One Room Challenge

Okay okay, so everyone is going crazy over this edition of the One Room Challenge (ORC).

For all of you who don’t know what the One Room Challenge is: a bunch of home decor bloggers challenge themselves to re-do, update, create a space in their home in under 6 weeks. Calling it Home started the challenge 10 seasons ago (it’s a bi-annual event) and it gets bigger every year. Because as bloggers we’re all insane, they also share every single bit of it on their blogs and social media channels. Can you imagine every single success, misstep, gross error, and delay, laid bare for all to see. I love it, and learn a lot from watching others “do.” Officially there are only 20 designers participating, but plenty (like me) participate on the sidelines.

I’m a little late to the game for this season – week 2 has come to a close – and I can’t participate in real life because we’re moving, so I thought I’d put together a dream space – a florida room!

Why a florida room? Girl, you’ve finally lost it. You live in Canada, nowhere near the beautiful beaches and coastal life of Florida. – what you thought to yourself as you read that last part.

The florida room, also known as the sunroom, has got to be one of the most underrated spaces in a home. It’s an all-season room that serves as a transition point between indoors and out, like a greatly expanded mud room with chairs, a couch, maybe even a TV! The whole point of a florida room is that gets tons of sunlight. One of the homes I lived in growing up had one, and I fondly remember sitting in the sunroom on weekend mornings basking in the sunlight like a lizard.

Given that no PMQ in the history of ever has a sunroom, this is truly a dream space, and one that I’m gladly undertaking for my version of the ORC.

No surprise here, I’m drawn to a more colourful and funky design. Nothing says summer to me like a mid century modern stunner! Think bold colours, cactus, and very clean lines. My florida room – in essence – is a 1960s Palm Springs patio. Inspiration below:

And so, without further ado, my ORC image boards for my florida room

It’s bright, airy, and colourful enough to see you through all seasons. The colours provide a good basis for which to decorate seasonally.

In choosing seating options, I would go for pieces that were solid construction but that allowed a certain breeze to pass through them. The options I’ve selected won’t have any trouble drying out or letting sand pass through them. Their sturdy construction will also see you through a couple of parties.

Because throw pillows are to women what stuffed animals are to girls, you can never have enough of them! I’ve chosen complimentary colours, textures and designs that would work with any of the seating options above.

Because of the nature of a florida room, they often double as little greenhouses and provide the perfect environment for growing plants. In a year-round room, opt for a year-round bloom with these trees, and a cactus or two. They remain green year-round, stay relatively small but can be grown and transported outside if need be.

Picking and choosing side tables and coffee tables is equally important. The sleep danish design of the red table, the blue top and pink base tables, the crisp modern lines of the glass-top jewel and the pink orb, coupled with the rich morrocan vibe of the yellow, orange and dark blue stools are capped-off perfectly with a mid century modern orange side table. Mix and match these for a balanced palette in any space.

Okay, so you know me, I love picking wall art. I think I have enough for my own personal catalogue. In my humble opinion, you can never have too much contrast when playing with wall art. It’s a personal thing that helps say a lot about you. The black and whites in this palette serve as the anchors to the colourful pops and patterns, while the sign gives just enough kitch to be considered acceptable. What more can I say?

In my dream world, my florida room would open onto a patio with a pool. To complete the aesthetic: picture the florida room seen from the entrance, with a view of the patio and pool through patio doors. In this scenario, various pool towels are used as throw blankets and accessories that can be picked-up on their way out to the pool, or dropped off on your way into the rest of the home. With colours and patterns like these it’s easy to see why pool towels are my new favourite thing. Get a big basket and put it by the door for easy access.

Because this illusion also requires the patio just on the other side of the florida room doors, my one room challenge includes any one of these funky umbrellas. The colours, patterns, and details like the scalloped edges of multiple tiers, are what make them great options for any patio though.

And there you have it my friends. My One Room Challenge is actually my dream florida room.

Which room would you do for an ORC? How would you do your florida room?

What would you do differently? Let me know in the comments!