Amidst the lows of 2020, the One Room Challenge was Kyla’s highlight. “It was a welcome distraction,” she recalls in an Instagram post. Kyla Herbes is the woman behind the House of Hipsters interior design blog, which has received praise from noteworthy companies including Apartment Therapy, The Huffington Post, Refinery29, Rue Magazine, Reclaim Magazine, and Style Me Pretty Living.
Kyra was selected to be a feature designer for the One Room Challenge, an event meant to display the process of completely remodeling a single room in just under 7 weeks. Kyra chose to remodel her home office, a space that had been changed and rearranged constantly over the past four years but nothing ever truly stuck. Seeing as she spends most of her day in this space, her goal was to make it feel comfortable, relaxing, and organized. The room already had a lot to work with; french doors, a vaulted ceiling, and large windows that light up the space in the afternoon. But the room was still going to need a lot of work. Kyla faced the challenge like she always does, head-on and with lots of enthusiasm.
To start, she planned everything out with a to-size blueprint, mapping the layout of the office and a connected storage room that was to be turned into a home gym. Then, she let her creativity flow through moodboards. She picked out staple pieces for the room elements that she would then build around, such as the Multi-Focal Wall Light from Blueprint Lighting. Once her careful planning was complete, it was time to start tearing the room apart.
The project kicked off by ripping up the old carpet. Kyla chose matte faux marble porcelain tile from The Tile Shop. While her contractors were there working on the floor, Kyla decided last-minute to ask them to tear down part of the door frame to add an arch to the entrance of the home gym. Lesson learned: if you have the chance to add a graceful arch doorway in your home, do it!
The accent wall made of matte black tiles with metallic dots was installed next, without any grout spacers giving the office walls a tight, clean slate look.
To contrast the bold black of the wall tiles, a neutral wallpaper from Pacific Design International was selected. Wallpaper can be a tricky thing to work with in a large space, so Kyla decided to have it professionally installed, especially since she wanted it to cover the vaulted ceiling too. Next, she painted the french doors black, and with that, she was ready to decorate.
Lighting
It’s hard to say what we love more, the multi-focal wall sconces from Blueprint Lighting that double as a sculptural element in the space, or the zen Hudson Valley Lighting Lotus chandelier. Funky, statement lighting is a great choice if you’re looking to step outside of your comfort zone, without having to commit to buying something as out there as, say, mustard-
colored chairs. Lights can also act as a neutral accent, like the Flare Floor Lamp from Hudson Valley Lighting.
Furniture
Oh, about those mustard-colored chairs. They can also make a great statement if you’re willing to be a little bold. Paired with the dust-rose poufs from Overstock, it gives the space a chic vintage vibe.
In fact, Kyla sourced a lot of the office and gym furniture from Overstock, including the sofa, side table, and pillows. The XL glass desk gives Kyla tons of space to spread out her work while still tying back into the gold theme of the hardware.
Smart storage alert! The APT 2B coffee table that she placed in the gym can be opened up to store yoga blocks, resistance bands, and other cluttery-looking equipment.
Finishing Touches
And now for the cherry on top. Kyla tied the gold of the furniture and the marble of the floor tiles together it these marble door hardware from Emtek. Nothing spruces up a space like plants, and here Kyla chose a mid-century planter where she placed a faux olive tree (which looks just like the real thing only without all the upkeep). Finally, to decorate the walls, she purchased pink sliced canvas artwork from surrealist designer Tony Curry.
The coolest part about the One Room Challenge is how one room holds millions of possibilities. Sometimes, remodeling can feel overwhelming and time-consuming, but focusing on one space, and challenging yourself to complete it in a tight but reasonable timeframe can not only hold you accountable but force you to be decisive in the remodeling processes.
Check out the other feature designers from the One Room Challenge and read all the details about Kyla’s office remodel on the House of Hipsters blog.