Cozy Basement Family Room Design
My first project of 2024 is my sister Alyse’s basement. And let me tell you, it has not been without its challenges. In fact, it’s pretty much been nothing but challenges since the moment we started it. This cozy basement family room design seemed to be one fail after another, but we made it through the rough patches and we’ve managed to keep moving forward despite quite a few setbacks.
Cozy Basement Family Room Design
Design Challenges
Let’s start with the design challenges. These are the things I knew I was going to have to work with in order to create the cozy, multipurpose family room design that she had in mind. For example, the soffits. There are two soffits in my sister’s basement, one on either side, and both of them contain duct work. I’m currently still brainstorming on how to incorporate them into the media wall design.
Another design challenge I had was the fact that the room is not symmetrical, therefore, the media area is off center in the room. Symmetrical rooms are typically easier to create balance in than asymmetrical rooms. That being said, it just takes a little more thoughtfulness with furniture and design elements to create the balance in the room.
It was also important to me that the design of this room kept with the overall design of her house, which is mid-century modern. If you’ve been around a little bit, you know that this is just one of many rooms I’ve made over in Alyse’s house. I’ve done her entryway, living room, dining room, powder room and more! My design challenge here was to make the basement flow with the rest of the house.
The Original Design Board
Moving onto the challenges we did not anticipate. Now, I know not every project is going to be all smooth sailing. But I’ve got to be honest, everything that could go wrong with this cozy basement project, did. Alyse changed her mind about the original wallpaper I originally picked out. The media console came in a hundred pieces. I mean, not even the drawers were assembled. And after all of the effort we put into building it, we realized it was scratched and the drawers didn’t line up. Plus, it broke within 24 hours of putting it together. I was sent the wrong size slats for the accent wall. And to add to it, basically Alyse’s whole family came down with the flu.
Wallpaper Choices
Despite all of the setbacks, the only option was to keep moving forward. So I went back to the design board. I started by picking new wallpaper and ordering more samples from Ayara Home. You can use my code: MYSHA10 for 10% off any paper on their site. The original wallpaper I picked out was a beautiful sea mural, but she wasn’t a fan and this is her house after all.
The other option I originally picked was a concrete plaster looking wallpaper and she liked that one. However, when I saw the sample in the space I knew it would make the room feel too sterile. The only thing that was staying in the space was the gray sofa. So with a gray sofa, gray walls, and a gray floor, I knew the room would feel cold, not cozy.
Out of the three new wallpapers I picked, I ended up going with the darker floral design. I felt that the abstract wavy line one would pull too green because of the green undertones in the sofa. The white floral one was pretty. It would keep it nice and airy and make the room feel bigger. But I ultimately landed on the darker floral design, because while it could possibly make the room look smaller, I knew it would add that touch of coziness that was lacking.
After landing on a wallpaper, I finally felt like the project turned a corner for the better! Then I tried out a few different paint colors that were color matches to it. And once the paint was up on the walls, I started on the slat wall.
The Final Design Choices
Don’t worry, I am going to put together a whole step-by-step tutorial for the slat wall that’ll be easy for you to follow if you’re looking to do this in your own home.
Overall the first project of 2024 has definitely kept me on my toes so far. But I have high hopes that this will turn into the perfect cozy basement family room where Alyse and her family can hang out, have family time, watch movies, etc.
Add to favorites or read later
