5 Tips To A Finished Basement You Will Actually Want to Use
SoCal Basement Living Room Makeover
Hi Friends! I’m Kristin, Mom of 3, wife, and owner of Postbox Designs, where all I do is Online Interior Design. I was a traditional interior designer for over 12 years before I decided to focus solely on Interior E-Design, and now I get to work with clients all over the country, doing custom designs in a way I never could do before when I was stuck in an office. And I love it when my clients let me share their projects with you, so you can get inspired for your own home!
I’m back with Part II of this SoCal style finished basement project I recently worked on here in my hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan! This mom of two teens requested a teen hang-out space complete with kitchen, bar area, and TV/video game area. And they requested a SoCal/Boho look to their space that kids and grown-ups alike could love. And the teens number one request? Nothing too “kid-ish”! If you missed Part I of this project, I shared Version #1 with you (which looks totally different from today’s design), so check it out:
Basement Living Room Makeover: Part I
5 Tips to the Perfect Basement Living Room Hang-Out
No matter your design style, age of kids, or who is using the space, I think there are five main elements to include in any basement makeover to make your space feel like home. And I think #5 is the MUST HAVE of any basement…and it might surprise you what I choose! P.S. I know some of you may not have basements (I grew up without one), so feel free to use these tips in a Living Room or Family Room as well.
Basement Living Room Tip #1: Think Large Groups
I always tell my clients to design for how you live 90% of the time. But I think basement Living Rooms are known for hosting large groups: whether it be for watching the big game for adults, or having all of the kids hang down there: it should be able to accomodate a crowd. So in this makeover, we included a huge U-shape sectional sofa from West Elm that can fit a mess of people comfortably (Item #3), along with this oversized upholstered ottoman (#4) that can double as extra seating. And we made it fun and colorful for this teen hang out by adding in layers of color and texture with throw pillows.
Basement Living Room Tip #2: Decorate Around the TV
I know, it sounds kind of bad, doesn’t it? But again, the sterotype of a finished basement Living Room typically involves a TV. Think of when you usually use your Basement. It tends to be for parties, movie night, playing video games, watching the “big” game, or keeping little kids entertained while the grown-ups hang upstairs. And most of us have large TVs that dominate the space. So plan your furniture and layout so that the majority of the seating can face the TV. You can use temporary, moveable seating such as floor pillows, poufs, ottomans, and even folding chairs when a super large group is using the space. You don’t always need to have seating for 20 if you are a family of 5…just know how you can flex for larger groups.
Basement Living Room Tip #3: Add a Space Saving “Cheat” Bar Area
Since basements tend to be large, open spaces, we need to fit a lot of different elements inside one room. We talked about this in Part I of this Basement Living Room Makeover, but my client wanted a simple, space-saving bar. I loved her idea of having a skinny countertop hanging on the wall, with bar stools pulled up to it. We chose swivel bar stools (Item #16) with an inexpensive pre-made Ikea top ( Item #19), and added in plug-in sconces (Item #23) with artwork over the bar area. You can customize your bar top to any size, but we used a 12″ deep top to give the maximum amount of floor saving mojo. 12″ deep is great for snacks and drinks, but just as a tip: If you plan to eat actual meals there, I would stick to countertops that are 18″-24″ deep.
Since this bar faces the wall, we also wanted people seated at the bar to easily see the TV (going back to Tip #2!), so we chose modern swivel barstools (in an easy-to-wipe-down faux leather), so these guests wouldn’t miss a minute of the action.
Basement Living Room Tip #4: Use Furniture That Can Do Double Duty
Again, when you are trying to fit a lot into a single room, you want every inch to count. So in the second design of their Basement Living Room, my client wanted to see a table behind the sofa. We carefully chose one single piece that could do multiple jobs. This table works hard as a: sofa table, extra eating spot, and a place to play games/puzzles. Right behind the sofa we added this skinny 24″ deep table top and legs (Item #14)-both from Ikea. It is large enough to eat at, yet takes up minimum floor space in the Basement. These faux leather chairs (Item #13) can pull up underneath, and are easy to clean up after notoriously messy teenagers.
To draw attention to the space, we added these rattan pendants (Item #17), plus they added extra light to the space (always a bonus in a Basement area).
Basement Living Room Tip #5: Add a Kitchenette
I’ll be honest, I think this is my favorite AND most essential area of a Basement Living Room!
And just wait…before you tell me you don’t have the space or money for a basement kitchen, I’m going to share some options to make it a budget-friendly AND space saving plan.
In this Basement Living Room Makeover, my client did request having some closed cabinets, but we saved money by using these inexpensive, pre-made Ikea cabinets (Item #26) and blinged them up with modern gold cabinet pulls (Item #31). We cheated the look of real tile (which can be expensive to install) and instead using peel-and-stick tile (Item #25). This is a simple, and inexpensive way to make your basement kitchenette look more high-end. And an easy way to save money with a basement kitchen is to use open shelves (Item #27) instead of wall cabinets.
While my client wanted a full sized fridge, we saved space and money with this compromise “slim fridge” that is less wide and more shallow than a standard fridge (Item #29). You can also simply add a dorm fridge instead. The other final “must have” in a basement kitchen is a microwave. To work with our SoCal look, I found this retro syle aqua microwave that can simply sit on the countertop using an existing outlet (Item #28). If you don’t have the space or budget for a full basement kitchen, a microwave can go so far in food prep (just think back to everything you could do with one when you were a college freshman!) To make this Basement Kitchen really work with the rest of the space, I found inexpensive Etsy artwork and small decor objects with a SoCal theme (Items 32, 35, and 36). We also added an inexpensive runner (Item #30) that also made this basement kitchen feel like part of the space.
So Why Is a Basement Kitchen My #1 Must Have?
If you want people to actually use your Basement Living Room you have to think about what they will want down there. And I think the two biggies are 1. TV, and 2. Food. Whether you want a full fridge of snacks, or just some basics like popcorn for movie night, and after-school munchies, it will make the space feel so much more useable. Plus it is going to save you a million trips up and down those stairs for the things you are going to get anyways. I would fill up the fridge with healthy snacks, and drinks for my kids. Or you can have the mixings for a full bar down there. Use plastic or melamine plates (or even paper if you don’t want to bother with washing and returning them to their basement location).
If you don’t have a lot of space or budget, I would recommend at least finding a space for a small dorm-sized fridge and microwave. Both will go far with the snacks and can work with existing outlets. Add a simple top or an open shelf for extra storage.
In my client’s case, adding this budget kitchenette not only makes their basement so much more desirable, but actually helps with re-sale value of their home.
Basement Living Room Makeover: The Finished Look
My client chose to do the Large Room Package that included a 3D rendering, so here is a peek at what her finished space will look like. She can see her TV hang out space, the space-saving bar against the wall, her double-duty sofa table (that also works for eating/games), and her kitchenette in the corner. We fit a T-O-N into a single basement room:
Other Kid Hang Out Spaces for the Basement
And before I go, I wanted to leave you with two other projects to get the ideas turning for decorating your basement! Both of these projects were recent makeovers for kids and teens, just like in today’s makeover.
Girl Teen Hang Out Space Makeover
This California family needed a spot for their three teens/tweens to hang out and have their very own space. You can check out both versions of this space right here:
The #1 Way to be the Fun House: Create the Perfect Teen Hang Out
Kid’s Basement Playroom Makeover
This Colorado family needed a Playroom/Family Room for their newly finished basement for their family of (soon-to-be) five. This Playroom/Homework Station is open to the kid friendly Living Room so the design needed to work with both spaces. Plus this Adventure themed Playroom works for boys and girls alike. You can check out the whole makeover right here:
7 Steps to the Perfect Basement Playroom
Grab Free Designs Right Here!
And finally, my most favorite source to leave you with for oodles of FREE design ideas is my Free Resource Library. Inside you will find tons of free designs: Mood Boards, Shopping Lists, Makeover projects, etc. And since we are talking about Basement Living Rooms today, don’t forget to check out some of the freebies inside like:
“Killer Pillow Combos”
“Style a Sofa Like a Pro”
“6 Pieces of Art under $7”
…and more!
You can sign up to get it all (plus score $50 off your first project with me) by clicking below. You’ll get an email with the link and password to access it all for free 24/7:
Yes, I want free designs!
P.S. Already a member? Just log in HERE with the password
Can’t wait to see you back here again in a few days with a whole new project to share. In the meantime, always feel free to reach out to me with your questions or about working together on YOUR home at kristin@postboxdesigns.com
Cheers,
Kristin
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