And here we are. Just one week out from completing the One Room Challenge. What is the number one thing I learned? While I had plenty of time to complete the challenge (keeping in mind that “plenty of time” is relative), I had way too much to say within that time frame, so as promised, I am sharing a bit more about the transformation.
For anyone who missed the past few weeks, start here. For those of you who have been following along, thank you! And with that I’d like to share a bit more about my son so that it can truly be understood why I chose to focus on nature and tranquility for the space.

I have twin boys that were born at 28 weeks. Their health was generally good, but as they developed, we knew we were faced with a lifetime of learning challenges. My boys will be eighteen this year and are currently wrapping up their junior year of high school. They are the hardest working teens who have proven time and time again their capabilities and work every day to overcome the learning challenges that they have been faced with. At the end of the day they are exhausted. Drained. Moody. You name it. And I know they aren’t alone. I am part of a vast special needs community and I see daily the struggles that these children, parents, and families must face and attempt to find some bit of solace at the end of the day. It is a rough, mentally draining job to be a parent of a child with special needs (no matter what that need is). With that, I recognize that it is just plain hard to be a parent. Or a kid in today’s world. To be a young adult, old adult, you name it. It’s rough out there! Our mental (and physical) health is constantly being challenged and as a topic near and dear to me, I am constantly searching for ways I can impart some peace and tranquility into every space I design.
Scott is happiest in his garden. He trims. He propagates. He plants. He makes messes. He asks questions. He researches. And researches. And researches. Aside from white walls, his number one request for his room was plants. Remember? He wanted a jungle! I was working in his room one afternoon getting annoyed that he was just lying on his bed watching YouTube videos. Then I got super excited! He was watching videos on how to properly care for house plants! (More specifically his recently “acquired” spider plant.) I allowed the plant selection to significantly grow because it flat out made him happy. Plus, plants have totally legit health benefits! Who doesn’t want to be surround by objects that make them happy?!
The Oops
Remember what I confessed in Liar + Liar? Not everything is as it seems. I had an issue. Admittedly, I needed to cover the wall paint my son got on the ceiling because I really wasn’t down to repaint the ceiling. In my mind, that meant that ALL the other bedroom ceilings needed to get repainted. I know. I have issues. But like I said before, the thought of painting one ceiling was enough to find a solution. However, I had always envisioned a natural wood molding on the ceiling, so it wasn’t very hard to come up with a viable solution to my self-inflicted problem. I put my dad through the ringer ripping boards every which way, you can’t really fill in imperfections, and the molding didn’t have as much of an impact as it did in my mind. However, paired with the wall treatment, it did its job to finish off the room perfectly AND I didn’t have to paint a bunch of ceilings.

Sooooo…When I did a plant photo shoot in Week 3, I left his plants outside. Mind you, he’s been growing his pathos for about a year. I fried them in the sun. SMH. I got “reprimanded.” I pulled all the burnt leaves off. Then I tried to mask them by putting the leafless stems in deep vases…#momfail.
Happy Accidents
You know that feeling when you are pleasantly surprised by something? I have to admit, I wasn’t too keen on either rug selection-and I picked them! One was a bit too small and looked like cheetah print to me. The other, large enough, but it was thick and I didn’t particularly like the pattern, but the colors were right and I thought I could make it work. Well, when I unrolled that bad boy…woah! Behold the backside! It was JUST what I was looking for!
Guess where I found those incredible macramé plant hangers?! Michael’s! I just happened to be rushing by an endcap, when voilà! For a whopping $3.14. You bet I stocked up!

Now, I also promised to divulge my reasoning for using all Ikea furniture and gush over gallery walls, but that will have to wait one more week. Quite frankly, this post got a bit long and if you actually read all the way to the end, kudos to you! Thank you for sticking it out with me. Check back every Wednesday to continue the convo, find design inspo, and learn about ways to bring wellness into your home.
XO
ORC Week 1 | ORC Week 2 | ORC Week 3 | ORC Week 4 | ORC Week 5 | ORC Week 6
P.S. Want a similar look? Check out the links below.
KonMari method of only keeping what makes you happy Find pots at local fleas or yard sales and place in these awesome hanging plant holders.

And FYI, I do make money if you buy from these links. Can you blame me?! Who wouldn’t want to make a little dough?