WHAT I LEARNED PARTICIPATING IN THE ONE ROOM CHALLENGE

If you’re a blogger and considering participating in the One Room Challenge (ORC) for the first time, then this post is a must read. In this post, What I Learned Participating In The One Room Challenge, I share what I learned participating in the One Room Challenge, what I would (or wouldn’t) do differently the next time, and some tips to help you decide if the ORC is right for you.

THE ONE ROOM CHALLENGE

In case you’re not familiar with the One Room Challenge, it’s a twice-yearly event that features 20 designers as well as guest participants. Over eight weeks, participants renovate or redecorate one room and share the process on their blog. There’s now an Instagram only option for home décor enthusiasts that don’t have a blog. Like most of the participants in the ORC, I participated as a guest blogger. You don’t need to be invited, you just register on the ORC website in the spring or fall. The two ORC sessions each year are May/June and October/November. 

There are simple posting guidelines that are easy to follow. You simply create your weekly blog post about the room renovation you are completing and include a link to the ORC challenge page. Then, on posting day, you can submit your link, title, and description to the ORC page under the blog or Instagram category. Your post pops up immediately along with the other blogger’s posts. Click here to see the guest blog page for the final week. Click here for the twenty featured designers.

WHY I WANTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ORC

Part of the reason I wanted to participate was that participating in the ORC seemed to me like a blogging right of passage. I started my blog in 2019 so I’m fairly new to blogging. I have a few blogging bucket list items and one of them was the ORC. Also, I wanted to be immersed in the world of blogging for the duration of the challenge. Not only did I want to participate, but I also wanted to follow along with the other bloggers and guest bloggers. Most of all, I wanted to be part of a community working towards similar goals and supporting each other in the process.

Another reason I wanted to participate was that I needed a gentle nudge to get moving on my kitchen update plans. I felt like I’d been planning it forever and putting it off. I think there’s a reason we all procrastinate on these projects- it’s because it’s going to be HARD, there will be setbacks and moments where we wish we had never started. But overcoming that and reaching your goals is all worth it! I was happy to see that of the 316 guest bloggers who participated in the Spring 2021 session, 211 completed their projects. That’s a pretty great success rate. Even those that didn’t finish in the allotted time likely got a good start on their decor projects.

I’m a once-a-week blogger and the prospect of eight ready-made blog post topics for nearly two months of blogging was very appealing. I generally don’t find it that challenging to come up with blog post ideas, but it sure was nice to not have to think about new topics each week.

MY ONE ROOM CHALLENGE

For my One Room Challenge, I chose to give our kitchen a bright, modern update on a budget (under $1000). You can check out my weekly progress, including the final reveal, in these posts. 

A Modern Kitchen Update – Week 1 of the One Room Challenge

My New Favourite White Paint – Week 2 of the One Room Challenge

Step-By-Step Lined Roman Shades – Week 3 of the One Room Challenge

Modernizing Our Farmhouse Kitchen – Week 4 of the One Room Challenge

Bar Stool Slipcover Tutorial – Week 5 of the One Room Challenge

Adding Artwork To The Kitchen – Week 6 of the One Room Challenge

A New Hood Fan And DIY Custom Cover – Week 7 of the One Room Challenge

A Modern Kitchen Update Reveal – The Final Week of the One Room Challenge

Post Formats

There are many different formats to follow for the ORC, but I chose to follow the format of a stand-alone DIY or project each week. Week 1 is the project planning post and week 8 is the big reveal, so I had 6 weeks and 6 projects to share with my audience. I had posts on painting, DIY roman blinds, light fixture installation, DIY barstool slipcovers, displaying art in the kitchen, and a DIY custom hood fan cover.

Alternatively, you could decide to structure your posts as a running documentation of your progress- with a weekly update on what you are doing regardless of whether you finish anything that week. I chose the format I did because I wanted my posts to be of use to my readers beyond the One Room Challenge. If someone is searching “how to make a hood fan cover” I want them to be able to find everything they need in one post, without having to search through weeks of ORC posts. 

WHAT I LEARNED PARTICIPATING IN THE ONE ROOM CHALLENGE

Overall, the experience was very much as I had anticipated. I knew it would be a lot of work, but also that it would be fun and inspiring. 

PLANNING IS EVERYTHING

If you want to have a successful project, then carefully plan out the project well in advance. I also recommend purchasing the supplies you need in advance. Eight weeks may seem like a lot of time, but the weeks pass quickly and there’s not a lot of extra time to order supplies. My biggest tip is to start planning your One Room Challenge a couple months before the challenge begins.

START EARLY IN THE WEEK

I recommend starting the week’s work early in the week so that you have sufficient time to take photographs and write your post. Posting day was Thursday, so I usually tried to have my projects completed by Tuesday each week. That gave me all day Wednesday for photography and writing. Having the work completed by Tuesday usually meant that I needed to start the work on Saturday. Even so, I did end up having a couple of late Wednesday nights. Posts weren’t required to be up until Sunday, but I didn’t like the idea of getting behind. Also, the guest posts appear on the ORC guest blogger page in the order that they were linked, so those that posted earlier received better exposure.

Some bloggers completed their work in advance so that they weren’t rushed or affected by set backs.  

LINK EARLY EACH WEEK

If you want to be among the first few posts to be seen by visitors to the ORC site, then link your post at midnight or first thing in the morning when you wake up. I think I only posted at midnight one week because I happened to still be up. Most weeks I linked around 6:00 to 7:00 am and was in the top 40-70 posts to show up on the page. 

BE PREPARED TO MODIFY YOUR PROJECT

Don’t be afraid to deviate from your plan if you need to. Perhaps you can’t source a particular building material, or maybe you don’t like how something looks, or perhaps you’ve just run out of time. Don’t compromise on quality just to get your blog post completed. You can decide to share what your experiences were and where you’re at. If something was a big challenge, then share with your audience why it was so challenging. It could help them plan their own projects differently. It’s all about providing useful information to your readers. 

I made a few small changes during my ORC, including changing the colour to paint the barstool legs and opting not to make a plant stand for my rapidly growing Monstera.

A FEW THINGS THAT SURPRISED ME

Guidance

There is little guidance on how to prepare for the One Room Challenge, which is one of the reasons I wanted to write this post. I thought there might be some instructions or pep talks, but it is up to the individual blogger to do their research. Before signing up for the ORC, I recommend carefully studying a few blogger’s ORC posts to get an idea of the format for each week. I found this really useful. The good news is that you are completely in control of your project and how you present it. I really liked the weekly emails that the ORC team sent out to encourage guest bloggers.

Sponsors

Sponsors will likely reach out to you to provide you with free décor and possibly payments in exchange for promoting their products. I received beautiful artwork from Minted.com and a lovely new washable runner from Ruggable.com This can help stretch your room renovation budget even further.

Community

I didn’t find there were a lot of opportunities to chat with or connect with other participants, but this is something you can take the initiative and do. Commenting on other blogger’s posts and letting them know that you’re also a guest participant is a good place to start. 

There may not be enough time to complete your own challenge and follow along with the other blogger’s projects. I was too tired by the end of the week to keep up with many of the guest blogger’s posts. During the final week of the challenge, I had time to check out many of the posts and I commented on as many as I could.

Pride

While I did have a few moments of self-doubt, in the end, I felt a sense of confidence. Having completed 98% of the work with my own two hands, I had a renewed confidence in myself and my abilities, and that’s the best feeling of all. 

HOW TO KNOW IF THE ORC IS RIGHT FOR YOU

• If you’re a home décor blogger, then you like sharing home décor and decorating projects. That’s a great start.
• If you have a room in need of an update, then the ORC might be just what you need to get the ball rolling.
• Also, If you have projects and information that may be of use to your audience and think you can present them as part of the ORC. 
• If you have the budget to complete the work. The scope of the work is completely up to you, and it’s definitely possible to complete the project on a small budget, particularly if you have sponsors. 
• If you want to increase exposure to your website by sharing your work with a new audience.

Remember that timing is also important. Look at your personal and business calendar and choose an ORC session that works for you. If June is a very busy time for you or if it conflicts with your summer vacation, then consider participating in the fall ORC session.

SO, WOULD I DO THE ONE ROOM CHALLENGE AGAIN?

Yes, I would, but I think I would space it out by a full year or even two years. I will likely participate again when the next project arises. We plan to finish our basement in the next couple of years, so that will likely be my next ORC.

SUMMARY

I hope you have found this post, What I Learned Participating In The One Room Challenge, useful. I’ll be taking a couple of weeks off from blogging to enjoy summer with my boys, but I look forward to connecting with you all again soon!