If you've landed here from the One Room Challenge, Welcome! We've just purchased an 80's contemporary home in Upstate NY that just needs a little TLC to bring her back to her former glory.
If you followed along in my IG stories last week I presented probably the biggest nail biter as far as decisions go in this space - art work for the walls. We are waffling between two different aesthetics: Classic 80's Graphics vs. Modern Metal Minimalism. Classic black frames vs. metalwork. 3 large scale vs. 4 medium sized. To add to that list of innocuous decisions that are becoming debilitating: To use what we've got or to buy an unnecessary popcorn maker. To hang a small chandelier or hack our new recessed lighting. I'm sure there will be more. It's hard trying to make something pinterest-worthy and also practical.
Let's start with the art. I'll state that all of these movies have some sort of meaning to us, some more sentimental than others, and clearly the artwork itself and overall cohesiveness to either aesthetic played a major factor in narrowing it down. I now present to you for careful consideration:
Classic 80's Graphics:
Bill and Ted's Goonies Big Trouble
Pros: The graphics are great. We will put them in simple black frames which are safe (literally and figuratively) and familiar to a theater setting. Our house was built in the 80's so you can even argue that it is staying true to the time period of the home. We will probably never tire of seeing these on the wall. Huge nostalgia factor here.
Cons: Is it a boring choice?
Modern Metal Minimalism:
Bill and Ted's My Neighbor, Totoro Ace Ventura Whiplash
Pros: I dig the minimalism in general, and the one liners on the bottom. I like that we can comfortably fit more on the wall because it was HARD narrowing these down (hi, we love movies). I like that it's a little unexpected and the Ace Ventura one is a particularly clever design. Ironically it feels more exciting to me even though these are minimalist in design.
Cons: Is it too try-hard-y and pretentious? If those metal things come off the wall (they go up with a magnet) is a kid going to lose a finger? These are a bit more expensive too...
And clearly this was a tough decision for anyone voting on IG: There were even a few friends who sent me DMs to switch their vote after thinking about it longer! And guess what, here I am, a week later and no closer to a decision. HELP ME PLEASE.
Aside from the futile used leather couch search, we've been CRUSHING the secondhand scene since we moved here in August. I am especially proud of Tom - he has been finding some real gems for us. Like this ridiculous candy display for $40. Apparently it was used at school fundraiser functions - and now. it's. all. ours. I picked up a few clear bins to hold the snacks et voila.
I went down a rabbit hole of popcorn bowls on the internet. It's hard to find well reviewed reusable bowls (I am really trying to avoid disposable things in general in life), and I wanted something a little more fun. We purchased these and one set of three arrived damaged (as mentioned in several reviews). They are also waaaay bigger than I anticipated. Great for the kids, annoying for me. They are fine for now, but I don't anticipate these lasting too long and will definitely keep my eyes out for something more substantial.
I've had this random extra microwave since...2003? We were happy to use it but now that everything else is coming together we are like - should we get a fun looking popcorn machine? This is a "budget" makeover anyway, and I feel real guilt at the idea of not using what we already have. Can someone appeal to my environmental side and show me where I can buy kernels and butter in bulk so I can rationalize no longer buying individual bags of popcorn to save on paper and plastic waste? Or can someone convince me this thing will be too much of a pain to clean and take care of?
This chandelier. It was in the original dining room of our NJ house before we gut renovated. We turned it into plug-in swag and hung it up in our NJ office. We brought it with us here, and I really like the idea of it hanging over the tables. But placement is hard because it can potentially get in the way of the symmetry of the artwork and Tom has told me we are at our max for electrical outlets. Tom is also a huge fan of smart devices and wants to put a smart bulb into one of the recessed lights and set it to a dim light that we can just access on the remote, but it seems like a missed opportunity to me. See what this one room challenge is doing to me???
I'm still completely lost on what to do with refinishing/covering the halved tables, and we've got a few more ideas to make this area cozy. See you next week!
Go check out the Featured Participants and Guest Participants! And please chime in below if you've got any opinions on anything above - we need help.
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