One Room Challenge: An Escape to Marrakesh
One Room Challenge - Week 6 of 6 (The Reveal)
It's finally here! Reveal week of the One Room Challenge has arrived!
Around this time last week I was vacillating between silent distress and beaming optimism as my husband and I battled against the rain, cold, and fatigue to do something we have NEVER attempted to do before: construct a pergola. I am happy to say that the outdoor room is complete.
Affiliate links may be included in this post. This means that should you purchase a linked product, I may receive a small commission, but at no additional cost to you. To read my full disclosure click here.
If this is your first time hearing about the One Room Challenge click here for recaps of: Week 1 // Week 2 // Week 3 // Week 4 // Week 5 You can also check out some of the other participants' progress here.
Recall that this is the space we started with:
After tossing around some ideas for inspiration, I decided that I wanted this room to have a Moroccan theme. I designed the plan below and named this project "Marrakesh".
The challenge within this challenge was 3-fold. 1) We had to build a pergola. 2) I needed to find similar elements to the ones featured above, at affordable prices. And, 3) I also decided that I would purchase as many items as possible second hand. Whoa! A tall order indeed, since many pre-owned items often require a bit of sprucing up. That's elegant talk for D-I-Y. So I got to work, sourcing, driving, picking up, and DIY'ing.
One Room Challenge DIY Projects
Two hours were spent painting over the outlines of this used rug to give it an extra boost of color. A cool $50 was spent on this barely used 8 x10 beauty.
Not wanting my progress to be stifled by the constant downpour of Springtime rain, I got busy with my next project of up-cycling an old chandelier, which I affectionately call Madame Octopus.
After the rain stopped, we had a couple of days to start building our pergola before... you guessed...more rain. The situation looked grim, as we stood back and stared at our "work".
BONUS TIP: Never attempt an outdoor room makeover in April or May. Ever.
Suddenly things took a tremendous turn when the rain finally stopped, and we had a solid 3 days to push hard to the finish.
Finally, the pergola was constructed. Then rugs were laid, pillows stuffed, plants and tables positioned, and Madame Octopus took her place at the center of the stage. It is now my proud honor to present to you my "Marrakesh"!
Upon viewing my "before" photo in week 1 of this challenge, one visitor to my blog remarked: "Can't wait to see the deck transformation. My question is though.... will you keep the lion head fountain!?!?" Well, here's your answer! My husband was right in wanting to keep this fountain.
All Mr. Lionhead needed was a tiny facelift. I did that with some outdoor paint, and spruced up the decorative trellises with black exterior paint. There is still one last coat left to do, but even so, I think it fits much better now with the overall theme.
I am typically not very good at arranging flowers or potted plants. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen a similar photo, which I spotted at an office building in Downtown Chicago. That floral display served as my inspiration for this one. Would you like to see how my painted outdoor cushions and rug turned out?
Do you remember when I painted a headboard during my guest room makeover? It was the first time I had ever attempted to paint upholstered fabric, but it turned out great! The success of that project gave me the confidence to paint these cushions. Boy am I glad I did!
Although Madame Octopus is at the center of this stage, the real star of this "room" is the rug that I traced over with vibrant teal blue-green paint. Is it just me, or does this rug appear to be glistening? The photo above is exactly how it appears in person.
The coffee table above was one of many pieces in this room that I purchased second hand. I love the versatility of it. It can be used as shown here. Or...
I can just place the large pouf (which came with the table) on the base, and use the it as an ottoman. With the pouf out of the way, I can now make room for my rolling bar cart. Neat huh?
SOURCES
Outdoor sectional: discontinued model from Sam's Club. See substitute at Amazon // Bistro chairs: purchased used, see substitute at Target // Black and white throw pillows: Hobby Lobby, or substitutes at Amazon// Fuschia Raffia Runners: Jamali Garden // Hanging Ceramic Succulents: Jamali Garden // Natural Jute Round Rug: Houzz.com // Pouf table: purchased used. See substitutes at Cost Plus World Market, or Amazon // Teal outdoor rug: purchased used and hand-painted myself. See substitute at Target // Solid teal lumbar pillows: Ross (or Amazon) // Pink lumbar pillows: Vliving at Etsy // Orange throw pillows: Amazon
I'd love to hear from you! Please tell me, how do you think I did for a first-timer? Do you have any outdoor projects in the works? Please let me know in the comments below.
