#OneRoomChallenge, Week Four: Blackout Curtains + Affordable Artwork
How is it week four? Oh wait, I had a baby just over four weeks ago… needless to say, it’s been a blur (and I should probably get around to writing the birth story out sometime soon.) A big part of why I took this on was because I wanted to create a space where I could relax and take care of both the baby and myself and if you’ve followed along with me recently, because I suffered from so many complications with the pregnancy and was placed on bedrest, I wasn’t able to “nest” during my pregnancy like I would have liked to. Nesting for me now means making the space we’re sharing with the baby, not just one that will accommodate all of the extra baby “stuff”; although you can read more on how we’ve managed that here, but it also means carving out space to take care of myself and my husband. A space that is conducive to naps, (because, sleep) and to binge-watching Marvelous Mrs Maisel from bed when the baby is cluster feeding. We’re doing that with some beautiful bedding, some room darkening curtains, an updated little coffee/tea station and by surrounding ourselves with art, plants... all the little finishing touches that make it feel like a place we’re excited to spend time in. Here’s where we’re at in the process now.
The existing window treatments in our room (wooden blinds) are nice enough alone, which had led them to be near the bottom of our priority list when it came to putting the place together. We've often commented that some curtains, ”Would be nice.” but never got around to it. To keep the room dark for sleeping, we used Ikea’s cheap roller shades behind the blinds which, while they get the job done, aren’t the best long-term solution. So when I decided to update our master, upgrading the window treatments was one of the things I was most excited to tackle.
Because we have bay windows figuring out the ideal configuration was a bit tricky. Initially, I wanted to install roman blinds but balked at the cost when it came in over $1,500. Since we’re renters, I want to be able to re-use whatever we purchase at the next place, and as roman blinds are custom sized, they wouldn't be worth the investment for a temporary space.
Instead, we opted for these deep blue linen ones from Pottery Barn. They pull in the navy shade from our color palette and block the light more effectively than something lighter might. Configuring curtains for a bay window can be a bit complicated, but after looking into a few options, we decided to use two panels for the center and one on each side and are using corner brackets to connect the curtain rods instead of investing in a rod designed specifically for that use. Aside from being lower cost it gives us the flexibility to use them independently in the future. Because the length is inflexible since we need to hang them in the small space between the top of the windows and the recess, and they fall between standard sizes we ordered up in length and are taking them to the local dry cleaners to be hemmed. We’ve got the set closest to the bed hung (and are loving the look of it) and are just waiting on the hardware to get the bay window outfitted as well.
I’ve also sourced some decorative details to finish out the room, from lighting to art to dressing up the bed to reflect the moodier color palette we’re embracing: starting with some gorgeous linen bedding that we just received c/o our friends at Cultiver. I can’t wait to share more about our selection, and how we pulled the colors from the palette that we revealed last week together for a rich, layered look.
For artwork we dug through Society6 for affordable options that make an impact; I’m rounding up some of our top contenders below, and you’ll have to check back with us for the final reveal to see which ones we ended up ordering and how we incorporated them into the space.
*This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links, click here for our full policy and disclosures. All prices are at time of publication.
1. Abstract Indigo Mountains Art Print, Society6, $28.99+
2. The Only One Art Print, Society6, $22.99+
3. Close on White Art Print, Society6, $32.99+
4. Blue Sea II Art Print, Society6, $24.99+
5. Virginia Art Print, Society6, $26.99+
6. Scottish Highland Cattle Art Print, Society6, $21.99+
That’s all for now, check back in with us next week to see how it’s coming together and how we’re faring in the final stretch!
Check Out the Full Fall ORC Series:
Week One | Week Two | Week Three | Week Four | Week Five | Week Six
Thanks for following along with our one room challenge! You can check out the rest of the guest participants here or the amazing featured designers here. You can also follow along on Instagram by following #oneroomchallenge for some serious eye candy.
