07 Nov Breakfast Nook Makeover – One Room Challenge Big Reveal | Fall 2019 | Week 6

Today’s the day – the Fall 2019 One Room Challenge Week 6 – BIG REVEAL!!  If you’ve been following along, you’ve been waiting for this day to come (me included!) to see how all the decisions I made from the past 5 weeks have transformed my humble Breakfast Nook.  I can’t tell you how happy I am to be finished and I want to thank each and every one of you for your support! I’m super excited to present to you our Breakfast Nook Makeover into a fabulous new elegant dining space that we can’t wait to enjoy all through the holidays.  So get ready! (Note: All After photography is by Gregg Cestaro.)

 

It Takes a Village

Before we get to the After images, I first want to thank Linda Weinstein who created the One Room Challenge, a platform for experienced and novice designers to finish one room. Without her brilliance on making this a biannual event, I would never have had the opportunity, in the spring and fall of 2019, to expand my design skills beyond decorative pillows. Seriously! I have learned so much because of this incredibly rewarding challenge.  Thank you also to Official Media Sponsor, Better Homes & Gardens.

Now onto my team.

I want to take a moment to thank everyone who helped me make this Breakfast Nook Makeover possible, even my sweet neighbor Cameron. I could not have done any of this without our studio’s head seamstress, and master of all trades, Kim Schlinke.  Kim and I worked together on making the Roman shades, cornices and decorative pillows, but it is really Kim’s expert sewing, math and problem-solving skills that got the job done.  A few small businesses like local Accent Upholstery and Ebay dealer Savoy Gardens also helped. My photographer Gregg Cestaro always takes my work to the next level. And as you know, I was blessed once again with incredible sponsors:

• Kravet – fabric for the window seat, Roman shades, cornices, and some pillows
• CWI Lighting – crystal chandelier and kitchen bar pendants
• Collectic Home |Eurway – Odyssey dining table, Proform chairs, placemats, and artwork
• Michele’s Jewelry & Silver – silver napkin rings, champagne coaster and salt + pepper shakers
• Modern Redux – 3 Mid-century modern white vases
• Sparrow Interiors + Gifts – green cut crystal decanter and small plant
• Spring Frost Boutique – fashion clothing, shoes, and jewelry
• Face Kandy – makeup
• Colour + Beauty Lounge – hair styling

 

Thank you all so very much for being part of my team to make this Breakfast Nook Makeover vision a reality in just 6 weeks!  (Please see detail images of sponsors’ contributions throughout this post and sponsor logos at end.)

If you missed any of this, no worries, as you can catch up on each week’s saga below and follow along on my instagram @thepillowgoddess and hashtags #oneroomchallenge  #BHGORC #thepillowgoddess

Week 1 || Week 2 || Week 3 || Week 4 || Week 5 || Week 6

The Wait is Over

 

CWI  Lighting takes center stage.

I did not share with you the chandelier I selected from sponsor CWI Lighting because I wanted it to be a surprise. Thank you for not getting super mad at me, although my best friend did slightly threaten me….lol.

Here is the GORGEOUS chandelier I selected, the Deco.  It’s always funny how things turn out for the best. This chandelier was not even in my top 4 choices and it is the chandelier I love the most!!  We have an Art Deco curio cabinet in the living room so it fits in beautifully.  (You’ll see the pendants we selected when we do the kitchen/living room makeover, hopefully in 2020.)

But you won’t have to wait to see this beauty in the Breakfast Nook as I share many final photos below. I had no idea I would love crystals as much as I do in our Breakfast Nook.  And my husband David loves the chandelier too, which is always a bonus, right girls?

You will see a variety of angles of this beautiful chandelier in the images below.  FYI: there were 187 crystals to hang!!  Thanks to my dear friend Sandy, help was just a phone call away.

Be sure to stop by CWI Lighting’s website and Dallas Showroom as their new designs are truly spectacular. (Shop this look by clicking this image.)

From Drab to FAB – Drum roll please….

 

To refresh your memory, I had a breakfast nook that was not only drab,  but basically non-existent after we repainted the interiors over a year ago. It was down to a table, 2 folding chairs, no cushion to sit on, no pillows, and ugly paper shades.  Drab with a capital “D”.

As you can see from the Before and After images, we transformed our little bare breakfast nook into an inviting, elegant dining space, not only for breakfast and lunch, but for dinner and entertaining too. I can’t wait to celebrate even more and entertain with all our friends and clients at our December 7th Open Studio + Holiday Soiree! (Oh, and to relieve your worried mind, I finally was able to take down those claustrophobic wine racks I gave my husband years ago….more on that coming up.)

BEFORE

AFTER

 

 

Where did my inspiration come from?

A couple of months ago I bought Interior Designer extraordinaire, Timothy Corrigan’s new book, The New Elegance.  It couldn’t have been timed more perfectly. Since I love so many different colors and the breakfast nook was part of a more comprehensive makeover project of our kitchen and living room, I had no idea what color palette to go with.  Well, late one night, I decided to revisit  Timothy’s amazing coffee table design book. I not only discovered my color inspiration but also quite a few helpful design tips along the way.

I’ll be reviewing his gorgeous book later this fall/winter, but in the meantime, you have an opportunity to WIN a signed copy of The New Elegance on my Instagram starting today! Follow my Instagram @thepillowgoddess for the Book Giveaway rules. Winner will be selected Monday at 5 p.m. (CST).

 

I won’t bore you with all the ups and downs of Week 6, but let’s just say that it took a lot of errands, a lot of sewing day and night, 3+ trips to Home Depot (Kim says that’s the golden rule for any project),  a lot of waiting for product to arrive (some that I thought I ordered but didn’t!) and then, after much hard work, install it all and pull my vision together.

I am extremely pleased with it and I hope it inspires you to dive into color and texture and transform a room of your own. Even though the One Room Challenge officially ends today, I will be writing in more depth about some of my decisions that worked and others that didn’t, plus more behind-the-scenes pics, so you can learn more about what it really takes to transform a room in 6 weeks.

Welcome to The Pillow Goddess Breakfast Nook!

 

Tabletop design

One thing you don’t know, as I didn’t mention it in prior blog posts, is that I wanted to build my tabletop setting around pieces of gold-encrusted 1930s, clear glass, china, and stemware I inherited from my great grandparents.  I actually was named after my grandmother Fannie Main, so they probably came directly from her.  I treasure them.

The challenge was to set a table for four incorporating only 2 dinner plates, 2 salad plates, 2 knives and forks with the monogram M, only one silver napkin ring and two of my mother’s teacups from her collection. I did have four of all stemware.

There were a lot of gaps to fill.  I filled them with:

• 2 plates from Ebay dealer Savoy Gardens,
• 4 Etsy salad plates,
• one teacup from my seamstress Kim,
• another teacup I found at the Antique Mall
• 3 silver napkin rings from sponsor Michele’s Jewelry & Silver shop

 

Also timely was the 2 colorful Cloisonne covered cups our foreign exchange student recently gifted us. The textured gold Dahlia Chilewich placemats from sponsor Collectic Home were the perfect placemats to bring that gold accent out in the blue-green colorway I selected.

Let’s just say that there was a lot of layering going on to make it all work.  But I’m pleased with the result. You’ll have to let me know what you think.

 

Table Talk

Now let’s talk about that faux marble, gold pedestal table by sponsor Eurway | Collectic Home.  None of this would have been possible without a table and chairs. I had been searching everywhere for this specific gold-based 47″ round, faux marble pedestal table and was thrilled when owner Joni came forward to sponsor it. And these green velvet chairs?  To die for!  They are so comfortable and I love the decorative gold handle on back.  This table set and chairs are the bomb!  (Is that still an expression??)  I love them!!

Need a table and chairs for the holidays? Click images to shop them right here. (These are not Affiliate Links)

 

Pillow Talk

 

To me, besides the table, chairs and tabletop setting, there are several more pieces full of color and texture that really pull this Breakfast Nook together.

Kravet textiles

We made the Roman shades out of beautiful white linen sponsored by Kravet and trimmed it with vintage French blue and white trim from our studio’s in-house collection.  While it was touch and go after we realized I didn’t order enough fabric, both the shades and cornices turned out beautifully.  I owe this all to our lead seamstress Kim Schlinke.  She did a stellar job!

The cushion was my main fabric from which I selected all the others.  It’s a beautiful blue-green with gold circle pattern, almost iridescent.

 

Style Seasonal Table Settings

 

Oh, I totally forgot to tell you, that even though this is a One Room Challenge, I decided to do two seasonal looks – fall/winter and spring/summer.  (I know…leave it to me to make it more complicated!)  All I did really was change out a few pillows and the tabletop. These images below show more clearly the Roman shades, cushion fabric and pillows because the tabletop is a clean, fresh, modern look with a simpler, more sleek design.

Winter Look – a mixture of contemporary velvets from Kravet and vintage French brocade and silks from our studio.

 

Summer Look – A mixture of Kravet cotton prints and velvets and our studio textiles we upcycle.

Note: I have two more Kravet pillows I’m finishing up in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for those. One is a polka dot UnZipped pillow with an aqua tassel (still waiting on special gold zipper). So yummy!

 

Here’s more of the summer look.  I love the 3 white Mid-century vases sponsored by Modern Redux. They have such incredible texture on them. Watch for more pottery at the Pillows + Pottery Holiday Soiree coming up in Austin at Modern Redux,  Thursday, November 21st, 3 – 8 p.m..  Details coming soon.

What’s in that corner?

Last but not least, I felt I had to do something to replace the wine racks my husband really enjoyed for 20 years.  With the Roman shades and cornices, it was going to be too crowded and anyway they’re not convenient because we had to step onto the window seat to get the wine.

Well, there’s nothing like a great bar cart, right?  And it would make that eyesore of a corner to the left of the refrigerator far more beautiful. Anyway, when we do entertain, we mix drinks in the kitchen, so why not a handy bar cart? (Many thanks to our trusty neighbor Cameron for his speedy assembly.)

Even though David was less than enthused, here are some fun photos photographer Gregg Cestaro took of the cart. I styled it with a tall cut crystal vase I inherited from the Main family (in a photo above), our regular barware, my mother’s vintage highball glasses, a few finds at Crate and Barrel, some charcuterie, and a gorgeous green cut glass decanter and plant from sponsor Sparrow Interiors + Gifts.

Makes you want a bar cart, right? And it’s so easy to pull right over to the Breakfast Nook to top off a drink.  I think it will be lots of fun to entertain in this cozy new nook. (Dress, shoes, and jewelry available at sponsor Spring Frost Boutique.)

 

Thank you to our generous sponsors

 

 

 

                       

                       

 

Please PIN this image to share with all your friends.  Thank you!

 

 

That’s a Wrap!

 

 

You have now experienced the Week 6 BIG REVEAL of my One Room Challenge Breakfast Nook Makeover.  It has been an exhilarating and exhausting 6 weeks, but I have made so many new friends and been inspired by such a supportive design community.  Please see the AMAZING rooms by the 20 Featured Designers and the 200+ Guest Participants.  

Thank you for following me on this incredible 6-week journey! To read more in the coming weeks please subscribe to The Pillow Goddess Blog.  Till next time, after I take a long weekend off, enjoy the fall weather and you know where you can find The Pillow Goddess – lounging on all the pillows in our new Breakfast Nook! XO PG

NOTE: This post is sponsored by all the brand sponsors listed above.  After photography is by Gregg Cestaro.  All logos by respective brands; opinions my own.  There are no affiliate links in this post.