If you’ve visited here the last couple of weeks, you will be fully caught up on how our basement living room and laundry room look. If not, feel free to check out those posts – because today is all about my future plans for the basement! I don’t think we’ll be doing too much work on them this year (especially not the laundry room since it’s more of a major renovation) but it’s always fun to plan and dream anyways right?
Plans for the Laundry Room
Our laundry room is unfinished, so the updates of course involve doing some framing and drywalling (which I know will make the room WAAYYYY better). I also want to tile the floors (right now it’s just concrete hidden under a rug) and maybe do a tile backsplash behind the appliances and add some shelves.
Layout-wise, we won’t be changing too much – but I do want to swap the dryer and washing machine. Currently our dryer door opens the opposite way (meaning I have to bring my wet laundry alllll the way around the door to get it in) so it’s a tad annoying. In case you are wondering, I designed these laundry room plans using Lowes Room Designer (which also has bathrooms and kitchens!).
(I also shared some layouts using the Ikea kitchen planner in this post).
Here’s a 3D image of what the space would look like walking in from the door (that wall block is where the furnace is, but we won’t be enclosing it with drywall or anything). I’m hoping I can move the freezer to the wall directly to the right of door, and that way we will have more floor space for my drying racks.
For the ceiling, we will probably do a simple tile drop ceiling, because we are pressed for space and doing a full drywall ceiling would be more time consuming too. (You know, those 2′ x 4′ tiles you see in commercial places). They are not the best looking design-wise, but are quick to install and SUPER practical when you still need to access the things above it (in our case, a bunch of wires and what not).
Because we will be finishing this room, we will need to get a permit to do the work (building permits vary widely, so always check with your area if you’re planning on doing some renovations). And, like I mentioned last week and a bit today, there’s not a big rush to get this space done anytime soon.
Plans for the Basement Living Room
Our basement living room is country, remember? I don’t love the 90s country look too much, so we will be doing a lot of cosmetic updates to this area! I’m thinking 90% of the “issues” I have with the space can be addressed by a simple coat of paint (or two) – so let’s look at my mockups below to see what I mean!
First off, I am thinking of either painting or white washing all of the paneling AND the brick! In this mockup, I assumed a white-wash, so that’s why they’re a bit darker. (I’ll also be cleaning up our junk, so just pretend those items won’t be there!)
I’m probably going to leave the fireplace surround brass and think it will be a nice pop and also complement the brass plates that I need to hang. I also want to either stain or paint the mantel darker to add some contrast, because the light wood tone does not go with anything right now.
(We’ll also be moving our office furniture down here soon – but I know we won’t have anything painted by then).
The walls will get a coat of some light gray paint and I am hoping to get some slip covers that will fit our couches. We have t-shaped cushions, so it’s easier said than done (although I have found a couple of options that might work). The plan is to make all the walls and furniture neutral, then bring in some bright colours in the accessories.
Where the old fireplace was (way before we moved in), I want to take out that extra moulding to make it all one height. Adding the white paint will also help blend this space together and trick the eye into thinking it matches. There are also some surround sound cables/wires that we can rip out, because they were left from the previous owners and we’ve never used them.
Here’s what it would look like if it was all one height (and I didn’t have slip covers on the couches). My mockups are definitely a lot darker than what I think the space will be when all is said and done, but at least they help give a sense of what I am thinking. Right?
Since we’ll be ripping out some of the paneling to create a space for the bathroom door, I’m going to take advantage and do a “test” paint on this area before it comes down. That way I can see which option will be best (ie: white washing or just doing a full white paint) and also how the paint will adhere. Of course I’ll be asking for some of your opinions too!
Speaking of which!
On Instagram (and Facebook) I shared a photo of the green door I bought and asked what colour I should paint it. While the Facebook fans were torn, or offered other colour ideas (like off-white) the Instagram commenters voted 100% for black! (Update: see the door transformation here!)
And here is what I imagine that corner will look like once the door is installed! I think I might paint the laundry room door to match, and if you’re worried that the basement is too dark to handle the black, I’m hoping the white trim/paneling will offset that. Also, because the bathroom door is 75% window, it won’t be too dark at all.
Now… if only I could figure out how to best install the door (ie: pocket in the wall, sliding inside the bathroom or traditional hinge)…
I hope you’re as excited as I am about these future plans for the basement! Let me know what you think, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments :)
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