Thrifting Saved my One Room Challenge

It’s week 6 of the One Room Challenge. We are quickly coming up on the final week (week 8)! Can I finish in time?! I sure hope so!

If you haven’t heard yet, I’m a guest participant in the Better Homes & Gardens One Room Challenge. That means I’m working on transforming my living room in 8 weeks.

If you had asked me a few days ago if I would finish in time, I would have been seriously doubtful. However, I finally found the exact item I was searching for on Facebook Marketplace! Why was it so hard to find and what was I looking for? Well, I’ll tell you.

Don’t be alarmed. This is my “Before” picture of the giant TV wall in my living room. I have been tirelessly searching for the perfect piece of furniture to go against this wall (the current furniture piece is too small given the size of the TV).

Here were the requirements:

• >55 inches wide (to be wider than the TV)
• >=30 inches tall (so it looks more like a sideboard than a TV stand)
• <=20 inches wide (so it doesn’t stick out too far)
• Has ample and enclosed storage for toys (so you can’t see them)
• Is made of sturdy materials (because I don’t want a junky, half falling apart piece of furniture)

I thought about making one but I really wanted to do this as inexpensively as possible. And then…….this beautiful piece of furniture popped up on Facebook Marketplace for a whopping $40!

My plans for this beauty:

1. Fill in the scratches with wood putty
2. Paint it white with Rust-Oluem Chalked Paint
3. Replace the glass with cane
4. Fill it with all my kids’ toys!

Stay tuned this coming week to see this beauty transform.

Pony Wall Shelving Section #2

It’s up! I have one more section of pony wall shelving to do and then I’ll be finished with this focal point in my living room.

End Table Refinish

Remember how I found this end table for $6.99 at Goodwill? I refinished it this past week!

Here are the steps I took to refinish it:

1. Sanded down the top until I got to the bare wood
2. Wiped down and then painted the legs and base with Rust-Oluem Chalked Paint
3. Applied Minwax Paste Finishing Wax – Natural to the top to keep the natural look of the wood

Here’s the finished end table!

What’s Happening Next?

Other than the furniture refinish that I mentioned earlier, I am also hoping that my couch comes soon. I ordered it more than a month ago but it’s been delayed. Fingers crossed that it gets here in time!

I need to finish up some painting in the adjacent rooms (such as behind the pony wall shelving) and I’m hoping to get a few lamps to help start filling in the space. Oh, don’t let me forget the third section of my pony wall shelving!

Week 6 – let’s do this.

Don’t forget to check out what the other ORC participants are up to! I’m constantly amazed at all the work and beautiful designs I see coming out of this challenge.