Tag Archives: vintage

Urban Boutique Bathroom – Week Three – Spring 2025 One Room Challenge

Posted on by

2

I’ll call this week to be the “telephone hold music” of the One Room Challenge – I am excited to share our new bathroom. I can take credit for the design, but not the construction. There’s also a small DIY project in there! In the meantime, I promise I am working away on other projects for decorating our new bedroom addition, including a custom daybed.

As a reminder, this season’s project is a bedroom and bathroom addition we built last year. It’s going to be a space for our oldest, when he’s home, and also serve as a guest room or lounge!

It’s fun to see how my vision for this room evolved. In the original “mood board,” I was going with my classic blue-and white look, but you could tell that I was already thinking about how to bring in some green.

Over time, while we were waiting and waiting for building permits, my plan evolved to be more modern and more green. One of my major inspiration spaces was the Woodlark Hotel in Portland, where we enjoyed a stay a few years ago. From that space (left picture below). I was inspired by the elongated subway tile, stacked vertically, the mix of white and dark green tile, and a mix of black metal and antique brass. This led to my final design (right picture below):

And here’s how the room turned out!

This tile combination makes me so happy!

While I left the bathroom construction to our contractor, I did add a DIY touch with the window glass film. There are so many options for window film, so you can have fun browsing for your own favorite. The one that spoke to me for our space is the gingko-themed stained glass from Asgerart on Etsy. It was easy to apply and adds style and much-needed privacy to our little bathroom! To fit our windows, I used two panels side-by-side.

Hope to show you more progress in the bedroom soon! In the meantime, you can see all the other fun room transformations on the One Room Challenge website!

Julie AKA “Jewels”

“If These Walls Could Talk” Gallery Wall – Week Two – Spring 2025 One Room Challenge

Posted on by

1

I seriously love the One Room Challenge. It’s just the motivation I need to finish off projects. I’ve been puttering away preparing the gallery wall in our new bedroom, and with this week’s progress update launching, I got the energy to finish hanging everything after work today!

As a reminder, this room is bedroom addition we built last year. It’s going to be a room for our oldest, when he’s home, and also serve as a guest room or lounge! It’s a petite space, but I had big plans for this wall, and I really feel like it opens up the room!

If you are looking for tips for your own gallery wall, here are some ideas to consider:

  • let an overall impression guide you – my inspiration spaces contained art that felt light, with large white mats or lots of negative space.
  • Consider a theme – I chose items that represent the outdoors, wanting to make this narrow space feel more open
  • choose items with meaning -these walls can talk, because every item here has a story behind it!
  • for a collected look, mix multiple types of art, such as paintings, photographs, prints, and three-dimensional objects
  • DIY items, such as a fabric-covered picture mat or your own photographs
  • Use paper cutouts of your items to help you design the layout

Here’s a before-and-after look at the space:

This collection includes a DIY fabric-covered picture mat and a photo I took of Finn and printed at the local drugstore.

As I said, these walls can talk! Clockwise from left, a photograph taken from Fort Point, under the Golden Gate Bridge, that Steve and I bought at an art fair ~25+ years ago; an LED sign with my son’s name that my sister sent from Hong Kong; a small canvas print of a photo I took, featuring spring blossoms and Victorian houses; photo of Finn I took and printed; nasturtium print by Henry Evans calendar under a DIY fabric mat. My friend Penny gifts me a Henry Evans calendar every Christmas!

More treasures: paper silhouette cut-out from the Canadian National Exhibition when I was a child; strawberry ceramic bowl I bought at an art fair with a friend ~25 years ago; Vassar College pennant for my oldest; 1924 newspaper found in the walls of our last house; replica Group of Seven Canadian landscape painting my parents got on an Air Canada flight ~30 years ago; fern print from another Henry Evans calendar.

Last of the treasures: a beautiful branch painting by my mom ❤

I’m working away on some other projects that I hope to share with you soon! In the meantime, you can see all the other fun room transformations on the One Room Challenge website!

Julie AKA “Jewels”

Urban Boutique Bedroom Inspiration – Week One – Spring 2025 One Room Challenge

Posted on by

6

  • Week One: Urban Boutique Bedroom Construction and Inspiration

I seriously love the One Room Challenge. It’s just the motivation I need to finish off projects, and the community is always really positive. I love finding new accounts to follow for inspiration and encouragement! I’ll link my prior ORC projects at the end of this post.

This Spring, I’m going to be decorating a new bedroom addition we built last year. It’s going to be a room for our oldest, when he’s home, and also serve as a guest room or lounge!

I can’t take credit for the construction work, but I will take credit for the inspiration – I very literally had dreams about finding space for just one more room in our house, to accommodate our family of five, with regular visits from my dad. After turning ideas around and around in my head, I figured out that we could enclose a little unused patio and reconfigure the adjacent rooms to make a new bedroom and bathroom. Some of us lived through the months of noise and dust, but you can just enjoy the pictures!

The result is a small bedroom and bathroom that make a big change to how we live in our house. While I couldn’t give our oldest a lot of square footage, I wanted to give him a lot of style and function in this cozy space. I got design inspiration from a lot of places, but my biggest inspirations were Designer Timothy Whealon’s living room featured by New York Social Diary and the Woodlark Hotel in Portland, where we enjoyed a stay a couple of years ago.

When I find a space that really inspires me, I try to describe the key elements, like a recipe, to help me recreate it. And when I am looking at a few spaces, I try to find the common elements that I love. For this project, I was drawn to:

  • light walls
  • wood floors
  • gallery wall with white and light wood frames
  • color palette of taupe, black, white, and deep green
  • wood, brass, and glass accents
  • plants!

I’m so excited (and nervous!) to tackle this project – hope you’ll follow along!

You can see all the other fun room transformations on the One Room Challenge website!

Julie AKA “Jewels”

DIY Faux Bamboo Trim Bookcase

Posted on by

0

You know how much I love faux bamboo furniture! My collection includes these Chippendale chairs and this Thomasville dresser-turned-bar cabinet. When I recently acquired an older bookcase, which I chose for its solid wood construction and low price, I noticed … Continue reading →

Chinese Armoire in the Perfect Blue

Posted on by

0

There are a few furniture painting projects that I’ve always wanted to do, like this mid-century dresser, or this faux bamboo bar cabinet. A big Chinese-style wedding armoire has been on my list, and my chance finally came! I found … Continue reading →

Small Foyer, Big Results – Week Eight Spring 2023 One Room Challenge

Posted on by

5

I’m excited to wrap up the One Room Challenge. It’s such a great way to motivate yourself to work on projects, and the community is already inspiring and positive. To remind you, I took this opportunity to turn our small, plain entry into a welcoming space that added function and style. I’m happy to say, mission accomplished!

You can see details on my choices and process in the posts from previous weeks. Here are some more pictures of the finished space!

Thank you so much to the One Room Challenge team and Apartment Therapy for a great event! It’s a great motivator and the most positive community. I’m already considering a project for the fall challenge…

You can head over to the One Room Challenge site to see some more room transformations!

Julie AKA “Jewels”

Create an Elegant Customized Organizer

Posted on by

0

I dressed up this wooden desk organizer to create some pretty storage in my kitchen. You could use it for a bathroom, office or craft space also! I love tea – and throwing tea parties – so this is perfect … Continue reading →

FREE Campaign Cabinet – Week Three Spring 2023 One Room Challenge

Posted on by

5

While I get the main project – our mini-mudroom – ready, I’ll show you more of the smaller projects going into our foyer makeover. I wanted closed storage for shoes, and I didn’t want it to look obvious or utilitarian. After spending too much (or just the right amount) of time browsing options for new or thrifted furniture, I found the perfect piece! If there’s anything you know about me, it’s likely my addiction to vintage furniture. Free is best, as is anything mid-century and/or with an Asian influence. Call it a gift, a fatal flaw, or just many hours browsing Craigslist… I spotted this free(!) cabinet and saw that the hardware had a beautiful mix of campaign and Asian details.

When I first saw it, I assumed it was too big for our space. But I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and I when I asked for dimensions, it turns out this is a petite cabinet that fits perfectly inside of our closet!

The wood finish was too pretty to paint, but it had a lot of scratches and marks on it, especially on top. I briefly thought about trying to refinish it, but it is veneer, and I’ve never done that before. I decided to try sanding it lightly and then using furniture polish – I’m happy to report that it worked!

I made some other modifications, because we are using this as a shoe cabinet. I painted a strip of wood block and installed it behind the front legs, so that we would not get too much dust and other stuff stuck underneath. I also lined the inside with clear, contact paper, and drilled some holes in the back, so that we can store shoes inside.

Next week, I’ll show you the mini-mudroom build, and we’ll see some big changes in this small space. In the meantime, head over to the One Room Challenge page to see more fun projects!

Julie AKA “Jewels”

DIY Tiered Cake Stands From Vintage Plates

Posted on by

0

My collection of plates and tea cups started when I threw a tea party baby shower for my friend, Nicola, a whole decade ago! Over the years, I have added more treasures to my collection, and I love the stories … Continue reading →

Cheery Warm Dining Room and Pattern Play with “Art Deco Swans” by Kate Rhees

Posted on by

0

A lot of people groan when they think about moving, and while I plan to stay put for many years to come, I actually love the excitement and challenge of arranging a new space. I’ve had a lot of fun … Continue reading →