Basement Refresh Part 1: Plan, Shop + Build

Disclaimer: This post was written in collaboration with ToiletTree Products. As usual, I only put my name behind brands I trust.

One of my favourite things to do when J is away is revamping a part of the house! Why? Because when he’s seeing it come together, he questions my choices – granted, I go through many versions before finding the one. When he is away, I can go through my process and figure out what works and what doesn’t with being swayed by his critique. 🙂

This time I chose to revamp the basement – a room that I have been eyeing for a year! It used to be a rental suite and when we took it back a year ago, we didn’t purchase any proper furniture for the space. We shopped our home and threw random pieces together, hoping it would work.

But it just never felt right. It never felt cozy.

We used our patio furniture instead of buying a couch. We brought the TV down from our bedroom. The stand was made for a corner so it was awkward against the large, blank wall. And the toys. Oh, the toys. Toys were everywhere. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get the mess under control.

Here’s what it looked like when I started:

 

My Vision for this #RLVrefresh

My vision for the space is simple: I wanted a cozy space that the girls and their friends can play freely and where we can also enjoy family movie nights. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money (as usual). There were a few things to consider before getting started:

• electrical
• bulkhead
• organized storage for toys
• TV stand that didn’t take up too much floor space
• incorporate the white board with the decor (girls are obsessed with it!)
• blank walls

PART 1 BASEMENT REFRESH

#RLVrefresh

In the first part of the refresh, I will share what has been done so far and the pieces I plan to use. Part 2 will be coming out shortly!

THE LAYOUT

I decided to keep the layout as is due to limitations with the electrical outlet and the electric heating as we did not want to create a fire hazard putting furniture nearby. The layout didn’t make the most sense but if we moved the TV to a different wall, there would be no electrical for it.

THE STORAGE

We had to get rid of that dark, dinky little TV stand. It was too small for that wall! When you have pieces that are too small for a space, it makes it look cluttered and messy. I purchased a larger Ikea cabinet for the far wall for TV and toy storage. I turned on Queer Eye and the girls and I put it together.

Although we had a few hiccups with the door installation, all in all, it took a few hours to put together. I didn’t want to get much else in terms of storage as we also had cabinets in the kitchen area for storage.

THE BLANK WALLS

The walls were so bare that I needed to add some interest. I pondered over a gallery wall but decided against it because when ALL the toys are out, the visual clutter juxtaposed with the gallery wall would only make it look even messier!

So I opted for this peel and stick gingham wallpaper in a soft, warm neutral. This was a fun task. It wasn’t as difficult as I had expected – it just took some time. It took me about 7-8 hours to complete.

When I asked for tips to fill the blank walls on IG Stories, a friend and fellow blogger suggested I do poster sized prints of the girls for the wall. I snapped them against a blank wall and printed black and white prints from Costco. It cost $17 per print. The frames can be found on Amazon. $24 after a 40% off.

ACCENT FURNITURE

Despite dressing up the walls bit, it still needed something. But I couldn’t figure out what.

Then ToiletTree Products reached out after seeing my IG Stories and it couldn’t have been a better match! I found more than a few pieces that were the perfect fit!

First up, this cute bamboo shelf! I was thinking of the basement when I found this on their online store but I kept seeing that shelf in other areas of my home, like this spot right beside the patio door in the kitchen.

For now, it’s sitting in our basement. Check out the #shelfiegame:

We aren’t getting our couch til the fall and since we have multiple kiddos down here at one time, we needed more seating. I wanted something durable but neutral, in case I wanted to move it elsewhere in the house (I have a tendency to move things around, haha.). I saw these stools, also in bamboo and ordered 2. I have a little idea in store for these later.

So that’s it for now. I am slowly gathering more pieces but I’m most excited for a big comfy couch!

Let me know what you think of the pieces I chose so far. Do you have any ideas I could incorporate?