There is literally nothing I love more about what I do than styling a room. So when we showed up to Overstock’s photo studio on a Saturday morning ready to hear about our design challenge, I was ecstatic to learn that each of us five design bloggers would be tasked with creating our own spaces styled around one chair. You might think I’m crazy, and you might be right.
The studio is huge. It’s where they shoot all their vignettes for their catalog and website, so we each got our own set that were laid out similarly, except for the floors. All five bloggers drew envelopes that told us which color chair we’d be working with – and I got blue! We also were assigned a photographer, a styling assistant and a photo assistant, which was awesome. I loved working with a talented crew! It made my job so much easier.
I wish I had gotten shots of us running through aisles of props and furniture for this! It was so fun to pull from racks and racks of items that they had put out for us. The competition for a few of the larger pieces was fierce, and I didn’t always get my first pick, but in the end I couldn’t have been happier with how it all turned out.
In case you’re wondering, I went after the sofa, pillows, rugs, lighting, art and plants first before even selecting some of the other items. Those are the pieces that really make the room.
For extra fun, the crew at Overstock set up cameras to create a time-lapse of each of us putting our rooms together which I have watched like 20 times now because I think it’s so cool. It’s fun if you focus on one area (like the coffee table or window ledge) to see how it all gets moved around a million times before just the right setting is found!
While my design was definitely inspired by my laid-back California style, it was also inspired by a few things I learned about during our tour of Overstock and our time spent with the people in this company. Full transparency – before this trip I pretty much knew nothing about the culture or practices there. Which is kind of expected, I guess. But after spending a little over an hour walking through their headquarters, two things became super obvious to me.
- They care about community. Not only taking care of their own, but also giving back to the Salt Lake City community and beyond. The workplace is inspiring, open and built to foster creativity and empowerment!
- They care about the environment. The construction of their new headquarters – Peace Coliseum – is evidence of that on a variety of levels with their sustainable practices.
So, I wanted to also capture that community and environmental slant in this room. I made it feel incredibly welcoming with all the furniture wrapped around a big round coffee table, while using lots of natural textures and tones brings the outside in. But really, it all had to start with the chair, right?
So while I pulled all the pieces according to what I love, the addition of the art and the bright blue stool were super purposeful in balancing out that bright blue. And if you’re digging the chair as much as I am… well you’re in luck. Because we’re giving it away!
Yep. You can own this chair in any of the colors it comes in! First, go see how all the other bloggers styled their chairs by taking a peek at the post up on Overstock.com that shows off everyone’s rooms. Then, to enter, simply leave a comment below telling me whose room out of all five designers was your favorite and why. Don’t worry, I won’t be offended if it’s not mine!
And of course, we wouldn’t leave you hanging without the sources for some of our favorite items in the room! Here’s how to get the look:
1. woven pendant light | 2. picasso print | 3. lounge chair with cane back | 4. colorful side stools | 5. black wood coffee table | 6. striped loop pillow | 7. shag rug | 8. handmade wood top side table | 9. aqua blue armchair
