Alright folks, maybe you’re following along on our basement lounge room progress, and maybe you’re not. If not, you haven’t missed much! Although there is so much more to do, I thought I’d give you an update on the progress I’ve made so far and reveal what is now becoming everyone’s FAVOURITE CORNER of the home!
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BASEMENT LOUNGE ROOM PROGRESS: The Lead-Up!
Where to begin? Buckle up, ‘cause we’re going to start from (ALMOST) the beginning.
When we first moved into this single-story bungalow, the basement was completely unfinished and – quite honestly – we had NO plans to finish it.
At the time, we had just moved from a teeny, tiny 1-bedroom apartment, owned no appliances and hardly a stick of furniture. The basement was the LAST thing on our minds as we had to purchase all our appliances – and fast! – and slowly begin to furnish the bedrooms and common areas.
In the meantime, I had STARTED THIS LITTLE BLOG and began to share some of those updates, including progress made in our LIVING ROOM (remember “My Article Furniture Review, 1+ Years In” and “Life Lately + Our Home Projects In Progress”?), DINING ROOM (“Our Dining Room Refresh” and “My Ruggable Machine-Washable Rug Review, 2 Years In), GUEST BEDROOM (see “Updating Our Guest Room”), and FOYER (“DIY Interior Door Paint Refresh: Tips for Beginners” and glimpses into the process on Instagram).
Fast forward to 5 years ago and my husband and I FINALLY decided to do something about our basement.
We determined that ONE HALF would REMAIN UNFINISHED and continue to be used as a multi-purpose space, namely as a storage area/gym/workshop for my husband.
The OTHER HALF would become the FINISHED area of the basement whose primary purpose was to become a CRAFT STUDIO and OFFICE SPACE for me.
THIS is what that space looked like PRIOR TO FINISHING:
And THIS is what it looked like AFTER:
The area is actually quite long, about 12′ X 40′ end-to-end. And while an enormous craft studio sounds great, it felt like a wasted opportunity to add more livable space for our family and/or guests.
SO, I decided to divide the area into 2 ZONES: 1/ Craft Studio/Office and 2/ Lounge Space.
I’ve blogged A LOT about the progress of the craft studio/office zone, starting from when it became a kernel of an idea in my head (“Craft Corner Dreams” and “Craft Room Mood Board”) right on through the furnishing and organizing process (see “3 Simple Ways to Organize Your Yarn Stash,” and budget tips for “Displaying & Organizing Craft Supplies,” and “Making Craft Room Organization Labels,”
Of course, the FINAL CRAFT STUDIO/OFFICE REVEAL was by far one of the most popular posts on the blog: “Organizing My Craft Room/Office + Full Tour”).
WELL, unbeknownst to many of you lovely blog readers, was that along the FAR END of THIS SAME SPACE was where I was still planning on creating a little sitting room/lounge area (which I briefly blogged about here).
This FUTURE LOUNGE AREA is a cozy 12′ X 12′ area located just beyond the craft studio.
Over time, we began to acquire furniture, mostly gifted from friends and family.
I pictured this little pocket of space as the perfect area for READING, LISTENING TO MUSIC, & NAPPING, of course 🙂 But also, we wanted the flexibility of being able to accommodate additional overnight guests should the guest bedroom be occupied.
All remained pretty much as you see it above UNTIL this past summer, when we decided to install a wood burning FIREPLACE (not in the original plan).
I shared the progress of our fireplace installation on Instagram and many of you sweetly and positively responded to our excitement.
This one addition felt like we were well on our way to completing the FINAL PHASE of creating our lounge room.
But just when the installation was in full swing, it seemed the hearth pad we ordered had a manufacturing defect, STALLING PROGRESS (Argh). Which also meant that this part of our basement would remain unchanged for several more weeks…
OUR LOUNGE ROOM PROGRESS, TO-DATE
So after the fireplace installation was complete, and after moving around some furniture, I’m excited to FINALLY share the CURRENT status of our Lounge Room Progress.
Here’s a QUICK TOUR and some of the KEY FEATURES of this space, SO FAR:
1/ CORNER FIREPLACE
As soon as you enter the area, it’s clear that the FIREPLACE is the FOCAL POINT.
I made sure our seating was designed to face the fireplace and take in that lovely glow and warmth.
It is amazing how much this ONE ADDITION has transformed the entire feeling of this space. As I recently shared in how to create your perfect nesting space at home, and on Instagram, this one humble little area has become THAT perfect spot for me.
For the curious: This was the fireplace we purchased.
Before it was fully installed, we made sure we had the appropriate fireplace implements, some of which are actually available on Amazon:
Here is where you can find them (or similar products):
Bellows (see similar ones here)
Ash Bucket similar ones
Canvas Firewood Bags (see similar ones here)
2/ VINTAGE LOUNGE CHAIR
Angled opposite the fireplace is this edgy mid-century lounge chair in its original vintage green upholstery.
It is surprisingly comfortable to sit on and is the perfect spot for sipping on coffee and enjoying a good book!
To add to the overall cozy feel, I draped a tartan style wool throw blanket, added a large wicker basket full of throw blankets (both, HomeSense Canada finds) on one side and a temporary coaster on the other (actually, a vintage Bosnian change purse).
3/ MID-CENTURY CABINET
Next to the lounge chair is this absolutely stunning mid-century cabinet that I STILL cannot believe we own.
It (along with the chair) was a gift from a former co-worker’s parents. Currently, we are storing all our liquor, some snack bowls, family photo albums, and all our board games here with plenty of room to add more!
As a fan of mid-century design, it is by far my FAVOURITE PIECE in our entire home.
4/ ART NOUVEAU CABINET & MEDIA STAND
In the opposite corner sits a retro record player stand/charging station (an Amazon purchase) next to another lovely vintage cabinet.
The media stand – while a right pain to put together, fyi! – looks more like a piece of furniture (unlike others I looked at on Amazon). It is the perfect little storage cabinet for records and CDs.
The tall cabinet was gifted to us by my husband’s parents. It is such a lovely piece that – based on its age and design – appears to be an art nouveau era cabinet.
It has yet to be properly styled (I’ve just stored a few items in there), but it is a great addition to our space.
5/ SLEEPER SOFA & ANTIQUE FLOOR LAMP
Next to the tall cabinet is this inexpensive mid-century style sleeper sofa (in grey) (from Wayfair) with simple curved lines and walnut tapered legs.
The antique floor lamp was a gift from my in-laws. It is non-functioning at the moment and will need to be rewired. It is designed with beautiful curves and a claw foot detail along the bottom that is so stunning!
And, of course, what lounge area doesn’t have a book stack of home interiors and home craft inspiration to peruse while lounging in front of a fire 😁 📚 🔥
For the curious, here is where you can find these books (in the order they appear, above):
Macrame 2: Accessories, Homewares & More
Make A Statement: 25 Handcrafted Jewelry & Accessory Projects
Recreated Designs: Cottage Projects With a Vintage Flair
Elements of Style: Designing a Home and Life
A Beautiful Mess Photo Idea Book
On The Loom: A Modern Weaver’s Guide
The Complete Book of Home Organization
The Scrollsaw: Twenty Projects
The Complete Book of Nature Crafts
Sarah Style (Sarah Richardson)
THE ‘STILL TO-DO’ LIST (& DESIGN CHALLENGES)
Of course, there’s plenty more to do, including adding an area rug (or rugs), adding a CD/bluetooth player, floating bookshelves (we STILL have some books stored in boxes), etc.
This process also comes with some design challenges.
NAMELY, with the addition of the fireplace (as much as I LOVE it), the layout has suddenly become rather ASYMMETRICAL.
I won’t bore you with all the details, but suffice it to say, the sofa and long cabinet are no longer centered directly opposite one another. Instead, they are about 1.5 feet off center.
ALSO, in order to give the sofa and tall cabinet some breathing room (remember, it’s a REALLY TIGHT SPACE), I angled the cabinet (SO unlike me). In the end this mirrored the fireplace (and lounge chair), camouflauged the imbalance and, quite by accident, created a lovely visual balance, overall.
But guys, I’m really being stretched here! Trying to balance out the asymmetry of the space is an ongoing challenge.
Don’t get me started on finding the right area rug! (My CURRENT design dilemma: 1/ WHERE to position an area rug (centered on the sofa or on the long cabinet?) and 2/ ROUND, SQUARE OR RECTANGULAR area rug (or multiple rugs?)).
So that’s where we are in our basement lounge room progress. With the addition of that FIREPLACE, the room is WILDLY TRANSFORMED already. It’s really shaping up to be THE WARMEST and COZIEST of spaces!
Any recommendations? I’m all ears!
Enjoyed this post? Check out these other Room Reveals and Room Planning posts from the blog:
• ORGANIZING My Craft Room / Office + A TOUR
• My ‘Article’ Living Room Furniture Review, 1+ Years In
• Master Bedroom Mood Board Inspiration
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