Happy Weekend, folks! Finally, amiright?!

If you follow my instagram stories, you know we’ve been in the process of choosing paint colors for our basement. When we first moved in about 2 and half years ago, I reluctantly put some paint swatches on the wall down there. Why reluctant you ask? Well because I knew in my heart of hearts those swatches would sit there for at least 2 years before we did anything about it and what.do.you.know., mama was riiiiight.

So here we are almost exactly 2 years later - and many a house and/or yard project later - finally trying to finish the space! The main reason we halted on the first go around was that the colors I originally picked were way too blue down there and it just wasn’t going to work. Then life happens and you just…stop…working on stuff. LOL. Winter probably came and turned me into a depressed lazy couch potato which I’m sure did nothing to help the situation either.

Anyway! Caught a wild hair the other weekend and decided to start the color selection process over again and just when I thought we made some progress…I hated every new color! The problem with this basement is that the previous owner/flipper painted every.single.surface down there buttercream yellow which does nothing for any space. Especially one with zero natural light. Even the neutral white I picked looks powder blue from some angles, and pink or lavender from other angles. Having a yellow ceiling just makes everything so much harder to visualize. I know the colors look good together in daylight, so it’s frustrating that they look sooo badly in the basement.

Here’s what I picked for the room:

Sherwin WIlliams “Eider White” - ceiling, up the stairs, and back portion of the room
Sherwin Williams “Mindful Gray” - around the perimeter portion of the room (starting at the columns framing in the couch area)
Sherwin Williams “Porpoise” - dark accent for the tv wall
Sherwin Williams “Black Fox” - in the small bathroom

Now, before I get a bunch more comments about doing a dark basement in such dark colors, the room is really big. Despite the slightly lower ceilings, this portion of the basement is probably around 800 sq.ft. We have a 50’s daylight ranch so the basement is the same exact footprint as the main level. The entire house is about 2,400 sq.ft., if I remember correctly. So minus the bedroom down there, utility room, and tiny bathroom, it’s got a pretty generous living area. Not to mention, this is clearly a basement. We watch movies down here, get cozy, hide from our non air conditioned upstairs in the summer time, play with the dog, etc. I like the idea of leaning in to that warm and cozy feel with super dark paints and I think it can work - when done properly! Whether or not we can execute it…haha we shall see. Also - my mama has a black powder room in her house and I’ve always loved it! It’s so moody and different. Everyone’s trying to make their space light and bright and bigger than it is - and don’t get me wrong, I LOVE WHITE and wish we had 18 windows in every room and tall ceilings and the whole bit…but we don’t! So I’m just going to lean in to my original idea for a cozy man cave movie room and that’s that!

First coat of Eider White is on the walls in the back portion of the room and we are working on completing the ceiling today. Once that yellow is gone, I’m hoping it will be easier to nail down the accent colors! May need to make a 4th trip to Sherwin for some new options but for now I’m holding out hope for my original picks. See below for some before photos of the space! These are no filter, in their true buttery yellow, horrific low-light, messy glory. Cannot wait to see it finally finished!

I also shared this collage on stories and had some questions about where we purchased a few of the items in the basement. Everything I could find a link for is linked below. I’ll always link similar items when the original is no longer available as well! Like our couch for example, they no longer make the same color but there is a similar one available now!

// 1. Threshold 20” Wall Clock -- $30 Sold out online currently but may still be available in stores.

// 2. Lloyd + Hannah Artificial Succulent -- $7 Can’t beat Target’s selection of little fake potted plants. I’m sure they’ll have tons more now that Spring stuff is coming back! Linking a similar one that’s available in stores right now.

// 3. Threshold Faux Succulent in Speckled Pot -- $8 Again, available in select stores but I suggest checking out Target when Spring product officially drops because they will have tons of new options! Mine has a little wood strip on the base and I have a few matching ones elsewhere. This speckled pot is super cute though!

// 4. EveryRoom Reclaimed Wood End Table -- $119 (was on sale for $74 when I bought it) Target sells some cheap affiliate brands if you go deep enough into the search results for something. They’ll always have Target branded things first, but you can find things deep in the abyss that most people don’t care to dig around enough for which is fun when you actually find something that sets your house apart from Suzy down the street!

// 5. LuxeTrendPrints Cactus Print -- $5 Fun Etsy print finds! Just purchase the download and have them printed at Kinko’s. Frames were a Black Friday deal at Target a couple years ago.

// 6. VividAtelier Cactus Print -- $7

// 7. IKEA Lattad Placemat -- $5 Had a grand idea for all of these little natural fiber chargers to create a fun gallery wall but will probably re-work it and only have a few back up when we are done painting. We have a few upstairs as well - just a fun, cheap way to get some texture on your walls!

// 8. IKEA Sluten Placemat -- $2

// 9. IKEA Soare Placemat -- $5

// 10. Threshold Jute Braid Charger -- $6

// 11. Threshold Decorative Charger -- $6

// 12. IKEA Ihallig Placemat -- $5

// 13. Framed Velveteen Rabbit Quote -- Actually made this piece and just had it printed poster size at Kinko’s. Found a Black Friday deal on the larger poster frame at Michael’s. Will probably end up swapping this piece out for some artwork when we are done painting.

// 14. Macy’s Ennia Leather Push Back Recliner -- $1,459 (currently on sale for $1,007) Our exact recliner is from Macy’s a few years ago. I *allowed* Kyle to get it only because we found a decent “modern” looking one. Wasn’t about to have a pillowy 80’s barcalounger in my living room! Thank god for basements you know?! This one is a good alternate with clean lines.

// 15. IKEA Kivik Sectional 4-Seat w/ Chaise -- $749 If you need an affordable cozy couch, this one does not disappoint! Also love that we can take off the covers and throw them in the wash.

// 16. Threshold Artificial Succulent -- $8 No shortage of cutie fake succulents over here. Linked a similar one.

// 17. Altra Stewart Nesting Tables -- $39 Yes - I found these on Walmart’s site! They actually sell quite a few decent affiliate brands and you can find some killer deals. Quality is great considering the price!

// 18. IKEA Locker Cabinet -- $99 Great storage piece for all of our puzzles (instastory fam knows what’s up), games, workout junk, extra blankets, etc. Bonus points for being affordable and versatile.

// 19. Nate Berkus Pillow Top Bench -- $152 Hands down favorite furniture purchase so far! The quality is surprisingly great and it fits perfectly down here. Unfortunately sold out but I’ll keep my eyes peeled for similar.

// 20. 3R Studios Seagrass Basket -- $36 Gotta love a good basket. We use this one to hold all of Frankie’s dog toys. Similar one here.

// 21. Danya B. Two Tier Industrial Pipe Wall Shelf -- $68 I actually made ours for the apartment a few years ago using some metal pipes, flanges, black spray paint, and stained wood. Undecided whether or not I will rehang them once all of this painting is done but this set from Target is actually way cuter than mine!

Stay tuned for a *hopefully finished* update soon!

xoxo
KZ