Basement Bedroom

Basement progress hasn’t been quick, but with a down-to-the-studs starting point, I guess that’s only natural. It’s been a while since the last update, so here’s a run down of the changes made. Directly ahead from the base of the stairs and garage door is the mud nook with the bedroom beyond.

We spent two weekends hanging sheetrock before hiring a crew to tape, mud, sand, and prime to avoid getting bogged down. Money well spent, if you ask us. Right after they finished, we laid slate tiles in a herringbone pattern (same as the kitchen). Next, Ben hung doors and installed baseboards, crown, and door trim while I filled, caulked, and painted doors.

With all the trim filled, I spent most of my waking hours painting. Just painting away. First trim, then walls. We carried the same paint from the main level down the stairs, and into the hallway.

In the south facing bedroom, I wanted to use a bolder color. Something to break up all of the neutrals in the adjoining spaces.

Enter Templeton Gray from Benjamin Moore. It reminds me of dark and stormy skies; blue with enough gray to keep it from feeling bright. Depending on the lighting, it can look gray or blue. A color that can easily pair with golds, mustard yellows, navy, wood tones, and my favorite-green.

Bedroom and closet doors are waiting in the wings, ready to install soon.

Back out in the hall, the first door leads to the laundry room.

To save space, we installed a pocket door, and modified the trim to fit the lowered ceilings.

Let’s continue down the hall, toward the theater room.

Duct work runs the length of the hall, lowering the ceilings by about one foot.

In an effort to minimize the height difference, I carried the wall color up to the ceiling.

Down in the theater, the duct continues through part of the room.

To create a dark, enveloping room, I chose a deep green for the walls, Jasper from Sherwin Williams, in a flat finish. As with the hall, the color continues onto the lowered ceiling.

Eventually, we’ll mount the TV to the wall with a cabinet below.

This shot is the most accurate color representation. It’s exactly what I hoped for, dark enough, but still looks green.

Carpet samples are on their way here so we can decide on a color before ordering. Once carpet is in, we can officially start using these rooms!

Thanks to the configuration, we had to make the theater door swing into the hall to avoid a door awkwardly sticking out.

Through that door is a storage space, which would be a closet if used as a bedroom.

Looking back down the hall, the doorway on the left is the bathroom, laundry after that, and mechanical straight ahead.

And the nearly after view, minus missing carpet and lights until the paint has cured.

I’ve got ideas swirling in my head for furniture and accessories, which I can’t wait to get a start on.

Continuing the tour, let’s walk down the hall and peek into the bathrooms and bedrooms.

Four years ago, when we closed, the only tub in the house was the clawfoot in the main bath. Having two little kids and guests, a tub only wasn’t the most ideal layout, nor were the finishes selected.

Our first project was to remodel the bathroom, adding a tub/shower combo, and create more privacy by the toilet.

Across the room, a large, intricate vanity with small drawers and little storage took up a lot of floor space. Note the plug-in sconces, in a bathroom.

Utilizing vertical space, we built the floor to ceiling narrow shelving for storage. Keeping the vanity open, and painted a unique color, visually lightens the room, while still offering storage for toilet paper, towels, and bath toys.

The smallest bedroom in the house, the guest room, featured wall to wall, floor to ceiling oak bookshelves, a boob light, and another broken window.

With a tight layout, we wanted to create a useful room, with plenty of walking space and even a dresser. To do so, we cut out a notch in the shelves to recess the bed, making a cozy nook. Sconces flank either side, with the shelves serving as a nightstand. A larger window creates an egress access and brightens the north facing room.

Across from the bed is a petite dresser and small closet.

Perhaps the most neutral space before, the boys’ bedroom, had two windows and oodles of sun shining in. It also had unevenly patched walls and popcorn ceilings.

When working on spaces for kids, I like to ask for their opinions. Before getting started on the fun stuff, I fixed the walls, scraped the ceiling smooth, and we replaced the fogged up old windows. Then came the fun part, and the boys helped choose the wall color, art, and stripe curtains.

There’s a small space between the entrance and closet doors, but the starting point was a blank slate.

To use the small space, a handed down bookshelf fills the space nicely, without eating up precious real estate. Of course the Star Wars gear makes an appearance.

While the boys’ room was neutral, the master bedroom had peeling/painted over wallpaper, electric blue walls, two large windows, an ugly ceiling fan, and popcorn ceilings.

As with the entry, we added a wood planked wall for texture and interest and later painted it white. On other walls, I painstakingly peeled off the old wallpaper and scraped off popcorn ceilings. A custom bed, sewed leather top curtain panels, and floating nightstand add character and warmth. We also replaced the window and added a door leading out to a small, private balcony.

Along the left wall is our walk in closet.

Oh the power of paint! Blue walls be gone, in with bright white and nearly black walls. A large leaning mirror is a functional way to put the small area to work. Storing extra blankets looks good on a DIY ladder rack.

Across the room is the entry door (to the right) as well as the master bathroom (on the left). With a generous open area, it’s a bit challenging to put to good use. A master sitting area seems to be the go to.

Instead, a recently found Craigslist dresser brings the warm wood tones over to this side of the room. Added storage is always a plus, but I love having a surface to hold decorative items, too. I hear masking tape is the new, modern alternative to picture frames, didn’t you? Haha, no, a frame will happen…eventually.

Four years ago, if you went through the door you would have seen a hot dog covered with ketchup and mustard-esque room. Red walls, yellow tile and sinks, and brown floors. In a word, woof.

After a full gut remodel, we have a modern meets rustic retreat. Ben built a custom walnut vanity, topped with a stainless steel counter and vessel sink. More tongue and groove is a durable lower wall and a high contrast against the dark upper.

Double sinks on a long vanity were nice, but not something we really need.

Instead, we shortened the vanity to five feet with a single sink, allowing room for the clawfoot tub we pulled out of the main bath.

Though much of the basement is still in the process, here’s a peek at the previous arrangement. Door number one (to the left) led into the under stair storage, and the small French doors went into a big, open space.

With a bit of reconfiguration, we turned part of the under stair storage into a small mud nook. Straight ahead is a bedroom, with a theater space on the other side.