One room challenge reveal!

I like the way you work it No diggity, I got to bag it up, bag it up I like the way you work it No diggity, I got to bag it up, bag it up Hey yo, hey yo, hey yo, hey yo.......

Oh sorry, I'm just over here enjoying my new night club -- er, living room. With a neon sign it's pretty tempting to start jamming in here, and since I haven't been cool since the early 2000s most of my music is outdated, but whatever. ANYWAY, onto the reveal because that's what you care about ;) I'm going to try to keep this short and sweet because lots of words are just annoying-- amirite?

If you want to catch up, here's the past several posts: Week 1 // Week 2 // Week 3 // Week 4 // ​Week 5

This was our room on June 1st of this year, the day we moved from Iowa to Florida to live in my mom's tiny beach house:

And this is now:

What did you think the neon sign would say? Are you surprised? There's so much in those two tiny words for us, and I'll get into it more at a later date, but in a nutshell, it represents everything up until this point-- every risk, every dream followed, every idea that's crashed and burned. We have done some crazy things and we are better for it. It's not easy or even close to perfect, but it's good.

This corner is the focal point with the wood wall and bright windows and I wanted to pull out all the stops.

I found a gorgeous chair on Marketplace and had it recovered in a leopard fabric I got for a steal at Hobby Lobby! I added a faux plant wall and then topped it off with a gorgeous neon sign from Hey Light Co. They were amazing to work with and I LOVE HOW IT TURNED OUT. It got here with time to spare and completely makes the space.

The lucite stool is also thrifted. I changed the cushion from white to black because it got lost in the shuffle before and now it stands out. #ilovelucite

I made cornice boards for the windows in the space to bring in a traditional Palm Beach feel. The goal of this room was to marry a sexy Miami vibe with a preppy Palm Beach vibe. I honestly wasn't sure I could pull it off but I think I did!!!!??!

This shelf is one of two items that stayed in the room (obviously because it's amazing). I restyled it with items I mostly already had, including this "neon" art from Hapi Art-- one of my favorites.

I had really wanted a new sleeper sofa in this space but in the end, it just wasn't in the budget. We pulled our green velvet sofa out of storage and it works perfectly. It was originally from IKEA and still so pretty even after 3 kids + a bunny and all their fluids ;)

The coffee table is SO fab. It's an original Milo Baughman piece from Craigslist. Each circle rotates independantly which makes the piece so sculptural and functional. It can fold so the circles completely stack, or it can spread out really far.

One of my favorite parts of the room is the white Chippendale chair I scored at a local shop. The shape brings in that Palm Beach style and adds so much interest to this side of the room. I hunted and hunted for the perfect chair and was so happy to find this one.

I don't know why, but the pillows in this space were so difficult for me! I don't have the budget for custom pillows and could. not. find. what I wanted. Thankfully, The Land of Pillows came through and sent me these gorgeous flocked crane pillows. I honestly think I would have ended up with pumpkin pillows from Tuesday Morning if it wasn't for their super swift service. I'm grateful!

The painting is by my friend Kindra (she's amazing and has done lots of cool stuff for me!) and then the photograph is from my friend, Molly. I met her a year ago when we were thinking about moving to Florida. She's a Florida girl through and through and I'm so grateful she is in my life as we embark on these new adventures here. She took this photo in Miami and it's so fun to have a piece of her in this space 'cause she loves design as much as I do

Really, all the main pieces in the space are vintage or thrifted. This bird's eye media cabinet is no exception. It's so good in person-- modern lines with a nod to Deco via the curved drawers. I love the warmth it brings to the wallpaper wall.

I had a lot of fun styling this area trying to bring in the preppy/traditional/bold elements of my style. It's a little bit of everything I love in one place.

Halfway through the challenge, I decided to also do something about our dining area. Yes, that black table folds out to be a dining table. I was sick of not eating around the table together as a family but there's literally no space in this place for a real table. So I got creative and am SO glad I did. Not only can we eat together instead of all around the room, but I love the look of this area SO much. I have always wanted a "console" table with two stools underneath and I was able to do so on a budget. I think this whole area was only $300.

The table is from Target, the stools were plain gray ones I recovered in the same fabric as the chair. The mirror was in our back storage room and I didn't remember it was there until a few days ago! I was thrilled because it was FREE and PERFECT. We sprayed it gold after a brief debate about going neon pink :)

The sconces are the cherry on top. They are not hard-wired and I plan to do the "magic light trick" with them (remote operated lights) which I'll explain sometime soon.

This vase is a dream and was only $20 at Homegoods-- man, I love that place!

I am so excited by how this room turned out. I was venturing into new territory combining styles I have never put together before and have basically never seen combined, so it was a true challenge but SO FULFILLING. I hope you love it as much as I do and that it inspires you to live bold in whatever way that means to you.

This project would not be possible without Linda from Calling it Home, who organizes the One Room Challenge. I had no idea I would be doing this two short months ago and it's truly been a blast, connecting me with awesome people and sharpening my design skills. Better Homes and Gardens is the sponsor and that's incredibly exciting because they are AMAZING, and because we are both from Des Moines :) Thank you, BHG, for championing good design for so many years.

Lastly, I want to thank my mom who let me turn her beloved cottage upside-down. She is the most generous, loving woman you could meet. I know it pained her to have me change this place because it's so dear to her heart but she was happy to let me do it and championed me along the whole time. Thank you, mom, for always being my biggest fan, I love you (and I hope you don't hate my design- ha!).

Now, go and support ALL the other featured and guest designers. We are all happy-tired and need your love and encouragement. Thank you for following along, you guys keep me going.

xoxo,

Rachel