the old barn

Home Office Refresh: One Room Challenge Week 1

October 7, 2020

Hello and welcome to my first installment of the Fall 2020 One Room Challenge™! This will be my first time participating in the ORC, and I’m so excited to share this process with you! I will be refreshing my home office and building a wall of bookshelves with a space in the middle for an art piece and maybe some sconces. This week I’m starting off by sharing my design board, as well as the before pics! As always, budget is a concern and I’ll be doing as much as I can do keep the budget for the entire project under $500.

For those of you who are new to my page, Hello! I’m Jessica, wife to Cody, and mom to 2 boys and a girl, who are SO lucky because everyday with me is like an episode of carpool karaoke! They get a ride and a show! (OK, so I’m not a great singer, but do have enthusiasm). I have a background in architecture and designed this home that we just built in a small Texas town. We self-contracted the build…and we are still finishing up a few projects. Most days you can find me on Instagram @the.old.barn

This Week for the One Room Challenge:

I’m so excited to get this project checked off the list.

I still have boxes of books and things sitting in my office from when we moved in a year ago. I NEED these bookshelves.

The first thing I always do when dreaming up a project is to consult Pinterest.

This helps me focus all my ideas and weed out ones that I didn’t like as much as I thought I would.

Next, I measure the space and take stock of what I have and want to keep and what I need to purchase or create.

I have decided to keep the wall color which is Sherwin Williams Sea Salt. And I’ll keep the rug and my desk as well.

I will need to create the bookshelves and possibly an art piece.

I currently have 2 side chairs in this space, but I may decide to make a change.

I have created this design board to collect my ideas and selections in one place.

When there’s a decision to be made, having a design board can help keep me on track with the end goal in mind and not get distracted by all the pretty things out there.

Aaaannnd here’s what I’m working with. We’ll call this the BEFORE picture.

I had the cabinet maker build those base cabinets when we were building with the plan to have the trim carpenter build the shelves.

But time and money was running short, so the shelves got nixed.

We moved in and, of course, had nowhere to put all the things.

A more flattering before picture showing more of what I am keeping, and less of the mess like the moving box hiding behind the chair.

In this picture above, you can see the desk and rug that will remain in the space.

The pair of chairs feel a little too big for the room and I *think* I’ll be doing something else for extra seating.

Next week, I’ll get this space cleared out and we’ll make a materials list for constructing the bookshelves.

Be sure to check the other participants for more inspiration.

www.oneroomchallenge.com/orc-blog

photo of Jessica of Old Barn Design weraing a white and black triped shirt in front of a rustic barn door with balck hinges

Hello! I’m Jessica, wife to Cody, and mom to 2 boys and a girl, who are SO lucky because everyday with me is like an episode of carpool karaoke! They get a ride and a show! (What I lack in talent, I make up for in loudness and enthusiasm). I have a background in architecture and designed this home that we just built in a small Texas town. We self-contracted the build…and we are still finishing up a few projects. Oh! And our Floor Plans are available on this website. Most days you can find me on Instagram @the.old.barn so come say hi!

Don’t miss any tips, ideas or inspiration! Be sure to follow me on social media! You can find me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.

  1. I love your design plan, the colors, and especially the shiplap! Looking forward to seeing it carried out!

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