One Room Challenge: Week 1

Hey guys! I’m SO excited to announce that Beachy Bohème will be participating in this spring’s One Room Challenge! I decided to join as a guest participant to share the re-design of my friend, Miranda’s living room inside her charming little craftsman home in San Diego. How cute, right?

If you’ve never heard of the One Room Challenge, get ready to be inspired by so many beautiful interior design make overs! I’ll be joining hundreds of other designers and decorators as I share the transformation of her space. More than 1,900 rooms have been transformed through the One Room Challenge. You can learn more about it here. The challenge has served as a major inspiration for me over the years, so I’m excited to finally participate this time around. Miranda and I will be documenting the entire process weekly, sharing all of our resources, inspirations, findings, and all the other goodness! Be sure to check back weekly for updates.

THE ROOM

This living room belongs to Miranda and her husband, Taylor. Funny story – I actually met Miranda on Instagram! About 5 months ago, she reached out over Instagram DM to let me know she “absolutely adored” my work and had been following it for some time. She was local, so we decided to meet up for coffee and totally hit things off.

Miranda and Taylor recently got married back in September so they’re looking to create a space that blends their two personalities, while also creating something casual, relaxed, and comfortable to enjoy. This space has so much character as is… and they’ve done a great job furnishing the space on their own. I think I can help them infuse it with their personalities and make it a bit more functional for their lifestyle.

As a young couple in their late 20’s, it’s no surprise that they love entertain a lot, from dinner parties to movie nights, so they’re looking for a space that can comfortably accommodate more people. With it being a small craftsman home (originally built in the 30’s!), this will be a bit of challenge, but I’m excited to see what’s possible.

They are both adventurous in spirit and have a passion for travel, but they are also very relaxed and appreciate a nice night in (I mean, who doesn’t – right?). Taylor has a passion for music and has an ever-growing collection of vinyls to prove it. Miranda loves anything tropical and beachy, and is often inspired by colorful textiles from Guatemala and Morocco. Right now, you can tell that they each share an appreciation for minimalist living but want to find a way to showcase more of their fun personality through their home.

Oh, and did I mention they have a pesky feline who loves to use upholstered furniture as her scratching post? Miranda expressed the need to find a sofa that was more resistant to her scratching. Unfortunately, they haven’t found a good scratching post that she likes using (she prefers the furniture, of course). However, during this re-design they’ve been tasked to find some additional cat scratching posts that their cat will enjoy using (fingers crossed!).

THE INSPIRATION

Based on the couple’s responses to our design questionnaire, there are a few factors to consider when designing the space to best meet their needs. Miranda works from home, so it’s important to create a space that feels sacred and un-related to work… a place she can “turn off” at the end of the day with her hubby. Taylor also needs a space to unwind while indulging in his favorite pastimes… listening to his vinyls with an adult beverage and reading! I like their style (wink). Pleasing them will be easy… it’s their cat Nova that will be my challenge. She’s prone to destroying upholstered furniture, so yeah, challenge accepted!

As for aesthetic, they have an eclectic vibe which is music to my ears! With their willingness to combine various design styles like Moroccan, mid-century and jungalow… I’m going to thoroughly enjoy designing this room! My goal is to make it feel like a seamless combination of their individual personalities and serve both of their needs at the same time. I can’t wait to get started. Stay tuned… 

In the meantime, head over the One Room Challenge portal to check out the other designers participating in this round. Be warned, it is a black hole of design porn that may suck you in for hours! You'll find a wide variety of spaces being transformed by incredibly talented people, so it's worth a peak. Aside from the design inspiration, the ORC is also an inspiring display of community at its finest; where a bunch of strangers support each other in a common goal of making their homes/spaces pretty and functional. That's the real beauty. 

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