Yay! Here we are again with another One Room Challenge. I always find this time of year so fun as we get to watch so many talented people working on their home and finishing a space they love to live in. As many of you may know, this isn’t our 1st go around with the ORC. Although I do remember the first time I brought the idea up to Michael and all the crazy work we did to finish it. 

You can see our very first ORC here when we tackled not only our Master Bedroom, but most of our second floor (ya know, flooring and moldings have to match)! And you know while I am at it let me bring you back in time for you to see all 7 of our One Room Challenge projects. Each one has a special place in my heart with many fond memories and all of the crazy moments and challenges that came with them!

Our 2nd ORC was our Master Bathroom. One I absolutely loved when I finished but am so ready to do it again…don’t tell Michael…just kidding he’s ready too! 

Up next for our 3rd ORC was our kids room! This is another space I so love but yet again it’s season is over as our kids are so much older now than when we did it. I am looking forward to making this space look more like them early next year. 

Our 4th ORC was a client space and this one is just magical to me. Plus, the internet world seems to love it too. 

The 5th ORC we were back in our own home to update our living room area. This is when I got the fireplace I had been longing for! 

For our 6th One Room Challenge we were Featured Designers and we tackled our kitchen, dining room, entryway and living space. Because you know why not… and with that  we made it into one huge open concept space! 

ORC number 7 we were back in a client home for one insane master bathroom. Really wishing this was mine! 

Now let’s get this party started! If you’re finding us for the first time from the One Room Challenge, welcome! We’re Danielle and Michael Gutelli, co-founders of Design Build firm Clark + Aldine.

Clark + Aldine is named after the Chicago streets we lived on when we first met, and was born out of a love for purposeful design and everyday functionality. What we didn’t know then was that our passion and design influence would continue to grow, and we would soon leave our established careers to pursue Clark + Aldine full time. But like they say, when you know, you know! Learn more about us.

This year’s ORC we are back in our own home. We are tackling the basement in our 1950’s bungalow, otherwise known as the dungeon! As with any space we touch we are always looking for ways to make the space more functional and purposeful than before. And in our basement any improvement is going to do that! But knowing how we plan to use this space helps guide me to my overall design direction. I am looking to create a family movie area, a relaxation area for yoga and meditation,a reading nook and a laundry room…one that might make me like doing laundry. Sounds simple, right?!?

But before we get ahead of ourselves let me show you what we are actually working with downstairs! Try not to be too scared!

BEFORE IMAGES

Well, now if you actually made it though all of that I bet you’re really ready to learn about how process and how on earth we are actually going to make this space livable!

OUR PROCESS

PLAN

We always start with space planning. The space plan is the key to ensuring all the elements work together and actually fit into the space you are trying to design. We use the exact internal measurement of the space to create an as-built drawing. From there we make changes to make the space into what it’s true potential can be. We then fully render the space to bring it to life. Next week I will share our space plan and rendering with you!

DESIGN

One of my favorite places to start my design inspiration is Pinterest! You guys, it’s the perfect visual search engine. I love how you can type what you’re thinking and actually find something. I use Pinterest to pull together concept images for the direction I am looking to take the design. From there I create a moodboard with materials we plan to use in the space. It really brings the project to life. This is my favorite way to see where my design inspiration is going and how I am going to pull all the elements together in real life. For this space I really wanted to work in all the texture and layers to add more depth and dimension since I really am looking for a calm and relaxing area. 

BUILD-OUT

Up next we start build-out…otherwise known as demo and construction. Having a fully baked design concept makes this phase run a lot smoother. Here is where we take the plans and make them into a reality! It helps that we have a full construction team behind what we do! 

STYLE

The best part of any design is the styling. I love how this phase is what makes a space go from feeling ordinary to really feel like you!

I am so geeked to take you guys with us on another ORC journey! You can follow along on our journey over on IG. But be sure to check out all the other amazing Guest Bloggers participating in this Fall’s One Room Challenge!

Much love –

Danielle