One Room Challenge Spring 2020 ~ Week 5 + 6
image courtesy of Polken Studo
Hello Wednesday and welcome to Week 5 + 6 of One Room Challenge. As we all slowed down and took our moments to reflect on our values, beliefs, and to kneel in solidarity with our neighbors and friends, our voices are united and the message is clear: we all deserve to live in a welcoming, respectful, and supportive community. These are the fundamental values of One Room Challenge, and I am proud to be among such talented group of decorators and designers with diverse backgrounds, design aesthetics + one common goal to transform a space to cherish for years to come.
For more behind the scenes footage on instagram and quick recaps of my weekly progress:
Our first project on week 5 was to change up the light switches and the receptacles. The ones installed by the builder were simple and standard. Knowing that we will be living in this condo in the foreseeable future, we want something special, something that offers a different experience (yes … it’s light switch / outlet we are talking about).
I am a big fan of the adorne collection from Legrand. The collection has a contemporary design and the Touch switch with its touchscreen smart technology had me at hello.
The Touch switch and Touch Tru-Universal Dimmer switch were rather easy to install. We selected a combination of dimmer switch and regular switch throughout the condo for different illumination needs.
A lesson we learned during the installation is that if you are installing a 3-way switch (where one lighting fixture is controlled by two separate switches) and you are installing a dimmer switch, you need make sure the other switch is a regular (non-dimmer) switch.
Just like that, Chris installed all these fab switches and the powder white wall plates are amazing in a subtle matte white finish. It looks so much better than the standard glossy white plate and for an added bonus, these wall plates feel amazing by touch as well.
Just like faucet is the jewelry of the kitchen. I say the adorne collection from Legrand is the star of our walls!
Up next is receptacle and with all the tech gadgets we have these days, I want to make sure we are able to power all the toys at ease. That’s why we have selected a combination of USB equipped outlet and night light outlet from the radiant collection at Legrand.
The instruction was easy to follow and we only needed a few simple tools. From standard to fantastic, it only took Chris 5 mins to replace our basic outlet!
With Chris in a good DIY mood and we were lockdown due to the pandemic, I was able to get Chris to replace the door handles. Our current matte black door handle was an upgrade from the builder’s standard option. Though it looks great, we found it a little flimsy and borderline “ wobbly”.
So I was ecstatic to discover the Helios lever with a modern rectangular rosette from Emtek! It comes with a variety of finishes and different plate options to satisfy every design style. Yes I did pick matte black again … surprise! The quality of the Emtek handle is unparalleled to our builder upgrade version and I couldn’t be happier with the result. The rectangular plate + the flat lever look elevated the sophistication scale to a whole new level. If you are in the market to change up your door hardware, I strongly recommend you to browse through the collections at Emtek. Here are few of my personal favorites:
crystal cabinet pulls (limited release)
the select collection (check out that marble handle!)
rectangular non-keyed Stretto (I will use them very soon in my foyer)
Now you may wonder what have I been up to while Chris was hard at work. Well I was tasked to decide on the size and the framing option of this stunning photography by Teresa Lang from minted. You will have to wait until the reveal to see how I have this piece framed … as for me, I can’t wait to pick it up in a few days.
Another good news on week 5 was that our contractor found a wallpaper installer to help us with the gorgeous grasscloth wallpaper from Pacific Designs International. That also meant that we had to take all the art down (I know I should have waited but we were going mental with moving the art around during the reno).
To make sure I know exactly where each piece would go, and to avoid making multiple holes on my freshly installed wallpaper, I came up with a measurement mechanism to reflect the distance between the pieces and their relations to the ceiling / side walls. We will soon find out if this technique works or not … fingers crossed.
The flip side of working with trades during COVID is that Chris and I had to leave the condo for a week, after factoring in the 48 hours quarantine period before and after the installation. And because I wouldn’t be onsite to discuss the details with the installer, I have left a few notes on the walls.
It also felt a bit surreal to clear the living room and kitchen entirely (as if we were actually moving out). A small price to pay for one huge reward in one short week.
And that officially brings us to Week 6 of One Room Challenge. Chris and I arrived back bright and early to check out our brand new living room, dressed in a beautiful shade of creamy white for an effortlessly elegant look. The transformative power of grasscloth wallpaper is truly spectacular. The texture, the sheen, and the way how it reflects natural light, it’s worth all the effort.
As mentioned in week 2, I have selected two different grasscloth wallpapers from Pacific Designs International:
PDSZ4018 from the Shenzhen collection
PDZS115 from the Zhen Shi collection
Though similar in color, I love how the two woven textures play off one another for a unified, harmonious look. They also work beautifully with our kitchen cabinet and the montauk backsplash + countertop from HanStone Canada.
Speaking about kitchen cabinet, a final item to cross off the list on Week 6 is our missing kitchen panel and cabinet. After the heartbreaks at week 3, we were really looking forward to this installation. We have also outsourced the missing pieces to a local cabinet maker since the builder is too busy tackling other units. We got the product code from the builder. Everything was in-stock and ready to ship.
With that opening line, you know something catastrophic is about to happen. Can you spot the problem?
Yes, we have ordered the wrong materials! Close in coloration and texture, our builder gave us the wrong code and now we need these pieces remade for the 3rd time. I am not sure if the new replacement will be ready for the reveal but that’s the reality of doing a renovation with a hard deadline during a pandemic.
Now I need some rest and to gear up toward week 7 + a photoshoot before the big reveal on June 24th. All the featured designers are now working overtime to get their spaces completed and I can’t wait to see the progresses made by the guest participants!
A Glass of Bovino | Beginning in the Middle | Beth Diana Smith | Clark + Aldine | Coco & Jack
Deeply Southern Home| Design Maze | Dwell by Cheryl | Erika Ward | Home Made by Carmona
House of Hipsters | Hunted Interior | Kandrac & Kole | Kate Pearce | Katrina Blair | Liz Kamarul
Veneer Designs | Rambling Renovators | Renovation Husbands | Studio Plumb | Media BH&G
Last but not least, a big thank you to the amazing sponsors for making this week’s transformation possible:
light switch and outlet: Legrand
door handles: EMTEK
wallpapers: Pacific Designs International
artwork: minted