One Room Challenge: How to Accent a Room with an Area Rug

One Room Challenge — Week 5 Update

Welcome to week 5 of the One Room Challenge. If you’re new here, I joined a group of bloggers tackling a room makeover in six weeks, led by Linda. We moved into a new-to-us townhouse a month ago, so I chose the Living & Dining Room (including the entryway) as my project space.

This area is the main hub of our home, where we spend most of our time, so I wanted to give it personality. After collecting a lot of inspiration, I decided on a Modern Industrial Farmhouse look to add warmth and character while keeping the space functional.

Work completed so far includes painting the walls in Simply White, creating feature walls in the dining area painted Iron Mountain by Benjamin Moore, and assembling IKEA’s Billy bookcase system for much-needed storage. These changes have already brightened and grounded the space.

This week has been more about planning and sourcing than big visible projects. I’m still searching for the perfect sofa, but I did score a rug that instantly clarified the palette and inspired the next steps.

I found a rug with the exact colors I wanted to introduce into the room. It was a happy surprise to find it locally at Walmart for only $39. That small discovery has helped me visualize coordinating accents and might inform choices in other rooms of the house as well.

With one weekend left before the final reveal, we’re focused on completing the remaining tasks and tying everything together. The goal is a cohesive living and dining area that reflects the Modern Industrial Farmhouse style while improving storage, lighting, and functionality.

One Room Challenge To-Do List:

1. Change out light fixtures. (One done, one to go.)
2. Paint the bizarre brown racing stripe around the perimeter of the room’s ceiling out.
3. Paint over the dreadfully dark builder’s beige color.
4. Add some feature walls of interest in the Dining Room space.
5. Figure out storage space solutions.
6. Re-design the entryway closet to function better and add some style.
7. Hang up art and create a focal gallery wall or clusters.
8. Find lighting solutions to brighten up the room during the day and night.
9. Start shopping for a new couch or new chairs (this may still be a dream, but I’m looking).
10. New rug?

Next week is the big reveal. Between finishing the entryway closet redesign, hanging art, finalizing lighting, and confirming seating, the coming days will be busy. I’m excited to show how small, thoughtful changes—paint, storage, a well-chosen rug, and lighting—can transform a bland beige space into something warm, layered, and full of farmhouse-industrial charm.

Previous One Room Challenge posts: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4