I haven’t shown our finished basement at all because in true form, I was waiting for it to be ‘done’. Something that never truly happens! Here’s what we have in our basement currently, plus what I have in mind for our basement makeover this winter.
Let’s dive in!
Our Current Basement Setup
If you’re sitting on the living space furniture watching TV, the basement may appear totally finished.
However, move your head in literally any direction (including down at the furniture) and you’ll see that’s not the case.
The Living Room Space
The reason Alexis’ nursery has a large sofa is because our old loft couch didn’t fit down our basement stairwell. You’ll see the chair in the basement matches perfectly, because those pieces were our old condo living room set. It was the perfect set to use in our basement since still in excellent condition, but since the sofa didn’t fit downstairs, our perfect plans were foiled.
That leaves us needing to find a new couch situation for the basement. Given our 360 degree stairwell turn, we’re going to likely need to find a sectional that breaks down into several pieces for it to fit.
Plus, we hope to keep both our chair and a half and the recliner we have, so ideally we’ll need something in a cream color. I don’t want anything too dark and anything in a cool tone won’t match at all with the pieces we already have. That may sound like a lot of furniture but we don’t plan to keep it all around the TV area.
The Rest of the Main Basement Area
This section will serve a few different purposes post-basement makeover, but as of right now it’s a hodge podge of storage and pieces awaiting their final homes.
The doll house was a hand-me-down from a neighbor looking to get rid of it. I said we’d love it if no one else wants it but we were newly pregnant and didn’t know if we’d have a girl or boy, or if we’d even have use for it. So, I told the neighbor to just keep us in mind before trashing it.
Months later she still couldn’t find anyone to take it and we’d out we were having a girl, so they brought it right over! It took both Kevin and the neighbor to get it out of his truck and into the garage. It’s solid wood and heavy! It’s gorgeous though; it just needs a little work. I’ll be fixing it up and painting some parts before Alexis turns one and can really even play with it. Keep an eye out for that project on here!
Other miscellaneous items include a spare crib, our popcorn machine and an old desk. The crib is a long story, but if we have a boy eventually, I’d love a moodier, gray nursery. We’ll have room for it in our everyday storage once we get more organized, so I can’t justify getting rid of it yet.
Our Basement Storage Room
Yes, you read that right, we’re lucky enough to have two storage spaces down here! When we designed the basement floor plan we could’ve made the holiday storage space a bathroom but neither of us had a strong desire to have a basement bathroom and opted for more storage space instead. We’d do the same a thousand times over because we LOVE the amount of storage space we have! This also cuts down on random storage throughout the house. Any holiday decor or longterm storage comes straight down here and the main levels are home to everyday items only.
Primary Basement Storage
This area has been our primary storage room since day one, even before there was drywall and a door.
It’s a small area located on the other side of the stairs which makes it perfect to close off from everyday living.
Holiday Storage Room
Our holiday storage space came to be after we finished the basement. We wanted a way to keep the water heater, A/C unit, etc. out of the main living area so we decided to close it off. As mentioned, we could have made this a bathroom but decided against it. Seeing as it’d be a little small to do much with it as part of the main room, we kept the wall going and added a door to make it more storage.
Currently, we keep Christmas decor and miscellaneous pieces in here, but hope to get better organized with our basement makeover. More on that in the wishlist section!
My Basement Makeover Wishlist
I think a lot of what I have in mind is pretty realistic for an all-at-once basement makeover based on our budget and the items themselves. The variable will be finding ‘the one’ for us of the items on the checklist.
Sectional Sofa
Touched on this a bit above, but we need something that will come in smaller pieces. Dang near nothing fits through our crazy basement stairwell turn. We’d really like a sofa sleeper for kids and guests, but unsure if we’d find one to fit. If we do it’ll be a huge win for us!
Built-ins or Similar-Looking Shelving
I love built-ins, Kevin isn’t as keen. What’s your experience with them? We’d love feedback to factor into our decision making. I personally am team built-ins because they’re really installed and with kids, you just never know. I’m all about the safety!
Wrapping Station
With built-ins, we could make a more custom cabinet to house wrapping paper tubes and other gift wrapping items. I’d love to have a wrapping station in the basement because right now it’s in my upstairs studio and as our family grows, more and more from our guest room closet will need to go in my studio closet. It’s not a pressing issue, but I’m all about not having to do more work if/when I’m pregnant again!
Kid’s Play Area
This would be in front of the built-ins on the back wall (where the doll house currently is). It’s an ideal spot to keep an eye on kiddos from the living area while keeping it a separate space for toys and games.
Consolidating All Holiday Storage
Ideally, we’ll move Halloween (several bins), Thanksgiving/Fall, Easter/Spring and Fourth of July (one bin each) into the holiday storage room.
With baby gear piling up it needs dedicated storage space and it doesn’t make sense to group with Christmas decorations.
Instead of piling it in Christmas storage, we’ll move all the holidays to a holiday storage room. This will free up baby storage in the everyday storage room. The everyday storage room will house Costco overflow, our deep freezer, some childhood bins and Alexis’ baby gear. This way, storage is either holiday or not; it makes much more sense this way!
Concession Stand Area/Counters
A big wish list item for our basement makeover is a concession stand area. We tossed around different ideas including a bar, which would’ve been really cool, but we aren’t big drinkers. Knowing we wanted kids when we started designing our basement, we decided to make this area a “concession stand” space.
So far, we have a popcorn machine my in-laws got us for Christmas last year and….that’s it. But hey, it’s a start! We love our popcorn machine and it’ll eventually be the focal point of our completed concession stand space.
Other features here will include counter space with storage, a mini fridge and some concession stand racks. I love the idea of those racks for candy and other goodies we’ll have during movie and game nights. The majority of this area will remain open for play right now, but down the line I’d like a table dedicated to board games, long term crafts or anything we want to leave and come back to later.
Finish Decorating the Stairwell
Right now it’s pretty bare bones in here. I’m waiting until we have a couch delivered before installing a fixture or decor for an easier move-in experience. Anything we get delivered will need all the space it can get so I’ve just decided to put this off. This will essentially be the finishing touch to welcome guests into our newly finished space. When you see this space done, you’ll know it’s just about time for a reveal!
This basement makeover is a long-time coming. We finished the basement last summer and by the time it’s up to my standards it’ll have been about a year and a half later. Rome wasn’t built in a day though, and money doesn’t grow on trees. In all seriousness, it’s important to remember that it’s okay to take your time and budget for these overhauls. Don’t let the pressures of “Pinterest-perfect” make you feel the need to finish everything the day you move in. A good quality renovation or makeover will take time and when it’s done the finish product will speak for itself!
More Home & Decor
- Our Modern Boho Main Bathroom
- Minimalist Pink & White Nursery Inspiration
- Our Brand New Loft Living Room Reveal
- Before & After: A Warm Farmhouse Kitchen
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