One Room Challenge Week 4: I know who the heroes of the design world are

It’s true what they say: Wussies need not apply to the One Room Challenge Week 4.  I’ve always heard what a beast this week is, and I was determined not to fall into that trap.  Of course, I failed miserably.

Remember last week when I said that I changed my plans for the built ins because we’re not carpenters?  Changed those plans from using real wood to buying pre-fab bookcases, with plans to build an extension to the top of them?

 

Well. You want to know who the real heroes of the home design world are?

The folks who can work with particleboard or wood composite furniture and turn it into something extra amazing without getting hit by a falling f-bomb, or dropping a few themselves.

Now, I’m not talking about the furniture itself.  I’ve actually pretty proficient at putting together furniture that comes in a box.  I love the cost, convenience, and ease of buying something for an area that you don’t always need a priceless antique or huge investment item for, and when we first started out (especially before I learned how to DIY anything), pretty much our whole house was furnished from Target or Wal-Mart.

What I mean is, taking that furniture and then doing other stuff with it. Going beyond the plans, manipulating it.  Like, adding a desk.  And an extension to the top.  Both of which we tried to do this week, and neither of which worked out.

The Ikea hackers of the world, who always end up with something fabulous!  Like Jamie at Southern Revivals.  Check out what she did!  I mean, if I had even half her talent!

Part of it is that we were really reluctant to remove some of the house’s original elements, like the chair rail and the thick baseboards.  I mean, they’ve been there over 100 years!  What if we messed them up?  That made it a million times harder because we couldn’t get the bookcases flat against the wall.  But really it’s just super difficult, of course, to expect particleboard or wood composite furniture to support more than the weight it was meant to support.

However, we are regrouping!  We were actually up late last night with a new plan.  Still a desk, but we’ll lose the extension at the top.  It’s not the end of the world.  The room is actually starting to come together- and the boys are using it- yay! And the bookcases, by themselves, are beautiful and plenty sturdy for their intended function.

Because of all of the unprecedented natural disasters that have occurred leading up to and during this round of the ORC, Linda with Calling it Home has granted an extension, and the final reveal with be on November 16.  My thoughts and prayers continue to be without those affected by all of these terrible events.

Be sure to check out all of the featured designers, as well as the guest participants, for this week’s action!  Week 4 is always a doozy!