Fall 2021 One Room Challenge™ Reveal

We’re so excited that it’s finally time to reveal the completed spaces we sponsored during the Fall 2021 One Room Challenge™! We have six incredible transformations to show you–complete with some breathtaking before-and-afters, so get ready to dive right in. If you need a quick recap on the featured designers we partnered with this season and their initial mood boards for the following projects, head to our Fall 2021 Designer Introductions.

JEWELED INTERIORS

Interior designer Jewel Marlowe of Jeweled Interiors decided to take on one of her clients’ living rooms for this round of the One Room Challenge™. The family tasked Jewel with creating a design that was sophisticated, soulful, and had an eclectic mix of color, pattern, and eras. Spoiler alert: she nailed it!

To bring the walls to life, Jewel incorporated a fun patterned wallpaper accented with a gorgeous greyish blue trim color. Small pops of color like mustard and coral contrast beautifully against the cooler tones to create a dynamic palette.

One of the biggest transformations of the living room was the fireplace makeover. Jewel knew at the very start of the project that she wanted to update the original fireplace, which featured a stacked stone surround, with something more modern and chic.

While she originally considered using a slab, she decided to go with the large-format Noir Honed Travertine as it would give a similar effect at a lower cost. The result? A sleek and luxurious fireplace that creates the perfect focal point for the room.

Shop our extensive collection of large-format tiles here.

To achieve more of the slab-like appearance, Jewel used a dark grout color that blended in with the deep black travertine, making the grout lines nearly invisible. The incorporation of trim and skirting pieces allowed for an especially cohesive and elevated design by offering a more polished overall appearance. How beautiful does it look paired with the inky blue paint color used for the surrounding built-ins?!

I think it is fair to say that one of the client’s favorite parts about the living room makeover is the new fireplace surround.

-Jewel

Looking to complete a fireplace refresh? Explore our favorite fireplace design ideas for even more inspo!

Check out our 2019 One Room Challenge™ reveals to see another project we collaborated with Jewel on in which she completely transformed her kitchen!

OUR FIFTH HOUSE

Since moving into her home two years ago, Carmel Phillips of Our Fifth House knew she wanted to update the library room and adjoining unfinished porch overlooking their backyard. Having always felt like the spaces were missing a number of major design elements, she was ready to use this season of the One Room Challenge™ to make them both perfect for her and her family.

A total blank slate, Carmel aimed to give the covered porch a relaxed patio vibe that would be an ideal spot for lounging and reading.

Talk about a transformation! Using our Swan White Hex and Stream Black Hex, she brought the porch to life with a striking striped patterned floor that feels fun and fresh, yet classic.

See even more creative custom tile patterns here.

The porcelain hex tiles feature unique veining and a matte finish for a high-end marble appearance, but offer increased durability and easier maintenance.

Hands down, the hexagon floor tiles from The Tile Shop were a game-changer out here.

-Carmel

Our favorite part of Carmel’s update? The tiled coffee table she DIY’ed with our Track Stack Navy tile! It adds such a fun pop of color and the small kit-kat shapes offer lovely visual contrast against the hex flooring.

Now, onto Carmel’s second project – the library! When it came to this room, Carmel wanted to design a space that was cozy and layered, grand and timeless, and sophisticated without feeling too precious. See the gorgeous results below!

A small, yet impactful update Carmel was able to accomplish was the library’s dry bar, which had remained unfinished since she and her family had moved into the home.

Using our Antique Mirror Bevel Glass mosaic for the bar’s backsplash, she created a striking focal point. The tile’s beveled edges add an extra element of dimension, while Carmel’s incorporation of stained wood shelving achieves beautiful juxtaposition against the glamour of the mirrored design.

PINCH PLATE PARTY

Yearning to update her kitchen for nearly five years, Lauren Comer of Pinch Plate Party decided it was finally time to tackle the project for the One Room Challenge™! Her goal? To create a kitchen design that was cozy, welcoming, and sophisticated.

Lauren opted for a rich color palette of greens, blacks, and browns while creating added visual interest through layers and textures. One word: stunning!

For the kitchen backsplash, Lauren used the handmade-look Riad White tiles for the charming artisanal style they offer through uneven surface textures and a variety of rich, creamy tones. She especially liked how the uneven edges brought an element of softness to the space.

Learn all about the unique characteristics of handmade-look tile here.

In the photo below it’s easy to see how the kitchen’s natural light highlights just how authentic these ceramic tiles appear with unique grooves and waves running across the surface for one-of-a-kind texture.

For flooring, Lauren chose to replace the kitchen’s hardwood floors with the Madera Miel Luxury Vinyl SPC flooring for both the appearance and practicality it offered. Not only did she love the warmth the mid-tone brown color brought to the space, but she needed something that could withstand the everyday wear-and-tear of having both a young child and a dog.

I like that this flooring gives us the look of modern wider plank flooring with the added durability and waterproofing that comes with vinyl floor tiles.

-Lauren

Explore our Luxury Vinyl Tile to learn more about the benefits of LVT and see our variety of wood- and stone-looks.

BARI J. DESIGNS

Bari J. Ackerman of Bari J. Designs is another returning designer in this season’s One Room Challenge™. This time around, she decided to repurpose the old laundry room in her new home into a maximalist-style butler’s pantry. Keep scrolling to see how, once again, Bari has blown us away with her talent!

Be sure to check out the artistic tile-work displayed in the primary bathroom renovation she completed last spring.

A longtime fan of iconic British designer William Morris’s work, Bari incorporated two of his archived prints into the pantry’s design–through both wallpaper and tile–in order to create this breathtaking vintage-inspired space.

Exemplifying one of our favorite 2022 design trends, Bari created her own custom tile pattern using two tiles from the Morris & Co. Pure Net Collection. Displaying an ornate floral pattern and cornice-like details derived from one of William Morris’s original wallpaper designs of 1895, the Linen and Black Ink tiles complement one another beautifully to create this truly chic floor.

Learn more about our exclusive Morris & Co. Pure Net Collection here.

The pantry’s backsplash features the Hampton Carrara Polished marble. With crisp white coloring and soft grey veining, this subway tile effortlessly grounds the space’s bolder elements of pattern and color while elevating the overall design with an extra luxurious feel.

JOY STREET DESIGN

Kelly Finley of Joy Street Design started the nonprofit organization Joy Street Initiative in 2018 as a way to give back to her community by designing local shelters. For this One Room Challenge™ project, Joy Street Initiative partnered with Ruby’s Place, a nonprofit committed to ending domestic violence, human trafficking, and violent crime, to help design a new youth shelter called the House of Hope. A seven-bed facility, the House of Hope provides emergency shelter for runaway and homeless youth.

When it came to renovating the existing building, Kelly’s main goal was to create a space that felt fresh, colorful, and fun. Keep reading to see the amazing job Joy Street Initiative did in transforming this building into a safe and inviting environment.

One of the most notable (and colorful!) updates was the bathroom. Featuring our Imperial tiles in Bianco, Black, Oatmeal, Sage, and Spice, Kelly designed a custom pattern for the backsplash and shower surround that felt fun, youthful, and fresh.

Throughout the rest of the shelter, including the main living areas and bedrooms, Kelly replaced all of the building’s flooring with our Madera Miel Luxury Vinyl SPC Tile to achieve the clean and classic appearance of wood with easier maintenance and increased durability.

Learn more about all of the amazing work Joy Street Initiative does here!

BLUE ORCHID LIVING

Mehr Niazi of Blue Orchid Living decided to renovate her unfinished laundry room during this round of the One Room Challenge™, yearning to transform it into a space that she actually enjoyed being in. The best way to do that? Glam it up a bit!

Since she would be the primary person seeing and using the space everyday, Mehr gave herself some creative leeway when it came to the design – and we are so glad she did!

Explore some of our favorite laundry room designs here.

A big believer that the smallest of details can make or break a design, Mehr thoughtfully created a custom tile pattern using penny round tiles for the laundry room’s floor. The combination of taupe, sky blue, and white penny rounds gives the space a classic, yet one-of-a-kind feel. Plus, the color palette ties in perfectly with the winsome floral wallpaper!

If you’re loving the custom pattern trend as much as we do, be sure to check out our guide to creating custom tile patterns for a personalized space!

And with that, the Fall 2021 One Room Challenge™ reveals have come to an end! As always, it was an incredible experience being a part of the ORC this season and collaborating with these six spectacular designers. We hope you gathered some fresh inspiration and are excited to start a project of your own! Be sure to schedule a free design consultation with one of our tile experts to get any questions answered.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hi, I'm Erica! I'm the Marketing Copywriter here at The Tile Shop. Born and raised in Minnesota, I graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in 2019. My favorite part of the job is getting to see the unique ways in which people express themselves through their home design/style. Personally, I'm all about the Scandinavian-minimalist aesthetic - natural wood, clean lines, and a soft color palette, please! When I'm not writing, I spend most of my time playing with my sweet pup, Winnie, and listening to true crime podcasts.

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