ORC Finale: It's Unbelievable.

I can't even....

I don't know what....

It's....

Where to start?

Before.

Here is where we were six tiny weeks ago:

And, Wednesday at three o'clock, we had this.

It's been five weeks in the making. The first three went very slowly and then things ramped up until these last two when with the incredible help from my husband and my Mom, we got most of the work done, some of it literally last minute. Here are the links if you care to go back and read all about it.

Week 1: The Befores, the Vision and the Punch List
Weeks 2 &; 3: Catching Up
Week 4: Barely Hanging On
Week 5: Tickety Boo

I kept a diary each day this last week, here on the blog.
Days 5.1 and 5.2: The Drapery Saga
Day 5.3: More Paint
Day 5.4: What I Did with my Free Hour
Day 5.5: Stylin' Shopping
Day 5.6: Photo Day Eve
Day 5.7: Photo Day

I will also be doing some follow up posts and I will link those too.

I am so grateful to Linda of Calling It Home for hosting this challenge--and especially to the professional participants as well. I read each of their posts every single week and they were so inspiring. Here's a link to their finales.

This project started out as an opportunity for me to finish up a few projects and then decorate. As the weeks progressed, I re-discovered all sorts of things I'd been planning to do or had thought about doing in this room for a long, long time. Finally, they're done.

First, the couch. When we started this, I had thought I wanted a navy slipcover.

Instead, we went with what I had on hand: an old off white one I'd ripped apart to custom fit my couch many years ago and abandoned.

Hooray for Mom finishing the job!

She also sewed up this cute zebra pillow cover for me on photo day eve.

I'd thought I'd recover our ottoman: but I couldn't find any fabric I liked. As well, I started lusting for something light and airy. The ottoman started to feel like a big black, light sucking hole. I saw lots of Vittsjo hacks--and the second my local Ikea got some in stock, I ran down and picked one up that very day. My husband created the wood tops. I stained them.

It comes in two parts. We finished the square bit and put it to use as an end table.

Mom also sewed up a new cover from some fabric I'd purchased some time ago for the Poang chair.

Isn't that great?

We didn't do anything to the old platform rocker on the other side of the faux fireplace: but I did buy a great big Nate Berkus pouf from Target. What a find.

The TV corner started out as one of those "finishing up" projects. I just needed to stain the top shelf.

So much better now.

Not  bad match, if I do say so myself.

That duck is named Ping. He's a member of the family.

The window wall also changed.

 Before: drop cloths on clips.

After:

I took this photo late at night as I'd forgotten during my photo session.

I'll be the first to admit a wall of drapery is rather underwhelming. And it certainly doesn't mirror the effort involved by even a tenth. We completed the moulding and I sewed up a pair of Euro pleated drapes from four old tab top Ritva curtains. Both projects were long outstanding ones--and I am very happy to be done.

Even though the change to the couch was dramatic, I think the faux fireplace wall could take the win for "most improved."

Before:

Now:

 A little different.

It was all very last minute, painting the backs of the bookcases, making the new thicker shelf for the top and painting it. I had a blast styling the shelves with all the pretty things.

left

right

I finished painting inside the fire area black mere hours before I took the photos.

It's a piece of garden statuary and I paid full price and I don't care. Mr. Monk is the perfect tchotchke for us.

And so there we have it.

Why yes, that is a cover on our slipcover. And no, I didn't pay for that model, though I totally would have, she's so coordinated!

Now, please go check on what all the other linking participants have done. I am looking forward to it, myself.

Linking to: Between Naps on the Porch.