forever now. 🙂

  • monica
    Posted May 11, 2017 at 1:07 pm

    I LOVE it!!! Have been following along and am inspired by the way you have tackled this – and your whole house! If looks really, really lovely. So wonderful that you have place for a rock collection. I have similar piles and containers of rocks gathered over the years and can never quite figure out what to do with them! Am interested in hearing more about the rug…

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted May 11, 2017 at 2:07 pm

      Thank you, Monica! I appreciate your comment and the support for what we are doing here in BHH. I feel like I am finally finding that balance between caretaker and owner. If you come up with something cool to do with your collections, I would love to hear all about it.

  • Summer
    Posted May 11, 2017 at 1:43 pm

    Stacy, it’s gorgeous, I love the table you built and the little iron table, your room is unique and it tells a story! I love that, I’m not sure what else needs to be done, cause I think it looks fab! I also love the wallpaper!
    http://www.raisingafarmhouse.com

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted May 11, 2017 at 2:08 pm

      Thank you so much, Summer. Let’s stay in touch. I think we tackle similar projects. 🙂

  • mkcubed
    Posted May 11, 2017 at 1:56 pm

    Not sure I can come up with words that express how amazing this room is now. You and your family did a great job on the restoration and finishing touches.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted May 11, 2017 at 2:16 pm

      Thank you so much! 🙂

  • Jen Noting Grace
    Posted May 11, 2017 at 5:44 pm

    Oh my goodness, Stacy! I’m simply agog! What an amazing transformation. So many hiccups we had this round, no? But it’s time for a DIY vacay – and what a lovely space to escape to. It’s stunning, it’s inspiring and it’s done!! Hooray!

    Congrats, my friend!!

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted May 12, 2017 at 7:06 am

      Thank you, Jen! I’ll be on that DIY vacay with you. 🙂

  • Brenda
    Posted May 11, 2017 at 7:10 pm

    Love your library. Just a teeny bit jealous that you HAVE a library…Sigh. Looking through the photos I couldn’t help but think that you’ve created a life size Cabinet of Curiosities. A place to hold your collected treasures – just love it. Well done.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted May 12, 2017 at 7:08 am

      Thank you, Brenda! I love your description of Cabinet of Curiosities. I had no words for what I was trying to create, but this is exactly it! I wanted it to look like the office of a museum curator. LOL

      • Brenda
        Posted May 12, 2017 at 7:35 pm

        I’ve spent the day wandering all through your blog. Love your house, love your approach to making it your own and love your writing. Thanks for sharing all of it.

        • Post Author
          Stacy
          Posted May 25, 2017 at 8:48 am

          Thank you for reading, Brenda. I am happy to have you here.

  • Vanessa
    Posted May 11, 2017 at 9:49 pm

    Very nicely done! I really like the grasscloth.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted May 12, 2017 at 7:08 am

      Thank you, Vanessa!

  • Kelly
    Posted May 12, 2017 at 7:55 am

    Gil! You mischevious boy, lol! That totally made me laugh. And, the comic books! How cool is that? I bet my husband would love to still have his. I love that this room has so much of your families character in it. Such a great job!

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted May 12, 2017 at 4:08 pm

      That Gil’s a real handful. 😀 Andy’s mom keeps everything. I “shop” at her house often now that we live close enough. The kids often read these comic books. Richie Rich is a favorite.

  • Jessica Vanderveen
    Posted May 12, 2017 at 3:08 pm

    Great job, it looks amazing! This is the only library I saw as part of the ORC, good for you for doing something unique! I posted my reveal of my hall makeover at http://www.thevanderveenhouse.com/hall-makeover

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted May 12, 2017 at 3:43 pm

      Thank you! Yes, your hall is really lovely. Great work!

  • MELISSA C
    Posted May 12, 2017 at 9:43 pm

    So beautiful and cozy! I could curl up there every afternoon.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted May 25, 2017 at 8:48 am

      Thank you, Melissa!

  • Emy
    Posted May 13, 2017 at 5:42 pm

    This is such a dreamy room! I dream of having a library one day! You did such a great job!

  • Homespun by Laura
    Posted May 14, 2017 at 8:47 am

    The finished space looks amazing in photos; I know it looks even better in person! I love the shelves with all the different pieces that represent family interests and memories instead of random items bought at Target or wherever just to fill up space. Great work!!!

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted May 25, 2017 at 8:37 am

      Thank you, Laura! 🙂 You did a heck of a makeover on your office, too!

  • Marti
    Posted May 14, 2017 at 11:00 am

    As a child, I would have loved a room dedicated to reading – lucky kids! As an adult, I also really appreciate the new ceiling. We have acoustic tiles in our sunroom and I can’t wait to replace them.

    Kudos for your hard work and congratulations on the beautiful result! It all looks great.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted May 25, 2017 at 8:32 am

      Thank you so much, Marti. 🙂 We have three more rooms that have acoustic tiles. I cannot wait to tear them all out! Someday…

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