#interiordesign

One Room Challenge - Powder Room Reveal!

Nov 8, 2018
4 min

One Room Challenge - Powder Room Reveal!

Hello and welcome to the unveiling of my newly renovated powder room! I am so excited to share my design reveal with you as a first-time guest participant for the One Room Challenge (ORC)! I am really pleased with how vivid the space turned out, especially since I am such a fan of high contrast. Just to recap, the One Room Challenge is a challenge to renovate or makeover one room over a six week period. It happens twice a year, once in April and again in October. Here are l

One Room Challenge - Week 5 - Backsplash Tile & What's Left to Do!

Valerie Hill

Nov 1, 2018
2 min

One Room Challenge - Week 5 - Backsplash Tile & What's Left to Do!

Welcome, friends, to Week 5 of the One Room Challenge! As a guest participant, I have now completed (along with some help) nearly all the work for the powder room renovation. Here is the latest news for all the projects: https://www.oneroomchallenge.com/blog/fall2018week5 Here are links to my previous posts in case you want to catch up: week 1 | week 2 | week 3 | week 4. THE PROCESS My mosaic tile came as 12"x12" mesh-backed sheets, so in order to have a 4" high backsplash

One Room Challenge - Week 4 -Hanging Wallpaper & Trim

Valerie Hill

Oct 25, 2018
3 min

One Room Challenge - Week 4 -Hanging Wallpaper & Trim

Hi friends! It is week 4 of the One Room Challenge and the progress is notable, not only in my powder room, but in all the featured and guest participants' spaces - you can check them out here: https://www.oneroomchallenge.com/orc-blog/! Our wallpaper is hung and the framing trim is painted and installed! I think it is vivid and beautiful. As a designer, I think it is absolutely fair game to make a powder room special! It is a space that can handle being a bit more visua

One Room Challenge - Week 3 - Painting the Vanity

Valerie Hill

Oct 18, 2018
2 min

One Room Challenge - Week 3 - Painting the Vanity

Hey, friends! Glad to see you back for another week - tracking my progress as a guest participant of the One Room Challenge! Don't forget to check out those featured designers - lots of new things to look at! PROGRESS THIS PAST WEEK Here is a quick look at my current status, plus a couple of links in case you missed the first two posts: week 1 | week 2. We've been getting a lot done around here (my husband and I). I am thrilled with the outcome, so far, and relieved to h

Valerie Hill

Oct 11, 2018
2 min

One Room Challenge - Week 2

Hello, there! If you've been following along, last week you read about me joining in the One Room Challenge (ORC Week 1 post) as a Guest Participant. Yes, I am working on a renovation for our powder room! You may also be interested in viewing the designs of the featured and guest participants at: www.oneroomchallenge.com/orc-blog. There is a ton of great work happening out there! PLANNING So far, I have been having a lot of fun refining my selections for the powder room.

Valerie Hill

Oct 6, 2018
2 min

2018 ONE ROOM CHALLENGE - WEEK 1

Today, I am jumping in to a new challenge...the One Room Challenge! If you have never heard of the one One Room Challenge (ORC) before, there are 20 featured participants and others can join in as guest participants, like me! The objective is to create a community that encourages one another as we design and redo a complete room over a designated six week period. Ever since meeting Linda, the organizer, at a Design Bloggers Conference in 2016, I have thought about joining i

Valerie Hill

Nov 13, 2017
3 min

Setting a Thanksgiving Table

With the US celebration of Thanksgiving quickly approaching, there is still time to get your tablescape planned. It doesn't need to be complicated and you probably already have most of what you need to get going. If you have a dedicated dining room that you don't need to use much between now and turkey day, a great planning strategy is to get your table set ahead of time. It gives you time to lay out what you already have and find those special pieces that are up in a cupbo

Valerie Hill

Oct 10, 2017
4 min

Happenings at Hill and Valley Design

The past week or two has been particularly busy for me! I seem to be running around with my typical routines, while trying to juggle some hired construction projects that were scheduled months ago. Here is an update of what I have been up to... Kitchen Eating Nook I have always dreamed about having a Tulip Table (designed in 1957 by Eero Saarinen, manufactured by Knoll) for my kitchen nook. The only hitch is that this gorgeous table top is a bit exclusive, made of a high q

Valerie Hill

Sep 14, 2017
4 min

Laundry Room Renovation

After nearly two months, we have finally completed our DIY laundry room renovation! Because we completed all of the work ourselves, it took a long while. We worked in fits and spurts, fitting it in on weekends and a few very late weeknights! This project had a total budget of about $2,500. It covered everything from a new washing machine, the lovely (and somewhat expensive) York wallpaper from Anthropologie to a budget friendly floor tile from Vitra, source from United Tile

Valerie Hill

Jun 10, 2017
3 min

The Re-imagined Bedroom of a Teen Girl

You've probably heard the ancient adage, "The only thing constant is change" (Heraclitus, c. 500 B.C.). In the land of design and decoration, I got to experience it first-hand. a new and improved space My oldest daughter (17 years old) recently revealed to me that she was no longer enjoying the color choice of her youth. A mere three years ago, she had chosen hot pink and a vivid turquoise blue to decorate her room, but alas, this color scheme was no longer in favor with thi

Little Changes to Revive Your Space - a story of light

Valerie Hill

May 5, 2017
4 min

Little Changes to Revive Your Space - a story of light

Every time I am in my kitchen (which seems like a lot) I imagine how I could improve things - both aesthetically and functionally. Essentially, I am dreaming about what I can do when we finally remodel! And although the possibilities are endless, my budget is not. (Considering the fact that the oldest two of our four children are in college, affording a major kitchen remodel is looking a ways out into the future for us) So... ...Following my intention to "seize the day" m

Ways to (Re)Decorate with Accessories You Already Own!

Valerie Hill

Mar 9, 2017
4 min

Ways to (Re)Decorate with Accessories You Already Own!

Back in January, I showed you how I gathered all my accessories into one space as the first step in a process to mix it up and refresh my home decor. The best part is that this refresh is that it is free! I already owned each piece and by changing how I group and where I place each object I end up with a new-feeling result. a curio cabinet in our living room Now, it is time for the second step - how to place and group my existing items in new ways - new combinations. I am

Valerie Hill

Jan 27, 2017
3 min

Decor and Accessories Remix

I don't know about you, but sometimes I find myself in a decor rut. Specifically, once I get furniture, art, and accessories into place in a room, I often let them sit statically for way too long. One way for me to get out of this predictable path is to mix things up by assessing what I have and trying novel combinations and placing objects in places I have not used them before. Years ago, my dear friend Sue told me about her occasional habit of doing this and it has been s

Valerie Hill

Nov 21, 2016
1 min

Art Inspires!

Sometimes we run across something that just catches our eye! Well, this little gem caught mine. It was exactly the combination of colors that I was hoping to introduce to my home. After several years earning my interior design degree and then working full time, my own home had become a bit stale. All that time and effort working on others' projects left little time for my own place. Time for some change! Come on - an interior designer needs to convey some aesthetic styl

How to Destroy a Bathroom and Begin Again!

Valerie Hill

Nov 7, 2016
3 min

How to Destroy a Bathroom and Begin Again!

Here's a little story about an architect and an interior designer couple who decided to gut and put back together a bathroom for their four kids. Circa 2001 - this bathroom was in sad shape. 1. BEFORE 2. POST-DEMO After demo we installed a cement board sub-floor and then began the process of tiling the floor with large-format porcelain tile - Vitra/Uptown White/12"x24" Field Rectified. We chose an epoxy grout because of its waterproof and stain resistant properties. Did

fresh, vibrant, and playful interiors

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