One Room Challenge Designers Reimagine Their Bedrooms—with a little help from Calico

At Calico, we have a special love for redecorating bedrooms.  We help customers transform tired spaces with dated window treatments and furniture—or a room stuffed with a basket of laundry, exercise equipment, television, electronics and even a home office area.  In short, a bedroom that is anything but a sanctuary! 

Several designers who participated in the One Room Challenge chose a new bedroom as their big project.  As Rachel Moriarty noted, “I remember having a conversation about our bedroom with my husband during the early days of the pandemic.  I told him that I didn’t think I could stay in our bedroom for two weeks straight if I got sick and had to quarantine!” 

What is the One Room Challenge™?  This biannual event, sponsored by Better Homes & Gardens, challenges 20 design influencers to transform a space in their home within two months.  Each week the designers post about their progress, their setbacks, and at the end, share a final reveal.  Several of the One Room Challenge (ORC) designers chose fabrics from Calico and worked with their local store to have custom window treatments and/or bed ensembles made for their room.  Let’s meet our designers!

1.    Rachel Moriarty of San Diego completely re-did her master bedroom

As the Principal Designer of Rachel Moriarty Interiors, this professional knew right where to turn for a bedroom that needed a design makeover.  Rachel is a “maximalist” who loves color and pattern—but also starts her design process by neutralizing the space before layering on vibrant notes in distinctive textiles, trims and wallpaper.  She calls her design concept “Dream in Color”. 

Rachel Moriarty in her BEFORE bedroom.  Photo credit:  Deborah Shields Photography

 “It was painful to think about the process [of cleaning out the room] and it needed soooo much work,” she recalls. “I just hadn’t felt like dealing with it...and so I didn’t!”  Then she was selected for the Challenge—and knew immediately that it was time to update her bedroom.

“Everyone thinks that bedrooms have to be neutral and serene,” Rachel notes.  “And while that may be true for some people, I like bold and dramatic.” 

AFTER images of bedroom.   Photo Credit: Deborah Shields Photography

When Rachel uses neutrals, she likes to be sure that they have either texture or pattern so that they're not too neutral.  “I used this gorgeous Scalamandre fabric, Balinese Peacock in Java, from Calico for the bedding.”  Rachel added a band of striking red velvet trim on the shams.

For window treatments near the velvet settee, Rachel chose a Vern Yip chinoiserie design for Trend Fabrics, Oxnard in Navy, also carried by Calico.  The handsome velvet tape from Fabricut trims the draperies as well as the bed shams. 

To see the full reveal story, visit Rachel’s blog post.

2.  Rasheeda Gray of Philadelphia turned an “okay” bedroom into a stunning master suite

Their master bedroom never felt really complete, says Rasheeda Gray of Gray Space Interiors.  Since moving in, her design style has evolved—and with a husband, two careers, children and busy lives to manage, she never had the chance to make this room a personal oasis.  “My husband and I need a special place to call our own—no kids,” she adds.  “Just our special retreat!”  

Rasheeda and the BEFORE bedroom.  “Not terrible, but definitely room for improvement,” says Rasheeda.

 AFTER image of the finished room.  Photo credit:  Brian Wetzel

In the finished bedroom, Rasheeda chose a striking combination of colors: taupe walls, an upholstered black bed frame and crimson red accent pillows and chairs.  The pillows are in a luscious velvet, ROSSI in Sangria from Calico’s Vern Yip collection. 

For the windows, Rasheeda wanted to add soft lines with draperies that looked relaxed and monochromatic, close to the color of the walls.  She selected Soprano Silk in Graphite, a hand-woven slubbed silk that Calico imports from India.  The custom draperies and pillows were made for Rasheeda by the Calico design shop in Strafford, Pennsylvania on the Main Line. 

“The team over at Calico and I worked together seamlessly to determine my fabric needs and to really help bring the spaces together.”

For the bathroom re-do, Rasheeda ripped out the dated beige tile, and chose a smart black/white color scheme.  She installed white marble with gray veining on bath walls, a sculptural tub—and selected Calico’s Kapoor in 81-Graphite for a Roman shade at the window (still to be installed). 

“The transformed space is now our oasis,” states Rasheeda, “a welcome combination of luxury and livability that I literally fall in love with it every time I walk through the door at the end of a long day!  In the end, this transformation has become a wellness retreat that we are truly thankful for!”

To see the full reveal story, visit Rasheeda’s blog post.

3.  Nile Johnson of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania designed this luxurious bedroom to help restore work-life balance

Interior designer Nile Johnson chose his bedroom to re-do, along with adjoining spaces for a sitting room, closet and coffee bar. “[It’s] the space I have been overlooking on the list of design priorities in my life for quite some time now,” he notes.

“This bedroom will be a place where I can go to relax, turn the music up and turn the world off.”

The finished bedroom will look like this—when all the elements are delivered! 

What was installed on time?  The custom draperies from Calico!  Nile worked with the Calico design shop in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania and selected fan-pleated drapery panels of Budapest in Driftwood, a Polyester/Linen solid texture.  The finished window treatments are GORGEOUS, said Nile!  The schematic shows some of the other furnishings that were chosen.

“These days...the line between home and work has never been more blurred,” observes Nile.  “This is why now, more than ever, implementing and managing a self-care routine is so important.  We may never achieve a balance between our personal and professional lives, however, we can establish solid boundaries between the two.”

To see more of his bedroom plans, visit Nile’s blog posts.

4.  Mansa Krishnamurthy of Cincinnati, Ohio chose Calico Quick Ship draperies for her guest bedroom re-do—and textured wallpaper to jazz up a builder-grade bath

“These rooms really need my attention!” exclaimed Mansa, when chosen for the One Room Challenge.  “The guest bedroom is heavily used and has undergone a phase one makeover...but it is still pretty bare bones.”  Mansa writes about how to live a simple modern life in her blog.

Mansa and her BEFORE guest bedroom.

AFTER guest bedroom.  Photo credit:  Mansa Krishnamurthy

Mansa added character with a DIY dark-stained accent wall made of hundreds of plywood pieces—a real labor of love.  The billowy linen blend drapery panels add a feminine note, as do touches of pink in the accessories.

“Every time I walk into this space, I cannot help but smile—the work that went into this room was well worth it!”

Mansa chose Quick Ship draperies of the slubbed Wexford Linen in Snow—plus a clear acrylic rod and silvery end caps.  What’s great about Quick Ship from Calico?  The drapery panels come in Pinch Pleat, Fan Pleat and Grommet styles in both linen blends and silks.  Hardware sets come in a range of finishes and they all ship free to your home in 15 days or less!

To change up the builder-grade bathroom, Mansa chose a textured wallpaper by York from Calico.

 “The herringbone texture just spoke to me!” recalled Mansa.  “It adds so much depth to the room.  I love the way the light bounces off each stroke of the herringbone pattern.” 

To see the full reveal story, visit Mansa’s blog post.

5.  Fariha Nasir created a modern cottage guest bedroom in Cypress, Texas

When Fariha Nasir and her husband moved into a new home, the intended guest room became a “storage / junk room” for extra furniture and belongings.  Most of us have a “junk drawer” in the kitchen—but this was a junk room.  “Basically, it was a hot mess!” confesses Fariha.

Fariha Nasir is a self-taught do-it-yourselfer and interior decorator, with a background in painting.  At right is the BEFORE room.

AFTER image of the room.  Photo credit:  Fariha Nasir

Fariha chose Tonya Floral in Oyster, a block print motif pattern for the draperies.  “The French pleat detail on top really takes them to the next level,” she notes.  Fariha visited the Calico design shop in Houston, Texas to choose fabric samples and curtain hardware.  She also had the pinch pleated drapery panels made with blackout lining to indulge guests who like to sleep in.

“The beautiful block printed motif reminds me of Pakistani block printed textiles which I grew up seeing and loving!”

To see the full reveal story, visit Fariha’s blog post.