Week 6’s focus on our One Room Challenge Farm Living Room was to just KEEP painting. And that’s exactly ALL that happened this week and we’re not even done with it!

Week 5 of the One Room Challenge in our farm living room has been a solid week of action! And while we still have a lot of work ahead of us, the progress is adding momentum. To the point where I didn’t even want to stop painting to write this blog post! But it’s good to share this turning point of the “messy middle” to inspire more projects in the future.

Week 4 of the One Room Challenge in our farm living room felt certainly like “the messy middle.” For a moment I couldn’t remember if we’re on week 4 or week 5. It’s that kind of vibe! And Week 4 of our One Room Challenge farm living room was all about paint, paint, and MORE paint. And I’m not done painting. Here’s some updates and thoughts from the week!

Greetings from a rainy day here in the greater Ocala, Florida area! I’m excited to be continuing my work on our farmhouse living room for the Spring 2021 One Room Challenge. And to share my updates on my blog here and Instagram with you! You want to know something fun I discovered? Last year I joined the Spring 2020 One Room Challenge about five weeks late, so I decluttered, bought new furniture, and reconfigured that entire office in three weeks! So this year, because I’ve got eight full weeks to transform the space, I’m super excited! I’ll be able to share more individual pieces of the project on the blog. And I joked to my friends – this might feel like a VACATION compared to last year!

Check out my week 1 blog post here!

Updates for Week 2

So this week, I visited our storage unit to grab some pieces we’ll be using fo the project. I also got my new lamp and starting browsing new sectionals. But the absolute biggest project I wanted to share this week is my ambitious faux-inlay mirror project!

With the news that I’m officially joining as a participant of the One Room Challenge for Spring, I wanted to share more of my personal story from this year. My plan is to makeover our “indoor” living room. But first, you may want the back story on our non-conventional, current farm home.

If you’ve been following since my very first blog post, then you know that 2020 has been a fun year of experimentation at my own house. I love trying things here – especially projects on a budget – so I can advise on whether a client or friend should try the same thing. Today we’re trying three (3) experimental paint techniques on some home decor items.

Rewind a few weeks back, and you may have joined me on my Thrift with Me blog post where I found some cool items I wanted to makeover for the mini-farm. I rode the high of excitement over to Michael’s craft store and picked up supplies to start these DIYs. Between waiting out summer non-stop showers to paint and having one fail pretty fast…this post was almost #cancelled. But since this blog is in the spirit of experimentation, I wanted to explore so I can share my thoughts with you.

We’re not failing, we’re learning! 🙂 I’ll start with my favorite…

Glass Lamp Base Painting

I had a lot of confidence in this project because of how well I learned the Dollar Tree glass vases take paint. (You can check out that super fun DIY in my Instagram Story Highlights!) New lamp bases, especially big ones like this, are often pretty expensive to replace. Using this $16 Goodwill find, I used some leftover paint to give this guy a new life!

First I went in with one layer of white spray paint. But as you can see in the photo above, it definitely needed about 2-3 total coats to cover.

Photo after the second or third coat of spray paint was applied. With spray paint, you always have to move the piece around to ensure you’ve touched all angles.

Another trick I recommend when you’re covering a pattern with a white or similar light color, is to add a little pattern on top. This is an insurance policy to make sure the old pattern is nearly undetectable. I really liked how easy this small brush stroke pattern was, and that it didn’t have to look totally perfect.

If you caught my Lamps DIY or the 2020 DIY recap, you heard the news that this lamp shade was needing a new base from its tragic fall. I totally love how these two look together in terms of color and overall proportion.

Marbled Terra Cotta Pot

So this is where I nearly had an “I give up” moment. I found this blank canvas terra cotta pot when I went to Michael’s to purchase the supplies. We needed to transition an orchid into bigger pot, so I thought this would be a fun opportunity to paint.

Basically, I originally wanted to do a “dipped” look with some Mod Podge glazing but it all went to heck really fast. In hindsight, I should’ve worked with a deeper, bigger bowl of paint to have more control of the “dip” effect.

So after nearly all of the beautiful terra cotta color was covered, I decided to get really bold and try a marbling technique.

Warning: this was 10 out of 10 on the messy scale! The marbled effect was created by lightly mixing colors with Mod-Podge in a small bowl and basically dripping it on. After all the paint is applied strategically, leave it somewhere safe to dry overnight.

Not sure if I love it, but let me know what YOU think of this finish!

Chalk Painted Coffee Bar Shelf

Another one from my recent Thrift Store finds! I bought this shelf for just $3 and envisioned hanging it above our coffee machine to clear some counter. You would think a girl living at a literal mini-farm would have tried chalk paint out sooner, but there’s no time like the present!

I picked a white chalk paint to update the look of the shelf and pop against our slate blue walls. First I will say, I was super impressed by how far a little chalk paint will go. I did two coats and some touch-ups and I don’t think I used even 4oz.

I watched a Youtube video on chalk paint before this experiment and was excited that it didn’t require prep to get started. However, to give it any sort of style, you basically have to do the work on the back end. To create this finish, I had to vigorously sand down for 10-15 minutes. I may try to use a wax glaze technique on another upcoming chalk paint project. So stay tuned for that if you’re interested!

With chalk paint, I now recommend trying to use a fine, soft, dense brush. (The kind that’s made for chalk paint!) That way it might not leave as many strokes on the finished piece. That definitely added to the sanding time! Overall I like the finish, and that again it doesn’t need to be perfect. Would Joanna Gaines approve my farmhouse style shelf?

So there you have it! Which of these 3 experimental paint techniques have you tried? Let me know what you liked best in the comments below.

About Kaitlyn Loos

Kaitlyn Loos [loh-s] is one of the newest designers for interiors and events in the west-central Florida area. (Tampa, Ocala, Gainesville, and everywhere in between.) She brings over seven years of graphic design, project management, and event planning experience to create amazing spaces and experiences for her clients. She is one of the only interior design companies in her area who offers modern, fresh, pattern and color-savvy designs. From styling an event to designing an entire home, Kaitlyn Loos Design is a full service company that delivers style for nearly any investment level. She also enjoys sharing her ideas and projects through her new blog which reaches over 325 people monthly.

For more information about Kaitlyn, check out: About Kaitlyn: Interior Design, and About Kaitlyn: Event Planning.

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All of my DIY blog content is for informational and entertainment purposes only. I share what works for me in my home, but you should consult with professionals/landlords before taking on any construction projects. My blog does not constitute interior design advice for readers. I am not liable or responsible for any damages resulting from or related to your use of this information.

In my daily Pinterest-ing I noticed a few interior design photos with “One Room Challenge” noted in the title, so I looked into it. Turns out it’s a biannual design event over the course of eight weeks that’s open to guest participants. In partnership with Better Home & Gardens, it’s a community event that celebrates the process of completing a room. I’m a little late to the party, as they’re in week six. But I decided I’m all-in for it. I’m trying the One Room Challenge for my office!

Am I being a little too ambitious? I think we all know the unwavering answer to that is YES. But I’m excited for the challenge. I feel like I totally overthink my own spaces. And this one is exemplary of that! This room has so many uses for me. I use it as an office, extra shoe storage, a cardio fitness zone, a photo studio and a storage unit for over 250 items for sale on Poshmark. Yikes, right?

By the way, if this is your first time reading my blog, I just moved to a mini-farm in a new city a few hours from Tampa. This happened the same time as kicking off my new career, no less! Check out my first blog post for the full back story if you’d like to hear more.

So I hopped to it this week and created a plan for bringing this space to its full potential. After hours of going back and forth about some of the decisions, I finally had to say to myself: “What would you recommend to a client?”

It sounds crazy, but this was a game changer.

I would tell my client not to settle for a plan that they’ll have to change later. If they love something but it costs more than they wanted to spend, look at the scenario 360 degrees and decide what would truly be best. Turns out after taking every role of this office into account, that the Plan A and Plan B that were competing so hard in mind, were both not the answer. Plan C has emerged, and it’s going to take some major decluttering, streamlining and putting together new furniture. But in the end, I think it’ll be worth it.

So here’s the situation!

A lot has happened in this little office in the right direction since moving here, but I think this event is a great push to get it done. Here is where I’m at today!

Again, I’m very lucky to have this space in the house. I’ve never had an office before. But with the clutter right now I feel like I don’t even deserve it, and I know that’s not the attitude to have! I’m the type of person who can stay neat-ish if there’s a system and it looks good to me. With the mis-matched fabric storage cubes, it never felt right! And, to top it off, I can’t just order more of the ones on the left because the two shelves from IKEA have different inside cube dimensions! Ugh, you would think they, of all stores, would have this streamlined, but this was not the case. But hey, that’s what I get for buying them piecemeal.

Today, an official plan has been born to finish this project, and you get to watch it all happen, too!

Some Good News This Week!

I purchased this cute little plant from our recently reopened IKEA to get my positive Feng Shui going as I dive into finally finishing my office.

I also had some success creating a little custom foot rest from a West Elm pillow and an IKEA children’s wooden stool. Check out my Instagram stories for the full DIY on that.

My Goals for the Space

Below are the objectives I’m trying to achieve in the process of finishing the work I’ve started on this office. I hope in two weeks I can come back to this and say I’ve got it all down pat!

1. I want to have an office that feels as put together and stylish as the spaces I create for my own clients.

2. I want all of my Poshmark inventory concealed and organized. And I want my packaging products to remain easily accessible when I make sales.

3. I want to better utilize the vertical space of my office for much needed storage.

4. I want to be able to look up from my desk at my pin board hanging on the wall with inspiration images attached.

5. I want a system of organizing paper and tech pieces so that it’s not cluttering my glass desk.

6. I want my elliptical space clear and ready to use at a moment’s notice.

7. I want to create one shelf of interior design references.

8. I want everything in the office to have a place.

This feels so crazy to me to post something that I haven’t finished! I’m excited to see where I can take this space in the next two weeks. Check back on my blog next Thursday for the next progress report.

Thank you for reading and I hope you’ll wish me luck!