ORC Week 1 | Mood Board | Eclectic Living Room

It’s time for another One Room Challenge makeover. This time around, I’m redesigning the living room in our Edwardian home in Southwest London.

If you’re not familiar, the ORC is a biannual event where interior “influencers” each transform a room over (usually) six weeks, posting progress deets every week. This time round, we get an extra couple of weeks, because of the Corona situation.

So much amazing interior design inspiration comes out of this event, and I’ve loved swooning over all the amazing room transformations in past challenges.

This is the fourth time I’ve joined. First time round, four years ago, I redid the kids’ shared bedroom.

Our master bedroom got the ORC treatment next, and I love how it turned out. It was such a light, relaxing space.

The last room makeover I did was Eleanor’s “global boho” bedroom.

We moved into our current house in East Sheen six months ago, and I haven’t touched it from an interior design perspective. The house is Edwardian. It’s got character, with high ceilings and great bones. It’s rented, so there are limits on what I can change.

The living room needs a bit of love. It’s dark, messy and everything is brown.

The way it’s currently set up, only one person can comfortably watch the telly, and even then you’re craning your neck. It’s a depressing space.

The Befores

I decided to leave all the clutter in for the pics, because this is how it’s honestly looked for months.

The living room has become a dumping ground for all the stuff that has nowhere else to live. The dog (Hi Teddy!) is thirteen now. He’s had a few accidents that have stained the rug.

The wallpaper is not my taste, and the built ins are currently pulling off both busy and boring.

Living Room Mood Board

The room needs to be lighter, brighter, tidier and happier and much more functional. Here’s the design plan.

Landscape Print // Pendant Shade // Poof // Blinds
Chesterfield Sofa Bed // Mudcloth Cushions – Danielle Oakey
Pink Cushion – Anthro // Side Table – West Elm // Lamp – DIY
Oil Painting // Bean Bag // Pink Rug // Moroccan Rug – Marrakech
Task Lamp – West Elm // Rattan Chair
Wevet Paint – Farrow & Ball

Obviously, thanks to the chaos going on in the world right now, there are limitations on product and labour availability, and I’m sure the design will have to adapt accordingly. I already know the art (top left) won’t work, so I’m looking for other options. I haven’t ordered anything yet.

I’m on a strict budget of £1500 all-in, so I’m incorporating existing pieces (sofa, rug, painting, some lighting) and there will have to be some DIY.

The Floor Plan

Here’s mock up of how I’ll likely lay the room out. The Chesterfield is larger than I would ideally like for the space, but I’m going to make it work.

I’ve started clearing the room, and my plan this week is to strip the wallpaper, start painting, and hang the TV.

It’s not going to be the most dramatic transformation, but it’s going to make a huge difference to how we use (and feel about) the room.

Head to the One Room Challenge to check out the featured designers‘ plans for the next seven weeks, as well as all the guest participants.

Catch Up On Other ORC 2020 Posts

Mood Board & Plans (This Week)
Stripping & Painting (Week Two)
Creating More Light & Space (Week Three)
Shopping, Styling & Redesigning (Week Four)
Week Five (No Post)
Shelf Styling (Week Six)
Design Updates (Week Seven)
The Reveal (Week Eight)