KATE PEARCE VINTAGE FALL 2020 ONE ROOM CHALLENGE: THE REVEAL

This is the first One Room Challenge that I haven’t revealed on the first day of reveals, but I must say using the extra time felt good. We’ve been finishing up some DIYs for the space and shipping times were majorly delayed because of COVID-19. Unfortunately, we are still waiting for a few pieces but that is no fault of the company and merely a result of my waiting much too long to make a decision on the sofa for this space. Truly, Joybird came to the rescue with their Lewis sofa and I’ll tell you right now exactly how they saved the day.

You may know that I rarely work with clients because I like to have (nearly) complete creative discretion with my designs. You might call me a creative monster, really, and it wouldn’t be far from the truth. But, this One Room Challenge was different because I did have a client. And that client was my mother. You can imagine that might be the worst type of client to have when you keep in mind that I am a monster. Yet, my mother really was quite easy-going and I did my damn best to defer to her with major decisions. Or, you might more honestly say I would give her a few choices and she would choose. But we were not seeing eye-to-eye on this sofa thing.

In walks Joybird with their Lewis sofa in Royale Blush and my mother and I were miraculously swooning over the same piece of furniture. I wasn’t even sure that was possible, but Joybird has a way of taking classic silhouette and making it modern. Regardless, please do stay tuned for the REAL reveal of this space, which will include the Lewis Sofa, Joybird Eliza Nesting Tables….and we are in the process of working out some built-in bookcases to flank the Anewall Shaded Landscape Mural.

The DIY we finally completed for the reveal was a mid-century record player that was the sole piece of furniture in this home when my parents purchased it in 1987. It’s been sitting in the basement for a solid 25 years, and my mom had the idea to bring it back up to the space. It was a fun addition, with some great potential but needed a revamp. Something that you might not know about me is I rarely paint furniture. I like to let natural woods shine and this record player had beautiful wood (not veneer), which is always a relief to find in pieces from the mid-century.

I decided to update the entire facade using wooden dowels of different sizes, and to update the speakers with burlap. I love how it came out (and have to give my husband, Billy, a shoutout for lending me a hand with this piece). The Fringe Lamp from IAMFY looks so perfectly shaggy chic with this mid-century piece.

The next update that was not complete for the Week 5 blog was the replacement of their dated 1980s railing with a stunning cable and tube system from L.J. Smith Stair Co. We used the exact same railing system in our Spring 2020 One Room Challenge and my mom fell in love with it for her own home. I love how it visually lightens her open floor plan and the sleek style works so well with her mid-century ranch home.

The Anewall Shaded Landscape Mural looks beautiful with the open floor plan, too. We love how you can appreciate it just as much from the dining room view as you can while sitting in the living room.

The rugs have been in the space since Week 2, but I absolutely need to give a shoutout to Revival Rugs for gifting this gorgeous piece from their Moroccan collection. I brings all the color this space needs and has such stunning pattern and texture. I love how it looks layered over the natural fiber rug. I highly recommend Revival Rugs. They are even offering furniture and throw blankets now! Use code KATEPEARCEVINTAGE10 to get 10% off any piece at Revival.

The coffee table is from one of my new favorite companies that I was so excited to team up with for this season’s ORC. The table is going to go so perfectly with the Lewis sectional and my kids are OBSESSED with Nanny’s new table. It has four squares on the top that flip, so you can use any section as either a table or seating. The perfect coffee table for entertaining – something my mom does a ton of and hopes to get back to doing post-pandemic. The best part about TXTUR is how sustainably-minded they are as a company. They have a program where you can return your old furniture to them and they use it to create new pieces.

My parents did not have any electricity in the ceiling to host a flush-mount or a chandelier for the space, so it was important to me to have a couple of statement lighting pieces for the room. Original BTC was kind enough to gift this Oxford Double Floor Light and I love how absolutely showstopping, yet restrained this piece is. It has a gorgeous quilted pattern on the ceramic shade and the brass really pops against the Anewall Shaded Landscape mural. The perfect piece to marry my mother’s traditional preferences with my more eclectic taste.

The rest of the room was filled out with estate sale and thrift store finds. My love of vintage comes from my mother and we have been frequenting Long Island and NYC estate sales since I was a wee girl. The fun part about the pieces in this space is that I can remember when and where we scored each piece, and I made a point of including pieces that we found together. The only recent find was the marble-topped side table that we spray painted black. I found that on Facebook Marketplace in October for $20! The owner said it was her mothers and is from the 1940s.

The large oversized mirror I also found on Facebook Marketplace, but back in January. I was originally planning on doing this space for my mother in the Spring, but it was pushed back when I was asked to be a Featured Designer for the Spring 2020 One Room Challenge. It works so perfectly in this space and I love how it reflects light to brighten up her otherwise dark hallway.

I think the most fun thing about this One Room Challenge was sifting through all the treasures my mom and I have found at estate sales over the years and revisiting pieces from my childhood and giving them new life. I found this Abe Lincoln and George Washington covered in dust in their basement and remembered that my Dad had made them in 1977. My Dad suffers from a special brand of Presidential History obsession (he could recite all the Presidents and the years of their terms by the age of 7), and I wanted to honor not only his creativity, but also his love of history by giving these pieces a place of honor in the room.

These Moroccan-style lanterns are a relic from my and Billy’s wedding in 2011. My parents hosted a welcome party for our wedding at their lake house in New Hampshire, and my mom and I had found these lanterns to spice up the outdoor tent. I brought them into the space to add some mood lighting and I love how they look next to the glow of the fireplace.

This inlaid wooden piece of molding is another piece my mom and I found at an estate sale last year. She thought I was crazy, but we decided to buy it. I love how the intricacy of the wood meets the simplicity of the asymmetrical mantle to make a beautiful meeting of opposite, yet symbiotic, styles.

I’d say that’s it folks….but it’s not! Please do stay tuned for the arrival of the Joybird furniture and the construction of the bookcases! I am so excited to see our vision for this space complete. I will share on Instagram, as always, and the Joybird pieces will be here any day now. The bookcases may be a very early 2021 project.

Thank you so so much to all of our sponsors, to Linda Weinstein and Better Homes & Gardens for hosting this season’s One Room Challenge. And, of course, a big thank you to all of you for tuning in along the way and to this reveal! As always, be sure to head over to the One Room Challenge blog to check out all of the other reveals from both the Guest and Featured Designers. I’m fairly certain I am dead last in getting my reveal submitted, so you very well may have done so already. But, if you haven’t, get on over there! This season was loaded with crazy good inspiration.

See yah soon!