Delays and Frustrations For The Keeping Room Project

Going into Week Five, progress has been made. I can’t believe what has been achieved within seven days. The lower cabinets and wine tower have been installed for the new keeping room. Since then, we waited as the upper bookcases that came in the wrong finish were being painted in Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace. Well, I have some news for you. The white bookcases have been completed and delivered. The stair runner DIY installation has also been completed. It was not as difficult as I expected. The difficult part of installing the runner was when I had to join runners together and match the pattern, that’s when it became a little bit tricky. But all in all, I am very satisfied with the outcome.

Also, today the beginning of Week five, the fabricator has come to template for the imperial Danby marble counter that will sit on the lower cabinetry in the keeping room. We cannot have the upper bookcases installed as they will be sitting on the imperial Danby marble countertop. However, because we couldn’t wait and are so excited, we put the bookcases on the lower cabinetry to get an idea of how it would look. Loved them, and I cannot wait for it all to be installed.

Progress Made on the Fireplace

More progress happened at the beginning of Week five; the contractors installed the framing for the fireplace box. This was also very exciting and another step towards completion and more waiting. The gas fireplace has been scheduled to be hooked up. Once that has been done, the tile installer needs to come in and install the mini pebble stone that will surround the fireplace. The electrician also needs to come back to install the Currey and Company Tavey Sconces on the bookcases' fascia. The final step will be installing the Phillip Jeffries wallpaper in the back of the bookcases and the wall over the fireplace.

The Contractors are Coming! The Contractors are Coming!

As most of our items are here and waiting to be installed (except for the chairs and coffee table), the pillows from Surya have arrived, and love the colors. They are the perfect pop needed for the space. I also was contacted this week by Good Manors Living and am excited to say that I will provide their gray buffalo plaid throw for this keeping room project. The perfect accessory for this space with the fireplace.

So excited to start to see some progress in this keeping room project that I realized that last spring’s 2020 One Room Challenge of the new mudroom and guest bathroom project was much easier to orchestrate during a pandemic. An overabundance of work and insufficient time for contractors to schedule has made this keeping room project much harder to manage.

The contractors still need to return to work on the track system that will hold the antique mirrors. These mirrors will be sliding behind the bookcases, such as a pocket door, and pulling them in front of the windows to create privacy at night leaving the windows exposed during the day to let the light enter the room.

I also got word that the Four Seasons chairs ordered in February will not ship out until the middle of June, and they are running approximately three weeks in shipping which brings us past the Week eight mark of completion for our keeping room.

I am getting more than a little nervous, to say the least, that everything will not fall into place as expected. To add to the mix, I’m leaving for High Point Market today; Not much will happen while I’m gone. However, we will have a new keeping room to sit and entertain regardless of the deadline. Staying positive!

Come back next Thursday to see what events and challenges have transpired with our new keeping room and progress on installation.

Again, thanks to Linda Weinstein, the creator of the One Room Challenge, for creating this motivational design event.

You can follow more of my ORC on Facebook and Instagram as well. Come back to see Week 6 of my keeping room creation. Better Homes & Gardens is the official media sponsor of the ORC.

Follow these 20 talented Featured Designers of the Spring 2021 ORC.

About Debbe Daley

Debbe Daley is New England’s leading interior design expert in the fields of design, decorating, and styling of interior spaces. She is a professional speaker, educator, influencer, and business coach in interior design. She also teaches creative interior design and change-of-career-minded individuals at her School of Interiors. These courses provide mentoring and hands-on training. Debbe is currently an installed Design Services member for the Boston Design Center. She also is an educator and instructor at Middlesex Community College in the field of interior design.

Contact Debbe at ddaley@daleydesigns.com or (978) 697-0288.