Hey y’all! I’m so happy to participate in One Room Challenge this spring as a guest! I had such a great time participating last year and I’m looking forward to transforming a space this time around.

What’s One Room Challenge?

One Room Challenge is a widely anticipated biannual event every April and October and provides an opportunity to share the process of transforming a room with a huge community to back you up. It’s really great and Linda, the founder, has been wonderful guiding this cohort by pushing out the start date and extending the length so we can all finish our projects in a timely and safe manner. 

Last Spring’s Project 

Giiiiirl, last year’s One Room Challenge was amazing, My apartment became a place of happy hours, celebrations, and my personal content studio in The Bridge District, a newly developed area of West Sacramento, just across the river from Downtown Sacramento. It was awesome, everyone loved it and it was so hard to leave when I relocated to Dallas in February. (You can see the full grand reveal here).

Why Dallas? My fun answer is “Why not?” 

I visited in November for the first time and made the decision. Moral of that story: Things happen in the time that they’re supposed to. When it feels right, go with it.

On a personal note, if this is your first time doing this, or even your fifth, and you have been feeling down, know that we are in this together, and on the other side of One Room Challenge, we will have done something good for our mind, body, spirit and everyday environment. 

Returning to One Room Challenge

I have to be honest, I wasn’t sure I was going to do continue participating in One Room Challenge after the world turned upside down. I was really affected by it. Working on my office was something that I knew I would do once we moved, but it didn’t feel right. I was adjusting to living in a new city, adjusting sharing a space with my fiancé again, and adjusting to the fact that my business came to a standstill. Work was canceled, projects were postponed until further notice (it’s still going to be a while), and honestly, I had a few other things on deck that I wanted to go all-in on. But, the fact of the matter is, all of those things need a hub!  Since I can’t leave the house as freely anymore (yes, the state of Texas has reopened a bit, but there’s still so many variables to weight), I can’t get inspired by going to events, exploring. I owe it to myself to create this space so I can do what I do best: figure out how to turn this into a positive.

That perspective already proved to work. It helped me at home when I decided to put up a gallery wall in record time. My productivity has gone up 25% since working at the table adjacent to it. But, my stuff is everywhere and this is not a good long term workstation for me.

Check out the space!

This flex space is on the first level of our townhouse. If the space wasn’t going to be used as an office, I think it could work for a workout room, play area or an additional sitting area for guests.

The actual flex space is almost 10 feet wide and almost 7 feet deep. It’s not that big. The entryway will not have that crazy of a makeover for the mere fact that we are renters. There are things I would change if I owned the place, but paint is a definite yes, the stairs will be getting zhushed up, and you can count on those walls being adorned by prints and plants. 

I’m not a fan of this ceiling fan. We have one on every level and they are all modern with remotes. I know I said I wasn’t doing a whole lot, but this guy is definitely getting replaced with a fan to match the others in the house. Hopefully, this is not a huge issue later. Stay tuned!

I need someone to walk in here and say “Ooooh, this is beautiful!” Right now, you’ll just say hello. 🙂 

I knew as soon as we walked in that it would be my office because it is downstairs and feels separate from the house. I’ve worked from home for the past five years, and while last round’s beautiful room kept me inspired, it was also close to the couch, and sometimes I didn’t have restraint. With a dedicated space, I’m really excited to walk in every day, get some things done, and leave it behind when the day comes out. Talk about a good work-life balance!

The Inspiration for the Office

I’m going to keep it real, I want it to look like part two of my last apartment, but definitely infuse a Texas vibe. I mean, I do live in the Big D afterall.

There were a lot of great elements and textures like rattan, velvet, brass, and warm blush tones in my last apartment that I absolutely want to bring something that g to this space. Anything blush has to be reserved for the actual office and not the entryway since the public domain has a no-pink rule. It’s fine, I get to do whatever else I want in the house with minimal feedback, so it’s a trade-off. 🙂

Because it’s on the first level, it makes it easy for me to have appointments at the house and to invite new friends over to co-work when it’s safe to. Plus, I can record my videos, podcasts, and take photos down there. It’s going to be great. Here’s a mood board so you can see the direction I’m moving toward!

My paint swatches from Clare are on the way, and wallpaper shortly after. I’m going to focus on sprucing up the bones first and work my way in. So excited to take the first step with them as a partner again!

The Countdown Is On!

I can’t wait to share the final reveal with you! It’s going to be so good for so many reasons. Mostly, because I will have a space to create, a space that will hopefully inspire others when they catch a glimpse of it. A space that makes you feel welcomed and at home when you see it here on the blog or on Instagram. That’s my goal. So, here we go!

Be sure to check out the other One Room Challenge participants, the Featured Designers, and the guest participants like me, too! Shoutout to my Sacramento ladies Rebecca of Studio Plumb and Katrina of Katrina Blair who are both ransforming spaces as Featured Designers. Participants pour their hearts and souls into this and it’s so amazing to cheer them on. Please check ’em out. 

See y’all next week! You can follow my everyday adventures + ORC coverage on Instagram – I’m @thekachetlife. You can also be inspired by checking out the #OneRoomChallenge and #BHGORC hashtags.

Days Hours Minutes Seconds

until the grand reveal!