Welcome to ORC Week 1: Income Property Design

I’m so pleased to be a part of the One Room Challenge (ORC) for the FIRST time. So what is the ORC??

“The One Room Challenge™, currently in its fifteenth season, is a widely anticipated biannual event every April and October. Every Wednesday, the designers document their process while sharing their sources and professional advice over six weekly posts.” Source: oneroomchallenge.com

So let’s get into the space that we are going to be redesigning. It’s an income property mainly used for Airbnb short-term rentals in the Washington DC Metro area. Income properties in this region are all the rage since it helps to offset big mortgage payments for the pricier homes in the area while also helping those visiting the area stay somewhere affordable.

Recent data suggest DC is a hotbed for the site, ranking third in listings per capita compared to other US cities. The District has over 3,500 listings, of which 2,855 are active (Source: Washingtonian.com).

During our next 6 weeks together, I’m going to take you through the design process and you can experience what it takes to get a space done with costs too.

We start with meeting with the client a few times to really understand what they want to define the project scope, monetary investment (budget) and set expectations. It’s my job to find out trouble spots and how to help solve those problems. For instance, if there is a space issue and you want the space to appear larger or picking out furniture that serves multiple purposes.

Again the purpose of the space is to offer a boutique hotel inspired experience for travelers coming to the DC area and not only get the touristy experience but to feel home away from home with a chance to interact with the locals.

Note: this is Phase II and if you want to see what we did for Phase I just click HERE.

The client wants a hotel feel and so we’re getting rid of the bunk beds for something with a more adult look. The client doesn’t want headboards so we’re going to look into a wide array of wall panels. Two beds are needed to accommodate more people.

The client also received less than stellar feedback on the room set-up. They actually lost a reservation because a guest said they didn’t want to stay in a “kids” room. So we’re also working to help the clients get better reviews.

The bigger things that need to be addressed include removing a small closet that wasn’t being used to get more room, new flooring, new ceiling to replace the drop ceiling, recessed lighting and paint.

We’re going to highlight an accent wall to add more drama. Comment below if you still love a good accent wall!

We may add some benches at the foot end of the beds but don’t want the space to feel too crowded.

We’re updating the IKEA dresser to something a little more sleek.

We’re updating the window treatments for roman shades with a subtle pattern that adds a soothing and relaxing feel.

We’re going to hide this cubby hole for now probably with a tall faux plant.

So next in the process I’ll continue to take plenty of photos, take measurements and sketch the space.

See initial inspiration photos below…

Well that’s a wrap for now and come back next week where I’ll share the mood board/color scheme that will inspire the new space, basic floor plans and we’ll begin our furniture shopping.

So stay tuned as we go from the before to the final inspiration photo below. How close do you think we’ll get?