ONE ROOM CHALLENGE – WEEK 4| LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR A STUNNING BEDROOM MAKEOVER

Written By Saudah Saleem

Welcome back friends! We’re officially at the half way point of the One Room Challenge. It’s Week 4 of the highly anticipated interior design event that challenges participants to completely transform a space in 8 weeks.  It’s With 20 Featured Designers, hundreds of Guest Participants and Better Homes and Gardens as the media sponsor,  you’re definitely in for a real treat!

If you missed the updates from Week 1 , Week 2, or Week 3 , be sure to go back and read all about my plan to transform 3 (yes, 3 spaces!)  in my home as a Featured Designer in the One Room Challenge.   You can also check out more details about the exciting design event here.

Project Update: How’s it coming along?

Last week I shared the design plan and goals for my son Saleh’s bedroom.  This week I’ll give you a peak into what’s planned for the transformation of my own bedroom.  Excited? Keep reading.

You may be surprised to see that the primary bedroom will be a slight departure from my typical use of bold color and pattern.  As an Interior Designer and busy mom of 5, I’m beyond thrilled to be transforming my primary bedroom into a luxe inspired haven.  The room needs to be a relaxing sanctuary and retreat from the hustle and bustle of everyday.

The space should evoke feelings of serenity and calm.  To create this vibe, instead of relying on bold color, I’ll be using lots of texture, soft muted tones, and mix of contemporary and traditional elements. Here’s a checklist of design goals I’m looking to achieve in the space.



As I mentioned last week, after listing the design goals for the space, I typically create what’s called a mood board.   This really helps build and tell the design story for the room.  Mood boards are one of the best visual communication tool in a designers tool bag, The arrangement of images and materials help to convey the overall vibe of the space you want to create. Here’s a look at the mood board I created for my luxe inspired bedroom.







Started at the Bottom

The transformation of the room began with the floors.  Some builders and house-flippers sacrifice quality work for fast return on investment by cutting corners in work and product quality.  This was the case with the more than 100 year old property I now call home. From the moment we moved in, I’ve hated the builder-grade carpet the seller of our home had installed.  Little did I know what the carpet was hiding.

Here’s a look at where we started with the bedroom.  I know, I know. It was a pretty sad space.





Thankfully, it wont look like this much longer. I’m beyond thrilled to partner with Twenty & Oak on the perfect flooring solution for the primary bedroom.  Twenty and Oak offers a wide range of beautiful flooring options for virtually every style and budget.  Twenty & Oak is your go-to place for stylish, high-quality flooring.  The online platform features gorgeous and durable flooring options from the best flooring manufacturers.






As I perused Twenty & Oak’s endless flooring options online I found myself truly inspired.  My mind was swirling with design ideas for the space. Once I narrowed down my selections, I requested actual flooring samples I could view in the space.

Design Tip: Always bring a sample home when you are shopping for new flooring. What may look one way online, can look different in the retail showroom. What it looks like in the retail showroom under their lights, may look different in your home’s lighting. View your sample in all the rooms where it will be installed in both the day and the night.

After reviewing the samples at home, I decided to go with the Strasbourg finish of the engineered Monet Flooring by Palmetto Road collection.








I fell in love with this flooring for  2 important reasons – it fulfills both my style and functional flooring needs.  Created by artisans, the Palmetto Road collection features hand crafted wood floor planks that are each unique from the other to ensure that space has an authentic look. In a home that is 100 years old and with a  busy family like mine, long-lasting performance investments are a must. The Monet flooring by Palmetto Road comes with an impressive 50 year residential warranty! (yes, you read correctly .. 50 years!) and is great for both high traffic areas and spaces that kids and pets frequent.  I also chose the Strasbourg finish because the grain patterns and distinctive color of the sliced face French oak looks high-end and will pair really well with the timeless elegant style the room will have. It’s absolutely gorgeous!

The transformation of the space is underway!

Like most renovations of older homes, this project came with an unexpected surprise.  Remember earlier when I shared how seller’s and house flippers often cut corners.  Well, after removing the rug in the bedroom we found out just how many corners were cut.  The floors weren’t level at all and no proper subflooring had been installed before the carpet was laid. Here’s a peak at the headache we found after removing the carpet.










The floor had to be leveled and an entirely new sub-floor was installed. Unexpected but needed. Now we can move on to installing these gorgeous engineered floors from Twenty & Oak! Here’s a tiny sneak peek.

Now We’re Here..










I’m beyond pleased with my new floors. The foundation of the design has been laid. The flooring from Twenty & Oak really sets the stage for what’s to come in this space.  It’s such a transformation! You’ll have to wait for the full reveal to see it in all its glory.

How easy it is to update your own floors?

Updating your flooring adds value to your space and is one of the best investments you can make in your home.  And its super easy to get started. You can begin the process by simply visiting the website, selecting the flooring you like and then ordering samples to have sent to your home. Looking at the samples at home will help you get the best idea of what the flooring will actually look like in your space.

Right now you can get 6 flooring sample for FREE by using this special code: ORC

Twenty & Oak has all the bases covered and has thought of everything you’d need to make updating your floors a truly effortless process.  Twenty & Oak has retailers all over the Southeast who are pros and can actually install your floors for you!  You can find the nearest retailer here.

There’s even a virtual showroom where you can shop for flooring from the safety and comforts of home. You can visit the virtual showroom here.  The Twenty & Oak Concierge Team can even schedule a video conference call with consumers to show them products from the showroom.  They’ve literally thought of everything to make the shopping experience seamless!

Selecting the floor that’s right for YOUR space

I know what you’re thinking.. With so many options available, how do you figure out the best floor for your space?  Start here! Take the Floor Genius Quiz to help figure out your personal style and  select the flooring that fits best with their home and lifestyle!

There are so many design elements to share!  Next week, I’ll be sharing more behind the scenes progress on the spaces. Everyone loves a good before and after. Make sure you come back to see how the project is progressing.  I promise it will be a transformation like no other.

Want to see what my fellow Featured Designers are up planning for their spaces?  Check them out the links below!

Saudah Saleem
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ONE ROOM CHALLENGE – WEEK 5 | ADDING LUXURY AND ELEGANCE IN THE BEDROOM
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ONE ROOM CHALLENGE – WEEK 3 | THE MAKINGS OF A TEEN BOY’S ROOM