Well, it’s time!  This summer is the summer I’m going to start working on the basement family room.  Well, we’re going to do some work on all the basement, including the playroom and the bathroom.  I’m also going to get the storage areas truly purged and organized.  I’ve organized them and tidied up, but I haven’t gone through everything in detail and it’s time.  It’s tricky when you move because you don’t want to get rid of things you “might use” until it feels like you’re done with the house.  But, there is plenty I can get rid of.  We also want to move our fitness equipment into the playroom, since the boys are getting older and rarely play in there anymore.  It’s time to pass the toys along and make better use of the space.

The main goal in the basement family room is to make it feel like it’s truly a part of our home, that is, to put my personal stamp on it.  Of course, the men in the house are totally happy with it as is, but it feels a little foreign to me.  I’d like to make it feel more like my style while allowing it to be what it is – a place to hang out.  This room needs to be comfortable, functional and welcoming, specifically for the boys and their friends.

Here are the highlights of the room as it is now…

• For a room that’s in the basement, it has great light!  It has a large south-facing window and a sliding door that leads out to the patio.  Last summer, we got plantation shutters for the windows to replace the faux wood blinds.
• The room is a good size and has nice features, like the built-in, a fireplace, and a wet bar.  The previous owners did a wonderful job finishing the basement and making it a great, useable space.
• I know big sectionals aren’t always the prettiest things, but we love this sectional!  Our entire family can and does pile on it to watch movies and TV together.  The boys have had many sleepovers on that sectional.  It’s very functional.  The fabric is a nice, neutral gray and the style is traditional, so it works well for this room.

These are the things I want to change and address…

• I don’t use the word hate very often, but I really hate vertical blinds.  I am going to take them down and replace them with black-out curtains.  (You can see a peek of them in the far right of the picture below.)
• We are going to move the treadmill, which is behind the sectional, and workout gear into the playroom.  That way, the space behind the sofa can accommodate a table for games, puzzles, etc.
• I want to tie a bunch of mismatched furniture together through fabric and paint.  I am going to settle on a paint color for the walls first and then work on the fabrics, which is usually the opposite of how I do it, but I feel like the wall color is very important in this space and I want to get that right!
• In addition to painting the walls, I’d like to add some trim work to them to give the space a little more architectural interest.
• Jeff is pretty adamant about leaving the built-ins alone, so I need to find a paint color that will enhance them and not compete.  I will change out the hardware, though, and will give them some styling attention.  I *might* be allowed to paint the fireplace, but I will definitely paint the surrounding granite.

I also want to give this wet bar a makeover, so it feels more like me, and will paint the banister since that is sort of the only light-colored wood in the room.  I am not 100% sure what I’m going to do with the wet bar, but I will paint it at the very least and probably remove the glass doors, similar to what I did with our butler’s pantry.

Definitely paint, paint, and more paint here…

I know that color is going to be so important to set the tone of this room.  The vibe I’m going for is a European library/gentleman’s club sort of feel.  Does that make sense?  Think moody, eclectic, yet traditional and classic.

When I looked around for inspiration, I kept finding rooms painted in Farrow & Ball colors.  Maria of Dreamy Whites is a brand new Farrow & Ball retailer, so I thought it was a good time to finally try their paints.  Here are the colors I’m considering…

From left to right – Blue Gray No. 91, Pigeon No, 23, and Oval Room Blue No. 85.  To help me select the colors, I actually have a design book by Farrow & Ball that I could reference to see the colors used in several different spaces.

You can buy this book .

For example, Pigeon can look a little green on the paint swatch, but it is a beautiful blue-gray.  Isn’t it so lovely on this door and trim below?

And I really love it on this millwork…

Oval Room Blue is the brightest of the bunch, but I think it could look striking against the built-ins and white trim.

And Blue Gray, which is a pretty straightforward and self-explanatory name, but it’s nice to see it in the context of a room.

I have ordered some sample pots so I can paint them out on the wall and watch how they look in the light of the family room and against the wood of the built-ins.  It is going to be a lot of fun to finally give the basement some more attention!

I’ll share more details of the process soon – we’ll assess the sample swatches together, look at coordinating fabrics, and I’ll do a video tour of the space so you have a better idea of what I’m working with!

You can show the full Farrow & Ball line on the Dreamy Whites website starting at $8.00 for sample sizes.

PS – the guest room is also in the basement and you can see that makeover HERE.