One Room Challenge Archives - Boxwood Design Co

DIY Home Office Reveal

It is the end of the One Room Challenge and we made it…barely!

If you remember, my inspiration were these beautiful Pottery Barn Cabinets, but there is no way I could spend $3,500 on a cabinet x2 to fit the space.

When you can’t afford what you want, you DIY it.

I took stock Easthaven drawer cabinets from Home Depot to create the bases of my built ins.

Using 2 sheets of 3/4″ inch plywood and 2 sheets of shiplap paneling to create the top portion of the built ins. I trimed it out with 1x2s.

Lots of caulk, wood fill, and paint to make it look finished.

Then onto the fun stuff….decorating. I swear to you, it seemed like I had way more business/design books than what it looks like.

I created a reading corner using a chair and a table/lamp. You’ll notice the pillow has the same hexagon shape as the floor.

On the opposite wall, I was able to have my great-grandparent’s ice box brought into the room. This is one of my favorite things and I love that it fit in my office space.

I’m still in disbelief that this is my office!

Check out the other final reveals by clicking here

Office Progress – ORC Week 6

It’s Week 6 of the One Room Challenge…Only 2 weeks to go! Surprisingly, I actually have some office progress to share today…we may just make it after all.

It only took 15 hours to install all the hexagon tiles and grout the whole floor. I love how it turned out!

This was the first floor that I’ve ever tiled and I made sure each tile was level with the tiles next to it. This made grouting so much easier and faster!

Office Progress – Final Tiles being installed

Not only did I finish the floor, I was also able to install the two small side cabinets and the countertop in between.

We painted the walls Sherwin-Williams color Repose Gray and the window trim with Benjamin Moore Advance Paint.

There’s still a ton to do (build the bookcases, paint the built ins, install hardware, hang the curtains, wire the lights, add baseboards, etc), but I couldn’t help myself and had to start styling one of the corners.

This table, chair, and hexagon pattern pillow creates a perfect little reading nook!

2 weeks to go! Wish me luck and don’t forget to check out the other participants in the One Room Challenge.

Hexagon Tile Floor – ORC Week 4

We are officially half way done with the Fall One Room Challenge! Based on that fact, you would think I would have the major components of the room done…or even started. But if you’ve been here a while, you know better.

At the end of last week, my only progress was cutting my countertop down and adding the Ditra XL to the floors in preparation of tiling.

While this week’s progress isn’t amazing, it still is forward momentum, especially considering that I’ve never installed a tile floor before. Most of it was done after the kids went to bed by the glow of a work light and warmth of a ceramic heater as we didn’t have power or heat.

To get started, I dry fitted some tiles to see where I wanted the cuts to be. I had been debating on where the tile should end, but once I marked where the doors would go, I realized I could have a full tile when I walked in and on the opposite back wall.

Once I figured out the placement from entry to the back wall, I found the center of the back wall and the the doorway and marked them. I also marked the center of my first tile and laid it. I used my laser to make sure that my first tiles were lining up straight with the doorway.

Installing the First Hexagon Floor Tiles

You wouldn’t believe how long these six tile took me to lay. I utilized the QEP LASH Flat Floor Leveling System (it’s two parts and a tool) to make sure my tile were evenly spaced and level which I verified with my small level.

I decided to install all the whole tiles and fill in the cuts later on. I completely lucked out and a whole tile fit perfectly in front of the cabinets. I’m pretty sure I couldn’t get that lucky again.

Between the construction crew working on the nearby basement stairs and the front porch, I wasn’t able to work on the floor as much as I would have liked. I made it about 2/3s of the way done with the whole tiles and will be wrapping up the rest of the floor this upcoming week.

End of Week 4 Tile Progress – Installed Hexagon Floor Tiles

If you also follow along on Instagram (@boxwoodathome), you saw that I also made some purchases for the room! I’ll show you those next week!

Dont forget to check out the other amazing transformations here.

Minor Office Progress – Week 3 ORC

I promise I have a lot of ideas for my office, but actually accomplishing them was a definite problem this week. Minor progress may even be an overstatement.

As a reminder, last week ended with the drywall finished and the base cabinetry counters installed.

And, here it is at the end of week 3…

Tons of progress, right?

To be honest, I did get a few things checked off my list. I was able to get the electrical figured out for my printer drawer which consisted of cutting a hole in the side of my cabinet and plugging in this recessed power strip.

I also vacuumed and wiped the floor then applied mortar to adhere the Ditra XL uncoupling membrane to the subfloor so that it is ready for tile.

I also was able to cut down the other portion of the countertop. It will be ready to be installed as soon as the floor is finished and I’ve painted the walls.

Lastly, I was able to dry fit the tile. I’m super excited for how it fits as I was nervous to attempt a hexagon floor tile.

My hope for this week is to install the tile floor and to get it grouted. I would also love to get the ceiling and walls painted so that I can work on the built ins the following week. However, we still have limited power in the house and no heat so it is slowing down the progress with the temperatures in the 40s and 50s.

To follow along with other participants (who actually made progress!), visit the ORC website.

Budget Friendly Home Office – ORC Week 1-2

I am so excited to be participating in the Fall 2022 One Room Challenge. The challenge encourages participants to renovate a space in 8 weeks. You can follow along with other participants here.

When I signed up originally, I was planning to do our new laundry room, but we are several weeks away from the framing and inspections being complete.

So, what room did I choose instead?

I opted to renovate my new home office which is a blank slate. I have been running my own businesses for over 15 years and this is my first ever home office.

The space itself isn’t huge (it’s 8.5 feet deep by 14.5 feet wide), but I’m thankful for every square inch. The office is located right off of our main entry so one of my goals was to create enough storage to keep it clean and manage all my design samples, client files, reference books and more.

The design includes built-ins on the back wall, a desk floating in the middle, and an accent chair in the corner. While creating my moodboard for the challenge, I realized that I couldn’t afford most of the items that I love. We will be finding alternatives to create a designer office on a small budget.

To create budget friendly built-ins, I purchased 4 unfinished Easthaven Drawer Bases from Home Depot. I originally planned to use butcherblock for the counters, but then found a faux marble countertop at Lowes that was perfect for my vision.

I started installing the cabinets by screwing two of them together and using shims to level them. I then attached them to the studs with 3 inch screws.

I then cut and installed the countertops leaving a small overhang. At the last moment, I decided to add a small 12” upper cabinet on the inside of the other cabinets to help support the long stretch of countertop.

Budget Friendly Home Office Base Cabinets Installed

Next week, we will be working on the built in shelves and adding lighting as well as picking up the tile for the floor.

Thanks for following along!