Spring 2018 One Room Challenge - Week 6: Stairway Library & Gallery Reveal!

/

It's Week 6 - the final week of the Calling it Home's One Room Challenge sponsored by House Beautiful! Today is reveal day for my third One Room Challenge after starting my blog just last year and participating in the 2017 Spring and Fall Challenges.

In just six weeks with the help of my brother/contractor Paul of Brancon, we took the darkest area in the house with the greatest amount of wasted space and completely transformed it into a light, bright and functional 12 foot library and art gallery! 

Spring 2018 One Room Challenge: Stairway Library | Carley Brandon Designs
Spring 2018 One Room Challenge: Stairway Library | Carley Brandon Designs

We started with a sketch on paper, a couple of mood boards and big dreams for how this space could look. We painted all the walls a creamy white (Benjamin Moore's "Cloud White") and replaced the carpet on all of the landings with dark oak hardwood flooring to match the wood throughout the rest of our home. For all the details and progress leading up to this point, take a look at Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4 and Week 5. 

Spring 2018 One Room Challenge: Stairway Library | Carley Brandon Designs
Spring 2018 One Room Challenge: Stairway Library | Carley Brandon Designs

To keep this project on time and on budget, all building materials were in-stock or quick order from Home Depot (hardwood flooring, upper kitchen cabinets, moulding) and IKEA (Billy bookcases and kitchen countertop). Paul measured, cut and fitted everything precisely for a one-of-a-kind custom look. 

Spring 2018 One Room Challenge: Stairway Library | Carley Brandon Designs
Spring 2018 One Room Challenge: Stairway Library | Carley Brandon Designs

Paul's work provided a great backdrop for some really great redesigned finds found mainly on Kijiji, at garage sales and antique stores and shows including this persian rug, vintage hardware, several series of books, Staffordshire dogs by Royal Doulton, Canadian Beauceware pottery, an antique bench reupholstered in Kelly Wearstler's "Channels" fabric, paintings and last but certainly not least, the pièce de résistance - the Putnam library ladder and rails found on Kijiji for only $90. We disassembled, sanded, stained and sprayed the library ladder one weekend and are absolutely thrilled with the results!

Spring 2018 One Room Challenge: Stairway Library | Carley Brandon Designs
Spring 2018 One Room Challenge: Stairway Library | Carley Brandon Designs
Spring 2018 One Room Challenge: Stairway Library | Carley Brandon Designs
Spring 2018 One Room Challenge: Stairway Library | Carley Brandon Designs
Spring 2018 One Room Challenge: Stairway Library | Carley Brandon Designs

Paintings by Lynne Millar, my daughter Lily, prints from Jenny's Print Shop and a large embellished piece by the incredibly talented Anna Kincaide framed by The Shadowbox gave polish to the space through art.

Spring 2018 One Room Challenge: Stairway Library | Carley Brandon Designs
Spring 2018 One Room Challenge: Stairway Library & Gallery | Carley Brandon Designs
Spring 2018 One Room Challenge: Stairway Library | Carley Brandon Designs
Spring 2018 One Room Challenge: Stairway Library & Gallery | Carley Brandon Designs

With no natural light in the stairwell we opted for a brass West Elm fixture with six bulbs that we brought up from our basement and had rewired and hung by Ansel Electric. It was a very tough space to shoot but thanks to help from Lorna Sheppard photography we got some good pictures for the blog.

Spring 2018 One Room Challenge: Stairway Library | Carley Brandon Designs
Spring 2018 One Room Challenge: Stairway Library | Carley Brandon Designs

This space was so fun to design and to watch my brother take my sketches and ideas from design to reality was a really amazing process. He is a rare talent and I really appreciated his ideas and collaboration. I couldn't have done it without him.

My children Matthew and Lily love their new library and find any excuse to use the ladder - even though their books are on the lower shelves ...

Thank you Linda from Calling it Home for organizing such a positive event for professional designers and beginners like me to share our work and support and encourage each other throughout. I have learned so much from your posts and from all of the participants this round.

Please take a look at the amazing spaces designed by featured designers and guest participants over the past six weeks - I know I will!

-Carley

ORC logo.png

Source Guide:

Bookcases/Ribba frames/countertop, IKEA; upper cabinets (library base)/hardwood floors, Home Depot; persian rug/several book series/Staffordshire dogs/Putnam library ladder/antique stool, Kijiji; family photography by Rowell Photography and Lorna Sheppard photography; Art: daffodils and pink roses with black background paintings, Lynne Millar; large embellished print of woman with pink and purple hair, Anna Kinkaide; "Tulips" black and white print by Lynne Millar and "London" print, Jenny's Print Shop; Beauceware pottery/cabinet hardware/creamware vase, vintage; small creamer vase by Eva Zeisel for Crate & Barrel; set of green antique books, Antiques on 11 North; framing, The Shadowbox; Little People Big Dreams book series, Amazon; Penguin Classics clothbound books and Canterbury Classics leatherbound series, Manticore Books; ceiling light, West Elm; electrical, Ansel Electric; flowers, Mid-Valley Gardens; library carpentry/hardwood floor installation, Paul Brandon of Brancon.