One Room Challenge - An Introduction and My Home Office

Guys!  It's been quite a while since I've posted here, but I decided to blow the cobwebs off this blog and join in on the fun for this round of The One Room Challenge.  You know the one, it's where a group of bloggers select a room to redo from top to bottom in six weeks, sharing progress updates every week - Thursdays here - I'm one of the linking participants.

If we haven't met, I'm Kim Lemmon, and I own a  little design firm in Chattanooga, TN called The Green Room Interiors.  I'm all about classic design that feels fresh and vibrant, and since the room I'm doing for the ORC is in my own home, I'm excited that I can make it a true expression of my  personality and my personal style.  And isn't that what great design is all about?

Here's the room I completed for my very first One Room Challenge, about 3 1/2 years ago. It's the family room in my circa 1972 French Provincial ranch I affectionately refer to as "Project Dollhouse". The art on my gallery wall gets moved from time to time and I have since replaced the sofa with a vintage hunter green velvet Tuxedo sofa, but for the most part this room has functioned perfectly for our family. If only it stayed this tidy all the time.

My next ORC room was my kitchen, seen here:

I also joined in on the fun as a linking participant with my hall bath makeover seen below. I'm still completely smitten with the Brunschwig & Fils damask wallpaper:

and then finally, my living room and dining room combo: 

Do you feel like you know me a little better now?

Great, because what I'm going to show you now is tough.  Trust me, it's even more painful for me than it is for you.  It's an empty bedroom I'm claiming as my home office. I may or may not have organization/storage issues that need to be addressed.  Luckily my assistant is pretty cute.

When you don't have proper storage, stuff ends up all over the floor.  Infrequently used exercise equipment will be relocated to the basement, where it is even less likely to get used.

Nice.  The upside is that with before photos this bleak, there's nowhere to go but up.

I do hope you'll come back next week  to learn about my plans for my command central.  I'm sure it will come as no surprise to you that you won't see gray walls and neutral furnishings. I adore surrounding myself with beautiful color and find it so exciting to come up with interesting color combinations.  So that's what we'll be doing over here anyway.

Thanks for stopping by!  Please make sure to visit the main event bloggers  here and all of the other linking participants here

And a big thank you to  Linda at Calling it Home for dreaming this all up and hosting.

If you're in the Chattanooga area and in need of some design help,  please feel free to contact me at The Green Room Interiors 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com.  You can also visit my business website here.

See you next week!

One Room Challenge - My Hall Bath Reveal

It's done!  For the most part.  I know you're visiting lots of blogs today so I'll be light on the words and heavy on the photos.

Before we get to the "after" shots, I thought I'd share a photo of my hall bath when we bought our house 3 years ago.

Not so cute. And while we did tear out and replace the tile in the bathtub surround and the floor before we moved in, our little makeover stalled out until the One Room Challenge came around.

So, though the magic of wallpaper, paint, a little vision and the husband's renovation skills, I'm thrilled to share my hall bath "after" photos with you!

 I repurposed an antique buffet I've had for a while but had no use for until we decided to transform it into a bathroom vanity.  We only lost the use of the top drawer so not only is the piece unique, it offers plenty of storage. 

I'm so proud of myself for getting this shot (above).  I literally set the timer on my camera, held it against the opposite wall and hoped for the best.  But wait, first take a moment to bask in the glory of that flame mahogany.  So gorgeous!

The shower curtains and valance were made from off the rack curtain panels.  We added grosgrain trim to the curtain panels and my workroom made the valance out of a third panel. The bamboo shade came with me from a former house.  Lucky fit!  The palm frond chandelier is vintage - I painted it gold myself.

So you know how I love a good mix, right?  Since my buffet/vanity (buffity?) is so classic, I wanted to contrast that with a little bit of mod, and I knew this mirror would be perfect. Isn't it though?  It was dark wood when I bought it but I sprayed it gold then painted over that with Liquid Leaf.  

Thanks to all of your input I decided against the vessel sink, because lots of you warned me that they were not so user-friendly - so in this case functionality won out.  I went with a polished chrome faucet because it's timeless and transcends trends.

And I love the little glimpses of my antique mirror wall. 

Most everything in this shot I've had.  The stag sconce is antique.  I've had it for at least 5 years but never could find the right place for it.

The turquoise lamp is vintage too.  Floor tile is readily available from the shelves of Home Depot and it's budget friendly.  I chose it because I like how clean the white looks in a bathroom and the geometric pattern feels old and new at the same time. The wallpaper is Brunschwig & Fils Le Grand Palais.

Thanks for taking the time to visit today.  I'd love to know what you think about my bathroom makeover!

Thank you to Linda for creating and hosting the One Room Challenge.  You can find links to all of the participants here and here.

The Green  Room Interiors provides Interior Decorating and Design Services in Chattanooga, TN.  If you'd like to discover the joy of living in a well designed home, contact Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

One Room Challenge Week 5 - Finally Wallpaper

I bet you thought I was going to be a no-show today.  The reason I'm posting so late  is because my wallpaper ladies finished hanging my bathroom just moments ago and I wanted to wait until they were done so I could show you pictures of something more than sheet rock dust and a toilet.

But before we get to that, I want to thank you for checking in on my week FIVE (!) progress of the One Room Challenge.  In case you're not familiar, it's the internet sensation (if you like this sort of thing) where bloggers make over a room from start to (hopefully) finish in 6 weeks posting their progress every week either on Wednesday or Thursday. The entire concept for this event was dreamed up by Linda and you'll find links to all participants here and here.

Now, on to my bathroom situation.  If you follow me on Instagram then you already know I got cold feet where my wallpaper was concerned.

 Because although that damask pattern is pretty, it's also super traditional, kind of gigantic,  and somewhat formal.  So I did what any insecure, self-doubting decorator would do.  I put it in front of my Instagram followers to decide.

Yes, the damask had a formidable opponent in this latecomer. I mean who doesn't love a good bamboo treillage wallpaper?  I certainly do and apparently my Instagram followers do because they voted for the treillage paper over the damask.

And after all of that input and indecision,  I followed my heart and took a leap of faith with my original choice.

iPhone 4S photos cannot accurately capture the magnificence of this paper. And I also have to say that in this world of seamless glass and showers and understated finishes, my heart will always belong to pretty color combinations and interesting pattern mixes.  

In other bathroom news, I hinted last week that I was considering painting the wainscoting blue, yet I decided to keep it crisp and go with white. But now I think I want to paint my boring door black.  What do you think?

So there is lots left to do to get ready for next week's reveal.  We haven't even begun to convert the buffet, much less pick out  a sink and faucet. We are tired and somewhat overwhelmed.  But the good thing about week 5 is that the finish is in sight and it kind of gives you the shot of adrenaline you need to bring it all together for the reveal.  That's what I'm hoping anyway.

So I'll see you back here next Thursday.  If you absolutely cannot wait to see more bathroom tidbits or you just want to show some love and devotion, I suggest you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.  I can't wait to show you my finished bathroom!


The Green Room Interiors provides Interior Decorating and Design Services in Chattanooga, TN.  If you'd like to discover the joy of living in a well designed home, contact Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

One Room Challenge Week 3 - Not Pretty Yet

Hello and welcome back!  Today I have a little update for you on the progress of my hall bathroom makeover as part of  The One Room Challenge Linking event - the one where participating bloggers make over a room in 6 weeks posting weekly updates along the way.

I've made a little progress in my bathroom and unfortunately it's not the type of progress where the pretty has started to happen.  It's the kind where we've done more of the behind the scenes work that will allow us to layer on the pretty.

You may recall my bathroom still had the original 1972 vanity complete with it's limey green cultured (fake) marble top. Well, that thing is so out of here!

and soon will be replaced by this old sideboard as new vanity.

That's the best pic I could get since it's currently somewhat buried in my holding area. And no, the flame mahogany will most definitely not be painted upon.

But before the buffet/vanity can get installed, I've got to finish up this project-let that's underway

Those are 12x12 mirror tiles purchased from The Home Depot that I'm attempting to antique so they'll look something like this.

If all goes according to plan, this antique mirror wall will be happening on the wall behind my vanity.

So that's all I have to share today. I'm feeling a little nervous about our slow progress thus far, but I'm determined to get this finished up in time for the reveal in three weeks!  

Thanks for checking in on my progress and please make sure you visit the other participants too!  You can find links to all of the projects on our hostess Linda's blog here and here.

Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!

ORC Linking Event - I'm Doing My Hall Bath

It's time to clear the cobwebs off of the ol' blog and start cranking out some serious decorating posts.  As you may have guessed, I've decided to join in on the internet's biggest decorating sensation - The One Room Challenge.

I'm participating in the Link-up event which airs for the next 5 consecutive Thursdays, so for goodness sake please come back to check in on my progress!  I need your feedback and encouragement! Mostly because of this ridiculousness:

Enter aforementioned hall bath in its current state.

As you can see it's crying out for help.  In a big way. Those walls.  They look like this because a few weeks ago I spent hours stripping off the top layer of wallpaper only to find ANOTHER layer of old wallpaper combined with unsized skim coated sheet rock in other areas.  Holy. Wallpaper. Hell.

This is what happened where the wallpaper was applied to a skim coat of bare sheet rock mud.

It totally damaged the sheet rock underneath.  I know what you're thinking.  "Thank goodness you have that pretty mirror".  True, but a lot of hard work needs to happen before we can revel in the goodness of the mirror.

And rather than do up an inspiration board, I'm going to drag you down this road with me one post at a time because some decisions have yet to be made.  

Before you go, let's have a look at some bathrooms that are inspiring my little makeover shall we??

Yes, there will be wallpaper in the damask category. And it's super gorgeous because that's what Brunschwig & Fils does.   I gave you a sneak peek here.

And no ORC makeover of mine would be complete without repurpose-ing a piece or two of vintage furniture.

This is so gorgeous it takes my breath away. And it makes me wish I had been born with the "understated" gene.  But let's not kid ourselves.  We're more likely to see something with more color, pattern and layers. 

and I'm okay with that.

So, same time next Thursday???

You can find links to all of the other participants on Linda's  (our hostess and mistress of ceremonies) blog here.  And in case you missed the ORC participants that posted yesterday, find those links here.  Hours of entertainment.  Literally.

PS.  I'll likely be posting little updates on my Instagram feed so let's buddy up.

A Few Updates at the Dollhouse

Hello there!  I hope you're having a great summer so far, even though it seems to be passing by so quickly!

Today I wanted to share a few little updates we've managed to get done at over here at The Dollhouse.

Let's start big.  Unbeknownst to you my foyer has been nothing more than a plywood sub floor for some time now.

  I'm elated to report that over the weekend my hubby changed that situation for the better.

Yay!  And I think there's an opportunity for some sort of fun albeit small piece for the wall to the left, so I'll keep you posted when I find my love match. 

Also, if you follow me on Instagram, then you already know that I recently purchased this sketch from a local artist.

and I've incorporated it into this vignette in my family room.  It's getting increasingly hard to find places to put things at my house.  I have no book cases or  mantels and my rooms are narrow so I don't even have side tables in most cases.  It's a struggle for this collector, so I'm layering art where I can.

So what's next you ask?  I've got my sights set on the hall bath.  When we moved in we tore out the old linoleum flooring and the tub surround  and replaced all of that with new white tile. 

Nothing extravagant, but I wanted white tile to brighten up this dark space and make it feel cleaner.  I don't want to spill too many details about my plan for this lackluster space but I'm very excited about moving forward and I think it will be one of my very favorite makeovers at The Dollhouse.  

In the meantime, this 1970's wallpaper is being stripped 

and will be replaced with a Brunschwig & Fils kind of gorgeous.

and that's just the beginning.  Stay tuned, and if you'd like to stay updated with all things The Green Room Interiors, the best place to find me is on Instagram, so please follow along!

The Green Room Interiors provides Interior Decorating and Design Services in Chattanooga, TN.  If  you'd like to discover the joy of living in a well designed home, contact Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

Five Favorite Small Kitchens

If you saw my kitchen reveal in last fall's One Room Challenge, then you already know that I have a small kitchen.

And I think that's a good thing.  Mainly because a small kitchen is efficient.

 Most everything is within arm's reach and clean up is a breeze.

I'm so impressed with the kitchen above.  The more you look at it the more details you'll find.

This kitchen looks like it's in a historic home.  Notice the big windows, the mill work and the floors.  Old houses typically have small kitchens.  I think this is a beautiful update that fits the space and honors the era of the home.

I love this kitchen. The art in those frames and the way it's installed - so right.

Charmer.  That floor. Those baskets. And if I'm not mistaken there's grass cloth behind the shelves.

Have I convinced you, or do your prefer a big kitchen with miles of counter space?

The Green Room Interiors provides Interior Decorating and Design Services in Chattanooga, TN.  If you'd like to discover the joy of living in a well designed home, contact Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

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