We are closing in on the end of the construction phase of our basement renovation with Lowes Home Improvement! It’s been awesome working with DM Painting and Carpentry on this- total pros with a can-do attitude, which I love (highly recommend these guys). We had some big projects- like the addition of our egress window which involved some insanely big saws to cut a big hole in the foundation- but when building code calls for it, you must answer! We’ve added new electrical, lighting, windows, plaster and today and in the next few days they will install the vinyl plank flooring, little “bar” area and paint the space!
Up next- furnishing it! Since this space will serve as a home office and a den/ playroom I wanted it to be fun, bright and cool but not juvenile. I decided on kind of an outdoorsy “theme” and tones of black, grey, white and emerald green. We’re on a budget for this project so we’ll be lots of things from IKEA and re-purposing furniture from other rooms.
1.I LOVE this abstract print from Etsy for over the sofa (sized to fit perfectly in an IKEA Ribba frame!)
2. I’d love to put a cute tent like this one down there for when the baby is older- but this may be an addition in a couple years.
3. Not sure I can pull the plug on this bright green sofa, but I saw it in the IKEA catalog and thought it was cool!!
4. Thinking about either putting this Cole & Sons wallpaper on the far wall where the bar is as a fun accent- or perhaps painting it in black chalkboard paint and drawing on it instead. Thoughts?
5. Such a cute print on this IKEA rocking chair for an accent.
6. Simple black side tables from Target!
7. The plug in wall sconces for above the sofa.
8. I’m thinking about a pair of these flanking the TV console/ TV.
9. Moving this rug from our old guest room (now nursery) to the basement! I still LOVE it (even if the dogs have puked in it a couple times…)
10. TV console for under the wall mounted TV
11. Baskets for toys in the white storage units.
12. A clear lucite coffee table since the room is quite narrow- this will keep it from feeling crowded.
13. The existing desk we have from World Market (such a good buy!)
14. We have two DWR Sapien bookshelves that may go down here, these are a more affordable version.
15. A good looking filing unit with drawers for the desk.
16. I love this little alphabet chart from Hanna Andersson (and this animal version)
17. The Pottery Barn chair from my office that looks great with the desk.
18. Wall color- HGTV by Sherwin Williams at Lowes in Modernist Gray
19. A simple desk lamp.
I’m so excited to have this as a real, usable, comfortable living space!
If you can’t have an awesome green sofa in the basement? Where can you have it?
Love the board.
It’s a HOME RUN!!! Course, I’m still crazy about my Stockholm rug!! franki
Love that sofa! So bold! And I vote for the wallpaper. The chalkboard wall has been done over and over.
IKEA also makes that chair in a non rocker (as I’m sure you know). It does bounce a little if you want. I mention this because I have it in my son’s room (& love it). I had originally planned on the rocker style. But husband and I are both tall and the rocker didn’t fit as well as the normal chair. Just make sure to test out both if you go that route!
I love all your choices but that green couch is fantastic. I can’t wait to see how it looks when it’s all put together!
I’m all for the wall paper– lighter and brighter! Is the fireplace gone? I thought it was kind of whimsical. I’m sure the end product will be lovely and the extra window is a definite plus.
Love this color combination! Emerald green, black and white- I see you have a deep affinity for this color scheme! Love it!! I keep checking this sofa out on Ikea, and keep wondering where I could put it in my house! I love the pop of color in the basement! Great idea!
Plan on more than 2 of the ikea white shelving units if you can. I have the one that’s 4 columns wide for toys in our basement, and I could probably fill a second one – and I get rid of stuff all the time. You really can’t imagine how many toys and books you’re going to have.
I know that digging for the egress window was a pain, and probably cost extra money that you didn’t want to spend, but just thinking about being in a basement with only one way out gives me the shivers! You never know you need that window until something happens!
You’ll just have to watch out in about 16 years to make sure baby Gates doesn’t try to sneak out of the house that way!
I’m just wondering why you chose vinyl plank over laminate. Are you worried about water in the basement? Are there benefits to vinyl that I’m overlooking? We are currently renovating our basement — timely advice!!
Mostly because we have to float the floor over the existing tile which is encapsulating asbestos laminte. So I was looking for the thinnest product available since our ceilings are so low down there any additional thickness from a laminate plank or prefinished hardwoodwould make the ceilings that much lower (they are under 7′)!
Thanks for the info! I went back to our flooring person and it turns out vinyl is much more water resistant than laminate and will hold up better over time in a damp (or potentially damp) area. We are now looking at vinyl. Thanks again!
We did a mini chalkboard wall as an accent on a narrow skinny wall, which helped contain the mess. Also – my toddler did great with knowing about only using chalk there and not anywhere else, but I see how that could be an issue…. also, if it’s a small enough space you can just re-paint it occasionally to keep it looking fresh.
Would you ever consider blogging, if you haven’t already, about how you went about starting your own business and answer questions to help aspiring residential designers? i.e. do you offer a free client consultation, what steps do you take to decide on a client’s “style” and direction of the project, helping clients come up with a project budget and how that budget is divided between in-office design work vs. furniture/accessories, how you do your billing, etc… It would be great to hear tips and advice from someone like you who has turned their design business into a flourishing success!
Love your ideas for the space! As a mom of two little boys, two thoughts worth consideration:
1. had the sapien and my two boys just wouldn’t leave the books alone. unless you’re going to fill them with kiddie board books, I’d say they’re better put somewhere else. my 3 year old would even climb up in the chair and reach for the books at the top. the sapien is in storage now :)
2. baskets – totally agree with a previous comment that they come apart, especially when trucks and blocks are thrown in and rubbing the sides. we had to replace ours with canvas, just to suit the wear and tear they get. toddlers are rough!
Thanks for the tips!
You are a wizard! This looks fantastic!
This room proves it, YOU are a genius. That sofa is amaaaazing and all the other elements are so thoughtfully pulled together, You hit the nail on the head with this design. LOVE it!!
We’re about to get one of the cute little teepees for our son (17 months) and I think it would have been lost on him before this age. He’s just getting to the point where he loves little spaces, forts, etc. so definitely something you can hold off on if you want to save some money right now.
I agree with Catherine and others: chalkboard paint has had its moment. Along with, I must say: sheepskin.
I love it all … and I say YES to the wallpaper!
Hi Erin – I love the basement ideas! We just finished our basement a few months ago so this is selfishly super helpful!! We have a 3 year old and one chalkboard wall in the kitchen upstairs. I love it and yes, it is dusty, but it hasn’t caused confusion with writing on other walls. It feels sort of more organic than the rest of our more ‘clean-lined’ kitchen. Quick question – we also did vinyl plank flooring, not laminate, (from a “green” company) in our basement (which I love) but recently had our formaldehyde levels tested and they are elevated – likely the flooring is the culprit but new construction and Ikea-type pressed wood furniture can also be a problem. Anyway, I am just wondering if it is now more obvious how to know in advance that any glues used in the flooring are formaldehyde-free? We are fixing our levels now but I would have looked for this specifically if I’d known earlier and companies are making the information accessible to consumers. Is it easy to tell now? XOXO
Love the green sofa!!!
The post and discussion has been so so helpful! We are also going to pull the trigger on a basement reno in the Boston area for a play room and wine storage (locked and away from the kids of course). Unfortunately the last Boston winter was unkind to our below grade space and we recently had to bring it down to studs. I guess the silver lining is that we can make it a better space for the kiddos to use. We were considering the chalkboard wall in the playroom but now I think we will pass. We are now thinking of some kind of built-in white cubby storage space but I worry that it may detract from potential buyers in the future. This should be the easiest room but for some reason it is really stressing me out.
I also think the green sofa is a winner!!
LOVE that green sofa … And I vote for the wallpaper. I feel that chalkboard everything has been done to death. That wallpaper adds something a chalkboard wall won’t. Looking forward to he reveal.
Chalkboard paint = So. Much. Dust.
We had a chalkboard wall in our basement by our bar and well…now we don’t. Go for the wallpaper!
I think I will :)
Erin, This room looks so bright and fun! I say pull the trigger on the green couch. Also, the baskets you have selected are great texture but they tend to come apart (I have them and they might do better with a dab of hot glue around the bottom). I’ve ended up switching to the fabulous Threshold canvas bins from Target , which fit perfectly. They have tons of gorgeous colors and even a lovely gray ikat pattern. Check them out! Can’t wait to see the finished product on both the baby boy and the basement.
I agree! Those baskets were destroyed within a month thanks to my two! I ended up getting some cute, striped ones from the container store that held up much better.
I specified that green sofa (and that rug) for the lounge area of a start-up co-working space and it’s held up incredibly well for the past 1.5 years. The green is bright but it provides a wonderful pop of color if you want to stick to neutrals elsewhere…
Enjoy the last few weeks before the baby arrives!
Thanks for sharing! So happy to hear it’s been a good sofa!
My daughter just bought the green sofa from Ikea for her first “big girl” apartment and it really is very comfortable. She’s only had it for 3 months so I can’t speak to how well it will hold up, but it really is a beautiful burst of green for a neutral backdrop!
Just a note on the chalkboard paint with kids…it’s so cute but a two year old can’t grasp that they can draw on some walls and not others so be prepared that they might get artsy on a wall they shouldn’t (anywhere in your house!). I would stick with the wallpaper and get a cute easel when the time comes.