Basements rarely get top priority when you move into a house. This was the case for us. It was already finished when we bought it a year ago. Finished, but not particularly inviting. Dark gray walls, gray berber carpet, and mismatched furniture. We had other rooms to focus on.
But that all changed on a random August night – hurricane Irene was not kind to us.
But after adding a second sump pump with a battery backup, we fearlessly set out to refinish the finished basement. One catch – most of the furniture and many toys were lost in the great flood of 2011. So we started with a refreshingly clean slate.
We had the walls redone and carpet replaced, then we (meaning us, ourselves) painted the whole darn thing DIY style (whew). We opted for a lighter, neutral palate. While there is good height and many pot lights down there, it’s still a basement with only a few windows.
Below are some before and after pictures. But first, a few things to look for:
- We added a yoga space.
- We moved the TV to the former art nook, and move the art area to a more open space.
- There is remarkably little furniture. But we did reuse the old mirrors we took out of upstairs bathrooms to create a fun dance area. Zumba, anyone?
- Can you pick out the few pieces of furniture that made it?
First, here’s a view from one end:
And from the other:
We moved the TV from this space to create a tween-friendly hang out nook:
Here it is a little closer.
The art nook shown here was moved so we could make that space the TV/Wii area. It’s across from the tween hang-out zone. And note Mom’s yoga space. Namaste ya’ll!
We lost the piano (moment of silence, please), but gained more space for the art area.
While this was not necessarily on our 2011 list to complete, I’m thrilled to have it done – and just in time for my tween’s big slumber party next week.
What did I learn? That losing things you thought you needed was a freeing experience. If you haven’t used it in the past year, it’s adding clutter to your life. For me, the new yoga space symbolizes that life lesson.
What spaces do you plan to declutter in the new year? Or are you going to wait for a natural disaster? 😉
4 comments
After all and all, it seems little old Irene did you a small favor – things look much better know (although I don’t have a decorator’s eye) 😛
Our poor piano! Also the bargain leather sofas seem not to have made it into the new, improved plan.
BUT what a difference and how much lighter and larger it looks.
I notice Amelia is in the “before” picture but not the after. Oh well, I didn’t see her out on the curb!!
You guys did a great job. (And Amelia is a keeper)