Basement Makeover!

This is how the previous owners had the basement.  Even though it's a little drab, it's certainly tidier than we've had in the past 9 months!  When some of our furniture that we planned to put down here wouldn't fit because of the tight staircase, it really threw us for a loop.  It threw off furniture placement for the rest of the house.  So much so that we are still trying to figure out what to put where.  Since the basement seemed to be the root of our problems, we tackled it during the month of January.  The hardest part was painting all of the wood paneling white.  The doors, trim, windows, and cabinetry all needed to be white too.  Thank goodness George likes to paint although he was ready to be done with it near the end!  

George built a stage for the kids in the little alcove which is the footprint for the bay window on the first floor.  Then we hung a movie projector screen which can be pulled down anytime to watch movies.

Then I had George build these long shelves to hold toys.  These are great because the kids can reach them and anything can go anywhere.

The staircase was also painted white as was the wall below the chair rail was a dated wedge wood blue. The wallpaper above it will eventually need to be replaced but it's fine for now, it's a blue and white stripe, it reminds me of a dress shirt, it's kind of cute!  

Since this basement is 100% kid friendly there are toys displayed on this shelf at the bottom of the stairs.

We bought a slipcovered sectional from Ikea as the only big furniture item.  It was the only way we could figure out how to get a couch down there since this sectional came in pieces.  It's piled high with bright, cozy pillows and blankets.  On the wall above it I hung a small collection of vintage State plates I found at Goodwill.  The colors are bright, they are retro, and actually educational!

The space between the couch and stage is wide open.  On those rare days when the toys are put away, we have had some fabulous obstacle courses there.   I'm so happy we finally finished this project.  It's fun, cheerful and a real blessing during long winter months!

Other finished projects include Dining Room and Master Bedroom (minus light fixture).  Our family room is the current project.  A new couch will be delivered in a couple of weeks and fabric just ordered for drapes.  Hope I can get up to speed soon and share these projects as well as updates on my two favorite little people.  :)