Back in September, I shared this blog post detailing my basement design plan and my plan to transform this entire level of our home. Well, then the basement flooded with sewage water, and those plans were thrown out the window. Instead, we focused on getting this space safe and livable again and the fun design stuff was put on hold.

Today, I’m here to talk about the basement playroom design and my hopes for the space. During the construction phase, I had no vision of how I wanted it to look. I needed to see the space with walls and floors to get a sense of my exact design plans. I’m happy to report that I now have a very clear vision of how I want things to look and some of the furniture has even arrived…

What’s Coming In January?

Before I get to the fun stuff (i.e. decorating), I have a few more DIYs to share with you. I recently painted the interior doors (six of them!) down here and learned a hell of a lot with that process. I’ll be sharing a full blog post about that in January. This was my first time painting interior doors and it was way more time-consuming than I originally planned.

And I still have to paint all of the walls! I chose “Greige” from Clare paint (the upper right color in the picture above) and can’t wait to see it up on the walls. It’s actually a lot of ground to cover, so I’ll be using a paint sprayer to get the job done. Again, that blog post will be coming at you when I’m back from the holiday break in January!

Get Ready For Some Beautiful Wallpaper…

Because I’m going with a neutral color on all of the walls, I’m adding color and life in another way – with wallpaper! The French wallpaper company, Isidore Leroy, is launching its wallpapers here in the United States and reached out about working together. I took one look at their stunning papers and couldn’t resist. They’ve been in business since 1842 (!!!) and their designs are elegant and whimsical.

I chose this gorgeous forest scene and it will be displayed on the wall behind the couch. It’s a bespoke wallpaper, which means you enter the dimensions of your wall and can choose the exact selection of art that you want to be displayed. It’s then custom-made just for you! The image above is just a rendering. My wallpaper is set to arrive in the coming weeks and I’ll be installing it myself. Stay tuned for that!

The New Basement Layout

My designer friend, Emilie, helped me mock up this rendering, featuring the wallpaper, to confirm that I loved it in the space. This also helped me to envision the new layout of the entire room.

As you can see, we have the sitting area, the playroom zone, and then Finn’s office. These aren’t the exact pieces or colors I’ll be using, but it helps give you a sense of the flow of the room. I really like it!

The Basement Playroom Design & Furniture

Wallpaper // “Greige” Paint Color // Couch // Leather Ottoman // TV Stand // Nugget Play Couch // Book Ledges // Kids’ Play Table // Floor Lamp

Let’s talk about the furniture for the room. Our ceilings are only seven feet tall down here (even shorter in some areas), so I chose low-profile pieces. I chose this couch, this leather ottoman, and this TV console way back in August and I stuck with those pieces, even after the flood. They just work so well for our low ceilings and are kid-friendly and durable.

The furniture arrived earlier than expected. I thought I would have more time to get the walls painted before the arrival, but it all came so quickly! Instead of storing it away so I could paint, we set it up for our family Cookie Day party and it made for the perfect spot for all of the kids to play! I also scooped up this rug for a steal on Black Friday and it adds a nice hint of color to the floor. It’s the navy/multi color combination in the 8’3″ x 11’3″ size. I adore it!

I’m very excited about the reading bench we will have at the front of the basement. I just ordered some fabric samples from PatioLane for a cushion for that space and I’m excited to get that moving forward. (They made the bench for our kitchen and it’s perfect!) I’ll then add lots of fun pillows up there, for a cozy reading nook. On the walls, I want to install book ledges for easy access.

We’ll then put Rory’s new dollhouse, our nugget couch, and the kids’ coloring table in this zone. I’m not 100% sure of my plans for toy storage, but it will be happening! I want to see how we use the space before I start buying.

Finn’s Office Space

This little corner will be Finn’s new office space and we don’t have an exact design for this spot just yet. I do like the layout of the rendering above.

He was working in my office on a folding table for a while until our kind neighbors offered up this really nice desk! He’s been using that and we will transition it to the basement once I’m done painting the space. Before we buy more furniture or storage for his new office, I think he will work down there for a while to get a sense of what exactly he needs.

What About The Bathroom?

One more area to discuss is the bathroom! You may remember, I did a budget-friendly upgrade of this little room two years ago and we really loved it! Sadly, the flood ruined the vanity, the drywall, and the floors. Our basement remodeling team installed new drywall and baseboards, but that’s it.

For now, I re-hooked up the vanity and faucet so it’s a usable space until I have more time to renovate it. I figure I might as well redo the entire bathroom with upgraded tile and a new vanity. I don’t have a finalized design plan just yet, but look for more to come in January!

Catch Up On The Basement

All this to say, there are a lot of exciting things coming in 2023 for the basement playroom design. It’s going to be a wonderful multi-purpose room for our entire family and I can’t wait to take you along for the ride as I finish up this space.

• My Basement Design Plan
• Why Our Basement Flooded
• How We’re Preventing Another Flood
• Remodel – One Week In
• Adding a Wall of Shiplap
• Caulking, Patching, & Other DIY Tips