One of the last of our remodeled rooms that I have to share with you is our basement rec room. Our basement in this 1920s bungalow created an opportunity for our family to live very comfortably. As I have mentioned before we chose to down size (A LOT) in order to buy in a home in our neighborhood. The market here was insane two years ago, I can’t imagine trying to buy a home now, bless you if you are trying to purchase a home. We really lucked out in getting our home that had received a something like 7 offers the first day.
The home had a great feel, but was significantly smaller than what we lived in previously. Instead of adding on we used every bit of space in our basement, which was a much more econimical with investment in both money and time. This room is surely a luxury, but also a really important one because we have a bunch of kids and we want them to have a space to bring their friends.
As with the attached TV room, this did not start out bad. It did have a storage closet that needed an overhaul, but other than that there wasn’t much that needed to be done. At least that is what we thought, we did have a surprise in the process.
We started out with this storage.
Then thanks to the magic of our contractor, MKE Design Build we ended up with this:
I love, love my new cupboard. So much. It’s really deep and perfect to store games, books, and photo albums. I worked closely with our designer, Michelle, to come up with this custom cupboard and use of space. I am very pleased with the end result. We wanted to add a drink fridge, so we would look like we are really cool. But I hate my kids drinking or eating downstairs because they are not very tidy, so its mostly empty. However it is a perfect for hiding spot for restaurant left overs that we don’t want to share with our kids : ). Don’t worry they are well fed. Maybe someday when socializing is in full force again we will stock that beverage fridge, and hope for the best. Also, it made me very happy to find a place for my thrifted German sign.
The other side of the room started out like this:
And ended up like this:
This side of the room we just added paint and new carpet. We picked the color Naval by Sherwin Williams to compliment the wallpapered TV wall in the adjoining room. The shutters on the lower level of the wall cover our heating system. They aren’t my favorite, but changing them and our heating system was not how we wanted to spend our budget. We did have one of those costly surprises came about when part of the ceiling was removed to install the plumbing for the bathroom next door. It was discovered that some of the floor joists were not up to code and needed to be changed out. That surely wasn’t my first choice to spend money on, but after they finished the job they were able to raise the ceiling height by a couple inches, which was an expensive win.
Here is a little peek of the navy wallpaper on the TV wall.
This is what we had in the before
Bringing my treasures together for the decor of this room has been really fun. Thankfully there was a spot for my arch. I loved embracing the colors. Everything felt complete when I recently found the tall trunk in the corner. I was shopping with a friend, good friend who was willing to help me haul the trunk from one end of an antique mall to another. Make friends like that. This trunk is pretty special in my opinion, I haven’t come upon one that looked like this before. I love the green, the size, the intials, and that its made from metal with a wood top. The woman who checked me out at the shop said “my husband’s body would fit in there.” Hmmmmmmmm… She is right, at least one body will fit in there. When I brought it home my daughter immediately started sizing it up for hide and seek. But when I insepcted it further for safety and cohabiting with my kids, my stomach sunk. It has a layer of metal on each side and two solid latches at the top. The potential for disaster if someone got stuck in in a tightly sealed metal trunk still makes me feel a little sick. I made it so the latches won’t close, I filled up the trunk with blankets and pillows so no one can fit in there, and talked to my kids about NOT climbing in. Anyway…There is a lot to consider when choosing home decor.
This is a space that serves us well. We have used this work station a lot over the past year. I look forward to using it and conquering in Ping Pong (just kidding, that’s not really my thing) for a long time to come. If you missed the information about our TV room remodel, the post is here if you would like 🙂
PS I didn’t plan on keep this pillow that I made out a nautical flag, but I am feeling pretty glad it never sold now. Also finally after nearly 22 years the Pendelton blanket we got as a wedding gift found a decent spot to be showcased.
***all before pictures are courtesy of MKE Design Build***
