Over the past few months I’ve shown you bits and pieces of the makeover I was working on in our basement family room. Well…I guess you really can’t call it a makeover since nothing had been done to it for the seven years that we’ve lived here except to plop some furniture and a ginormous tv down there.
Things often move slowly around here, but at long last I’m ready to share the entire space with you.
BEFORE: The whole room was just a hugely boring space. Willy-nilly furniture and a big ole tv. Zero on the personality meter. It’s no wonder that we hardly ever used the space. We had already started shoving some of the furniture around before I remembered to take this picture.
AFTER: This side of the room got a whole new look. I couldn’t buy all new furniture, so I used pattern, texture and color to hopefully downplay the furniture that I don’t care for. BTW – Ferocious Guard Dog would not budge no matter how many times I tried to shoo him out of camera range. Stubborn dog.
There are several diy projects on this side of the room:
Repurposed Bifold Doors
How To Turn A Wicker Cloche Into A Lamp
Recyled Vintage Mantel
Unexpected Color And Mixing Patterns
Before: The other side of the room already held our game table. But why did we even think that we needed one??? Nobody ever even sat here. Again, I forgot to take a picture before we piled the tv in front of the table.
After: We bit the dust and bought a real live entertainment center to hold the behemoth television. I think it was our Christmas present to each other last year.
The vignette on top of the media center needed a backdrop. Since I was going for a rustic/vintage/industrial look in this room, I wanted some old barn wood to make one with. Well…there isn’t too much of that just lying around when you live inside the city limits, so I created my own.
How To Make New Wood Look Like Old Barn Wood
The wall where the game table resides got a whole new look when I was inspired by something I saw in a Pottery Barn catalog. I had lots of fun collecting all of my typography.
Typography Gallery Wall
My handwriting is atrocious when it comes to chalkboards. But I showed you an easy way to get perfect chalkboard letters every time.
How To Make Chalkboard Art The Easy Way
Finally! A room that we really enjoy and use all the time. 😀
kirby carespodi says
October 22, 2013 at 5:06 AMIt looks great! Our basement is basically unusable thanks to the big honkin’ pool table the former owners left.
Jenny@EvolutionofStyle says
October 22, 2013 at 6:43 AMIt’s gorgeous! I love your light fixture too, and the wonderfully high ceilings you have make it so not basement-y. ;-). So many beautiful elements to draw you in! Well done!
Beverly says
October 22, 2013 at 9:20 AMFabulous job, Suzy. You really turned this area in to a perfect place in your home. I know you must be enjoying it.
Kim @ Exquisitely Unremarkable says
October 22, 2013 at 10:19 AMThis is a beautiful makeover! I just love the colors, the furniture arrangement and the décor. Our basement is in need of an overhaul…right now the kids dominate the space! Enjoy your lovely room…you have inspired me!
suzi says
October 22, 2013 at 1:16 PMyou are too funny! i have also asked myself the question “why did we think we needed this?”! fyi…the room totally reads light, bright and cheerful. i did not even realize your furniture was dark until you mentioned trying to work around it. i think you hit the bullseye with this room and i love it.
Pookie says
October 22, 2013 at 1:38 PMI too think that Suzy did a wonderful job on a very limited budget. I know her husband really well (you could say we’re close) and he gave her practically nothing to work with (no ideas, no money, no nothin!). You rose above all of that and did a wonderful job. No wonder I love you!!!
Marty Walden says
October 22, 2013 at 1:45 PMAmazing job, Suzy! It’s stunning and so very fun. I love every bit of it and you pulled it together with such flair.
Cynthia says
October 22, 2013 at 2:30 PMSuzy, this looks amazing, what a huge undertaking. This looks like a great place to plop down and hangout. Great job!!
Cynthia
Sherry says
October 22, 2013 at 3:35 PMFantastic! I think it looks amazing. You did A LOT! I really like your new entertainment center. Where did you find it? Its very pretty. Love the vignette on the top. You transformed the whole area into a fun cozy space.
Rena says
October 22, 2013 at 3:51 PMThis was so worth the effort, love the new design. My Motto is “Presentation is Everything” and you have done a great job!
laurie says
October 23, 2013 at 3:05 PMYea! Your blog is back up and open for business! This room looks great, Suzy. I love all of your creative rustic elements for the walls. I bet this room is getting a lot of use now. It’s so inviting. I also liked your tips for bringing warmth into a space. laurie
Laura says
October 23, 2013 at 5:09 PMLove it! So pretty and cozy looking!
JoAnne says
October 28, 2013 at 8:26 AMYou created a wonderful space for your family. Very warm and inviting. I think a cute pet is a requirement for every good after picture!
Christine says
October 28, 2013 at 8:48 AMLove the color scheme, it looks great. All the wonderful touches and well……Tuck? he is just the cutest!
Shanee says
October 28, 2013 at 6:05 PMWonderful job! I love all the DIY touches….it looks very cozy and comfortable. Thanks for sharing.
Marty@A Stroll Thru Life says
October 28, 2013 at 6:16 PMYour familyroom is totally amazing. I love the colors and your accessories are perfect. Such a cheery and inviting space. Thanks tons for linking to Inspire Me. Hugs, Marty
Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions says
October 28, 2013 at 7:54 PMSuch a great family space, Suzy! I love the colors you’ve used here. Great clock and I love the typography gallery wall.
Heidi says
October 29, 2013 at 9:08 AMWonderful! So inviting! I love how it all turned out.
melissa says
October 29, 2013 at 9:20 AMi love it!! the colors and the furniture are so warm and inviting!!! it really is fabulous!
Lori Lehman says
October 29, 2013 at 4:20 PMWhat a lovely room. I was going to say I love the clock, the fabric on the end tables etc etc but it will be easier to just say I love the whole room! Very inviting. Have a great day!
Martina says
October 29, 2013 at 9:09 PMLooks AMAZING Suzy!!
Lorena Wheeler says
October 30, 2013 at 9:22 AMWOW…I love what you have done. I am in the midst of re-organizing and sprucing up my basement. You have some great ideas that I hope to *borrow*! Thanks for sharing!
Lorena
Jeanette says
October 30, 2013 at 11:56 AMI am so impressed. I saw your reveal on the Linky party on Between Naps, and I love how you leveraged your existing furniture and mixed fabrics. I never noticed older furniture one bit until you mentioned it. I too needed to bite the bullet on adding some items, my basement before picture has a lot of stuff shoved in each corner. I so want to tackle it, but I had to find a) a couch set and b) shelving. I absolutely love what you’ve done and love your blog.
Elizabeth @ BlueClearSky says
October 30, 2013 at 7:35 PMYour basement family room looks great and a perfect spot to hang out with family and friends. I especially like the shelf vignette and the lamp makeover. Thanks for sharing.
Abby says
October 31, 2013 at 10:10 AMThis is such a nice “hang out” room! I love the light and the wall with the letters on it. Very very cute!
Karen @ A Stylish Interior says
October 31, 2013 at 5:00 PMSuzy, it doesn’t even look like a basement! You should be really proud of what you have accomplished! I really like how you repurposed those shutters! Please consider sharing this post at Stylish Friday Finds! The party goes live Thursdays at 8pm.
Karen
http://www.astylishinterior.com
Sally says
November 3, 2013 at 4:58 PMWhat a transformation! — and… you are so right. All of the great stuff on the walls takes the eye away from the furniture (even though the furniture looks great to me! *wink) I love what you’ve done w/ the space!