The One Room Challenge // Week 5

It's Thursday! So that means we just closed out Week 5 of The One Room Challenge, a trademarked room makeover event I'm participating in along with 150+ bloggers. This is the third time I've participated in the event, hosted by Linda of Calling it Home. Link back to see my previous room reveals for Fall '14 and Spring '14.

I'm happy to report that there was a lot of progress made on my husband's office makeover this week. Recall, my plan is to infuse some spirit into a room that had largely been previously left unattended to pick up any odds and ends that did not fit elsewhere in the house. This room is shaping up to be a truly modern industrial masculine retreat where he can be inspired as he works from his home office.

I just completed one of the biggest projects scheduled for this particular makeover. I mean, talk about taking it down to the wire for a Week 5 update. I just turned this baby right side up in the wee hours of the night to finally see the fully finished desk I built from scratch. Well... ok, I had a little help from my friends. Cut to NINE separate trips to Home Depot to wrap this one up. I also borrowed my husband's muscles for help tightening all the pipe fittings.

The base of the table was built from galvanized plumbing pipe, sprayed black. I went with a 1 1/4" pipe for the version I drafted. If I had to do it over again, I might have gone with the 1" pipe as it would have been a little easier to work with (these pipes are cumbersome and heavy folks!). When you get your pipe cut by Home Depot, they will automatically thread it for you as well so that you can screw it together with your joints, caps and flanges. I read up tons before I attempted this project and knew going in that the threading would be my biggest obstacle. It takes some maneuvering to make sure you end up with the same height on all four legs. My initial measurements also landed me with a counter-height table, so those pipes had to be re-cut. Luckily, the guys at Home Depot were happy to oblige. Lots of learnings on this one.

For every challenge, there is also a success. I am so proud of my first solid table top, built from five separate pieces of lumber I had cut down at my local mill. I glued it up, filled, sanded and stained it before finishing it with poly to absorb all the wear and tear my husband will undoubtedly give it in the years to come. This is solid my friends and smooth as but-tah! I tested various stains and was really happy with the warm hues in Varathane's 'Provincial'.

Likewise, I made some progress on the shelving system that will eventually showcase my husband's collectibles. Rather than use the MDF typically paired up with this simple rack and bracket system, I had 12" shelves cut to the lengths I needed and then sanded and stained them to compliment the desk.

Finally, the window treatment is now complete. I hacked my favorite go-to Ikea curtains with some grosgrain ribbon at the base. I went with the off-white to keep things bright and clean against the contrasting charcoal brick wall. Using some fusible fabric tape and my trusty measure, I had these babies hung in just 2 hours. From where I sit, when you're running fast and furious in a 6-week design marathon, it's always nice to throw a quick results project into the mix for continued motivation.

Can you believe it? The reveal is just one week from today! Be sure to check back next week to see the finished design in its entirety. I have a hard time keeping a secret though and you'll likely see some sneak peeks over the weekend on Instagram. Are you following along?