For 20 years, our basement was the "kid-zone," where toys and video games ruled. But our kids grew up (how did that happen so quickly?), and we decided to turn the space from a playroom into a retreat.
We started in June, and began to look for paint and new carpet and new furniture. We also went through all of our stuff and did a lot of sorting, donating, and purging. Honestly, the sorting and purging part is still happening. There's so much to go through.
Let's start with a before picture. Teal is one of my favorite colors, so we decided to go with that color scheme on the walls and carpet. It was a great palette for our daughters, cheerful and fun.
Unfortunately, the carpet had flattened and matted (twenty years will do that to carpet). Plus, I was ready for a different look. I was thinking "relaxing getaway."
So we cleared everything out, primed the walls, and then painted with "Kilim Beige" from Sherwin-Williams. We ordered a nice neutral carpet from Lowes and we ended up ordering a sectional from Raymour & Flanagan.
My heart sank when I realized the sectional was too small for the room. I swear, I measured a bunch of times but I definitely screwed up somehow. Here it is (picture taken before the new carpet was installed):
I ordered another mid-section for the sectional, and it was perfect! I also worked with a "home stager," who recommended some paint colors and helped me reconfigure the room. She suggested that we the TV near the stairs instead of against the wall in order to free up space for the large couch.
Consulting with a "home stager" really helped. She did charge a fee for her time, but the cost was well worth her good advice.
Speaking of costs, here's what we spent. I was willing to pour a decent amount of money into this space (and I'd been saving for ten years), so I didn't cut too many corners.
$6,280 Sectional couch from Raymour & Flanagan (I ordered online -- it was a great experience).
$1,738 Carpet from Lowes
$17.99 Clock on wall
$25.00 Wall decor from Kirklands
$27.99 Extra pillows (the couch came with lots of pillows, but I added two soft ones)
$199.00 Wall art from Kirklands
$120.00 Standing lamps from Target (the Threshold brand)
$197.00 TV stand from Wayfair
$35.98 Tray on ottoman
$100 Wall paint (I used paint rollers I already owned, so I didn't have to buy them)
$50 Primer paint
$26.99 Four rolls of painters tape
$2.99 foam brush to paint stairs
$440.00 Got Junk came to haul out some of our heavy stuff
$349 Fee for home stager
$9,609.94 Grand total
We are loving our new space. Here's another look at the before and after:
And where we're at right now:
The whole process took about three months, from deciding what to do, ordering our stuff, painting, organizing, and waiting for delivery. It was definitely worth the hard work.
That's all for now!
