It’s week 4 of the one room challenge. This week’s focus was on a ceiling treatment, installing trim, prepping for the controversial counter cabinet, and finding a vanity light that would work in the space.

Ceiling Treatment

I was thinking of using tongue and groove boards on the ceiling. I’ve seen this done so many times and love the look and warmth it adds to a space. However, because my $20 cabinet was already too tall for the space, I needed a thinner option. I recently installed LVP flooring on the main level of my house. Since I ordered extra, I felt like I could sacrifice a box to try on the ceiling. Hopefully, I’ll still have enough for the second floor…time will tell. I used the same glue that I already had on hand to adhere it to the ceiling. Gravity was not on my side this time, but it worked! Is it perfect? No, but it looks so much more polished and, in my opinion, is a huge upgrade.

Trim

I had a stash of crown molding in my garage from a previous project, so that is where I started. I decided to get myself a new tool for the job and purchased the Bosch laser distance measurer. Forty dollars well spent! Once the crown was installed and painted, I knew I wanted more trim, but I couldn’t justify the prices. I decided to check out Habitat Restore. I love our local store in a weird way. The atmosphere and customer service are the worst I have probably ever encountered, but I find it part of the charm. I was able to find nice quality trim for another layer for $12. I also found another treasure that I’ll share it a couple of weeks. I installed this layer of trim about 5 inches lower than the crown. I am so happy with the visual interest it adds to the room. It draws the eye up and makes the space feel taller.

I was so excited about the trim that I totally forgot about my counter cabinet. After the crown and picture rail trim were installed, wood filled, caulked, and painted, I realized that I needed to cut out a section of the trim to accommodate the cabinet. What fun would DIY be without these little obstacles?

Lighting

Since I am planning to add a cabinet that will sit on the counter and extend to the ceiling, my lighting situation needs some adjustments. There are 2 big problems that need to be addressed:

1. The vanity light is in the center of the room and it now needs to be centered on the sink.
2. The cabinet will cover the light switch (the only one for the room).

Because my walls are plaster, I really didn’t want to move the box for the light and risk destroying a huge section of the wall. The doubter didn’t like that idea either since he is my electrician. Instead, he suggested finding a light with a large back plate that would allow some flexibility in the install. I took his advice and found a light I loved and a price I loved more ($50)! Unfortunately, that light didn’t end up working and I had to order another one. The second one was twice the price, and I don’t love it as much. It will work though. I still have some tweaking to do to get it installed just right, but the size allows me the flexibility that I need to center it over the sink. I also found a solution to the no light switch problem. I bought super cute smart edison bulbs from amazon. They were a pain in the butt to get connected, but they work! Now I don’t even need a light switch. Who even uses those old things these days?