Den Makeover – ORC Week 5

This is the point where we could definitely use an extra week thrown in here, but I’m excited to share that we’ve made some solid progress at least! Last week we chatted all about the plans for our den’s plaid wall which at the time was just a big tan blank canvas, and here’s the progress so far!

I have one last board to hang, which is going to be put on hold until we figure out exactly where the TV mount is going to go. But other than that, the plaid wall is officially hung!

The only hard things about this project? The math. Oh, the math. I have to credit my career in media for the Excel charts and color coding which were the only two things that got me through this. The next hardest thing is going to be the caulking, not because it’s difficult but because it’s going to take me forever 🙂

Last but not least, our Murphy bed got some love this week as well! We bought the bed from Bedder Way and ordered it in unfinished maple wood. After testing a few stains, we thought we’d love the Minwax Weathered Oak. Here’s what we started with…

And here’s after we stained it…

It was… not as great as we were planning on to say the least. It almost looked dirty, which was not the vibe we were going for. After a quick trip to the store, we ended up with three more samples to try. We had to use the weathered oak as a base, and tested out all of the colors and mixtures we could think of. In the end, I felt like a mad scientist, but I’m so glad that we got a bit crazy with it!

The winning mixture? Weathered oak base, with a second coat of 1/2 briarsmoke, 1/4 dark walnut, and 1/4 weathered gray. Total mad scientist.

Here’s the difference side by side!

SO much closer to the original vision. It took a while to get there, but I’m finally excited about where it’s headed.

A little sneak peek with the rug and how everything is coming together too! I love the mix of warm and cool colors, and can’t wait to add accessories for even more texture.

I have something fun in mind for the wall behind the bed, but I’ll save all of that for the reveal! Our last big decision? To paint the window white, or to leave it wood. The wood tone matches the floors and the windows on the back of the house, but I’m 100% good with doing whatever makes sense in this room regardless. What would you do?

And that’s about enough for now! I can’t believe the reveal is already next week. If you need me, I’ll be stuck caulking that wall until the wee hours of each morning and strolling the aisles of Homegoods to find the perfect accessories! Best of luck to you if you’re joining in this round, and thanks so much for stopping by!

Be sure to check out all of the amazing designers and participants over on the ORC Blog 🙂