Welcome to the ORC week 2 – is everyone else as exhausted as me???  I knew this was going to be the most labor intensive part of the whole process requiring a few late nights, but I was able to push through and just about reach my goal for this week. **I apologize in advance for the dark pictures…it’s been pretty dreary around here today**

Last week I was able to build the frame of my faux-fireplace so I could install my board and batten to match the height of the mantel.  I like to go higher than standard chair-rail height with my trim to add impact and interest.  Everything has been caulked, primed, and has gotten two coats of Sherwin Williams Pro-Classic in Extra White.  I need one more coat and to do some touch ups but I’m 85% there – except if you consider I still need to add the crown molding…yay more caulking : |

In addition to the board and batten, I also replaced the door trim and added window trim in the same simple craftsman style as the rest of the house.  If you’re interested in my “How To” check out this post – I say it every time but if you are looking to add personality to your house consider adding trim to your windows if they are bare…it makes an AMAZING difference!

Along with the trim, I’ve also been on a mission replace all of the old door hardware.  I first tried spray painting all of the original nickel door knobs black, but it didn’t hold up as well as I was hoping, plus I wasn’t that big of a fan of the carriage style ones that came with the house.  So I switched and started buying these very simple knobs in Bronze and then giving them a coat of black paint – so if they start to wear it’s barely noticeable.

In more exciting news – we also got the new ceiling fan installed giving this room some desperately needed light!  I know – you either love them or you hate them, and we love ourselves a ceiling fan in this house as it lets us keep the AC off and the windows open more.  And honestly how gorgeous is this Leoni ceiling fan from Hunter!  The brass art-deco hardware gives the room a perfect modern touch.  If you’re building new I HIGHLY recommend getting a light fixture rough-in in every bedroom – we didn’t and this is the second room we had to install one from scratch…not impossible but something I would change in retrospect.

And because I couldn’t help myself, I also hung some artwork (I got this map from a friend’s garage sale and it actually was my jumping off point for this room!) and I picked up this adorable little dressing chair at the antique store (for $15!!!!)  I also couldn’t help propping up my Animal Portraits before taking the pics of this room – more on those later but the plan is to use them to hide the TV.

So what’s in store for week 3?  I plan to keep working on the “bones” of the room by finishing the fireplace – which includes adding the front panels/doors and also the brick backsplash – finish the trim touch-ups, change out the electrical outlets, and hopefully get the crown up!  I want to wrap up all of the potentially messy work before I build the bed and layout the new rug.  It’s gonna be another hard week but the room is coming together exactly as I had it in my mind which is always good motivation!

If you have some time make sure to check out all of the other awesome One Room Challenge guest participants and featured designers!! You’ll be sure to come away feeling incredibly inspired……