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Week 5 of the ORC is in the books! This week we tackled a previously ignored and awkward corner of the room: the “built-in desk.” When it comes to nurseries… this ain’t my first rodeo. I know that having a cozy spot to curl up with your baby to read as they get older is SO IMPORTANT. So I had a plan – this awkward cut-out with a sloped ceiling would become a cozy little reading nook. But I didn’t stop there. After transforming this space using minimal waste and budget, I styled it with cozy cushions and the most perfect accent pillow from The Lifestyled Home. Read on for more on how we pulled it off, how to achieve the ombre on your own and of course for more details on that perfect mudcloth pillow!
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We knew we wanted to keep the costs down in building this little nook, so re-purposing the piece of wood that was currently being used as a desk was a must. My husband used a rubber mallet to slowly and gently beat the desk out of place so the wood wasn’t damaged. After the desk was removed, we applied putty and spray texture to the wall to repair it and make it look as though the desk was never there. Salvaging this piece was huge for our budget AND our timeline – we wont have to buy, measure, cut and plan out how to make a new bench which is HUGE for a project with such a tight timeline like this.
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I want to preface this by saying I’ve never attempted ombre before, nor did I know what the heck I was doing. I just knew I wanted to make this nook FUN! But I didn’t want to compete with the zebras on the opposing wall. I got the idea to do a subtle ombre that slowly faded into the ceiling color. I thought this would be the best way to work with the awkward slope instead of fighting it. So I had my base colors – the same glossy black I used for trim, Onyx by Benjamin Moore – and my wall color, Origami White by Sherwin Williams. I bought an $8 sample of a deep blue – Denim by Sherwin Williams – that is seriously the EXACT shade of the zebra wallpaper! I started by painting large blocks of color in the nook – first black, then blue, then grey (which I mixed using my black and white paint) – and finally, Origami White. I created blends of each of the main colors by applying more black, more blue, more white, etc and blended each color block together while they were wet with paintbrushes. There was no science to this – I was just mixing colors and adding colors and smearing things together to give the nook an abstract look. I have to say I love love LOVE how it turned out!
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I was feeling really good about the ombre. About the budget! About the fact that this project was right on track. My husband works in the RV industry and had the brilliant idea to reinforce the bench the same way dinette / beds are reinforced in travel trailers – with slats! We had some leftover pieces of poplar wood in the garage from our baby gate project. We screwed wood into the inside of the nook to make a frame and then screwed the slats into that. The old desktop was already cut to size, so it slid right in! This baby isn’t going anywhere. We put up $16 of trim from home depot along the sheet rock that awkwardly jutted out into the room and painted both it and the bench black – it is AMAZING what a little finish work can do! This nook suddenly looks purposeful, and complete – like it was always supposed to be there. The best part? At this point, the entire project was still only at $24. More budget for styling! Score.
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Well it wouldn’t be a reading nook without books! You might have noticed from my past few projects, I sort of have a thing for acrylic shelves right now. I love how they don’t distract the eye and let the elements of the design shine. These ones from Amazon come in a variety of sizes, are very durable, easy to install and very affordable! I scored some great outdoor fabric for 50% off (spit-up stains need to be easily wiped away!) to upholster a piece of 4″ foam. I promise I’ll share more details on the upholstery project when it is 100% complete (I might be faking a little bit for this shot!). I added a few pillows to the space to make it extra cozy – my absolute FAVORITE being the vegan leather and mudcloth lumbar from The Lifestyled Home. This is one of my favorite Etsy shops for unique and quality textiles! Ashley does such a great job of sourcing fabrics from around the globe and creating one of a kind pillows, dog beds etc with amazing quality. This little pillow provides the perfect neutral punch to this space – I love it! Take advantage of 15% off The Lifestyled Home with code INSTAFRIENDS to get a pillow of your own!
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Most of the heavy-lifting is done – but with one week left, I still have to: Move out of the room (lol), move the nursery stuff IN, finish upholstering the bench, hang curtains, install light fixtures, hang a mirror, style everything, paint closet doors and bedroom door… and get some nice looking photographs taken! It’s going to be a looooong week. Wish me luck! To revisit the master nursery plan, check out my ORC Week One Post Here.
This post was made possible by The Lifestyled Home, but all reviews and opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal view. More amazing textiles can be found here.
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