Overstock Design Challenge

Thanks Overstock for teaming up with me on this post!

A few days ago I posted about the amazing weekend I had with Overstock.com. Keep reading to the bottom for a chance to win a chair from Overstock!!!

Today is all about day two of the #OverstockStyle Weekend- the Design Challenge!!! We (the 5 design bloggers) knew that there would be a contest, but we didn’t know much about it. Did anyone else use to watch Design Star on HGTV? They would have a white room challenge where the contestants raced against the clock to design it and to make it there’s. I LOVED watching what everyone came up with and I was hoping I would get to experience something similar.

Bright and early on Saturday morning we arrived at Overstock’s photo studio. Guys, it is huge!!! I used to do photo shoot styling for a furniture company and I never had a dedicated studio, so you can imagine how excited I was to see a legit one!

overstock’s photo studio

Welcome to Overstock’s amazing studio! They have built in floors (different woods and concrete) and are able to put up walls with windows and easily change the paint color. Here’s a picture of a set they were working on for Christmas:

They are geniuses at lighting so that the windows get blown out for a beautiful look. Here is what the back of the walls look like (hi Dabito!)

the design challenge

It was time for the challenge! Everyone had to design a living room around Overstock’s favorite accent chairs. We each drew an envelope which said the set we got and the color chair we were working with.

I was praying that I wouldn’t get the orange chair since it would be tricky for me to design around! I was lucky and this is the set I ended up with (hip hip hooray for the grey chair!!!):

Each blogger was given an amazing team- a photographer, stylist, and photo assistant. We each raced off into the Overstock prop area to grab the items that would make up our room. It was a blast to grab items that I loved- it was like being a kid in a candy store! Here’s where mine started to come along:

We had three hours to complete the space and I wanted to share a few things I learned along the way for getting the perfect photo:

perspective

When you are styling a space to be lived in, you put the coffee table close to the sofa. For a photo, you want to space the furniture out to show each product off because the spacing of the furniture in the camera is captured differently than how the eye sees it. I like all of my furniture close and touching, but needed to give it space to breath so it would photograph better.

tangent lines

As I added items in the room, the photographer would get a fresh photo. I lucked out and worked with Scott, the director of photography. We would search for “tangent lines” or where two or more lines interact in a way that insinuates a relationship between the objects that aren’t intended. For example, if the coffee table cut off part of the throw so that it looks like it ends abruptly that’s a tangent line. It isn’t wanted because it makes the eye stop at that object and throws the image off.

hanging order

Part of my team was Reese who is a Photo Assistant. He helped get all of the furniture in and hung the curtains and chandelier while I did the small styling. I’m used to having the light in the room first and working around it. Kindly,  he taught me to put it in last so we could mess with the perspective of it- it was hanging way in front of the coffee table!

gaffer’s tape

We used gaffer’s tape (photographer tape that doesn’t pull off paint) to make the final picture better in a few ways. For example, the edge of the rug was taped down so it looked flat and clean and the cord from the lamp was taped to the back of the end table so ugly cords weren’t seen. It was all about getting that perfect shot!

last details

For the final prep, Brandie, my stylist (who wore pink because she knew I loved it- bless her!!!) cleaned everything thoroughly so there was no dust or fingerprints- wearing white gloves. She also raked the shag rug so it looked nice and fluffy. The attention to detail was insane and inspiring! I used fresh flowers to make a flower arrangement that I loved. For the bar cart, I couldn’t find any cups to style it with, so I stole drinks from lunch for my photo- lol.

Ready to see the final, perfect shot?!

after photo

sofa / chandelier / rose gold chair / pink and grey rug / alpaca art / giraffe art / elephant art / rabbit art / white shag rug / bar cart

Could you just die?! I’ll be 100% honest and say I almost cried when I saw the final photo. I don’t know how I can convey how lucky I felt. I’m just a normal girl doing what she loves and was given the chance of a lifetime. I felt so honored to be able to spend a day creating with a super talented team to support me.

During the day, I took videos that I shared on Instagram stories of the process. I put them all together if you’d like to watch how the room progressed (with tips from the Art Director and a sneak peek into the prop area):

While I had the perfect set all ready, dressed 100% to my taste, I asked them to take a few pictures of me styling the room. This might be my favorite picture of all time. Guys, dreams do come true! I also want to introduce you to my Overstock team: Left is Scott the Photographer, then me (looking 10% awkward), Brandie the Stylist, and Reese the Photo Assistant. Thanks guys for helping me put everything together! It was a day I will never forget! How about a timelapse of how the room went from empty to complete?!

I also wanted to show you everyone’s beautiful rooms! It was so fun to see how they each pulled their personality into their set, and were all able to achieve their looks with Overstock:

simply grove

black pendant / sofa / gold side table / navy rug / braided rug / coffee table

Kirsten is a master at achieving that layered look! In her photo, can you see how she used a ton of different finishes and it looks stunning and pulled together?!

old brand new

sofa table / sofa / rug / coffee table / flamingo art / peacock mirror / green pouf / live edge end table 

Dabito’s room is so him and SO bohemian! He used all of the plants (lol!- can you spot them in the windows too?!). Don’t the pillows and art add to his collected look? Also, I would have never thought to put the books there, but I love it!

coco+kelley

sectional square piece / sectional corner piece / sectional lounge / pendant light / coffee table / cane lounger chair / wool rug / blue end table /

Cassandra layered the neutrals perfectly. She worked with the blue chair. Don’t you love how she added in blue art and a blue end table to draw the eye to each corner of the photo?!

little green notebook

sofa / oak chairs / bench (being used as a coffee table) / bookcase / floor planter / leather pouf / hourglass brass end table / tree rings art / cream rug

Last but not least, Jenny got the orange chair and totally made it work! She was the last person to complete her room, but couldn’t you just move in?! There is so much personality and texture it really turned out beautifully.

Once our rooms were done, we filmed a Facebook Live to introduce our rooms. I included the video below if you’d like to watch:

tips for designing a room

I wanted to add in a few tips for designing a room that I highlighted in the video:

1. Use a rug to pull together your space in a way nothing else can. And use one that is big enough for your space- probably an 8’x10′ rug.
2. Don’t worry about having all of your tables match. You can see that my coffee table, end table, and bar cart coordinate and work together, but they aren’t all part of a set. It is more interesting and looks less stuffy to have a variety of pieces.
3. Choose art you love. This art was probably intended for a nursery, but I love how it adds whimsy to the space so I used it. In your home, surround yourself with things you love and don’t pay attention to what people think. You’ll be happier and that’s all that matters.
4. When styling a coffee table, work in sets of threes. I tried to create a triangle with the flowers, books, and brass ram. That moves the eye around in a pleasing way. Plus, the variety of textures adds interest.

giveaway!

Friends! Finally, I am so, so excited to be giving away the accent chair we used from the Design Challenge! To enter to win, simply follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter below!

Note, your shipping address needs to be in the United States to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also, you’ll be able to choose the color of the accent chair for your space. Whether it’s the gray that I used or one of your favorites from the other influencers, you’ll be sure to get the perfect finishing touch (or starting point) for your space!

Best of luck and thanks again to Overstock for an amazing weekend!

Thank you to Lonny Magazine for featuring this project on their site! To see the feature, click here.