Still Digging (Deep)?

 Okay Chumps. After my last post, I would love to tell you that this is a photo of me volunteering my time clearing rubble in Haiti or helping in relief efforts post Superstorm Sandy, but unfortunately it's just me, (albeit, a darker, shorter haired version of me) in 2010 clearing out cinderblock pieces from our basement remodel. Yes, it took us three years from start to finish and it's certainly nothing fancy, but it doubled our actual living space in our cozy little bungalow and for that we're very grateful.

I am still wrestling with life's bigger issues, but thought I better get back to my 'shallow gal' self for a few more posts. I do appreciate your comments on FB and in person as we journey through the deep (and not so deep) things in life together!

 
This was a shot of lower level as you walked down the steep steps from the original kitchen hallway. 
The dark brown wall was a supporting wall made of cinderblock and broke up the entire space into two worthless L-shaped rooms. Our girls were unfazed by the dark, dungeon, cellar-like feel of the place and actually spent most of their time down there! As you can see, they had tons of fun writing all over the painted block walls. Friends and guests were welcome to leave their mark as well! 

Meredith, Brooke and Kennedy practicing a song in their wireless mics that they would perform on the makeshift stage they were sitting on. ( circa 2010)  How do you like the faux brick wall I painted them? (Eeeeekkk!)

Here's a another shot taken from that small corner room. You can see that Ken had already made work of repositioning the stairs so that they wouldn't come straight down as steeply as they did. 

 Bummed that I don't have a before the before shot of how they were when we first moved in. Picture the stairs at the top continuing straight and steep to the bottom.

We had taken the white berber carpet that was in the room above this and repurposed in the lower level. As you can imagine. It didn't stay white for very long.

Below is a shot from the bottom of the stops looking south in the room.

Here's the after from almost the same angle. You can see the ductwork that we had to drywall over. You can also see the remainder of that original cinderblock wall to the right in the picture.  We were advised to leave a two foot stub so that our house wouldn't come crumbling down.

We used that stub wall to our advantage and put a countertop with mini-fridge and microwave.

We still need to add a wine rack in the unfinished rectangular cubby. I'm also not finished accessorizing and unfortunately my Christmas garland was still up but you get the idea.

Another 'before' taken from the 'faux brick' wall.

AFTER: You'll notice we had to move the supporting metal posts over and add some headers that run the length of the room. When the posts came down, my walls cracked upstairs in the living room. Oops.:)

You can still see the ugly supporting post to the left of the built-ins. Not sure how we'll finish those but we'll get to that eventually.  The overhead beam is actually just wrapped with cheap pine which I distressed with a hammer and chisel and stained dark teak.

Ken constructed the built in's from a picture I had snapped when I was at Ikea. I frosted the plexi-glass doors and painted the entire thing antique white. I also had some leftover grasscloth wall covering that a client had given me and I papered behind the t.v. with that.

Here's a before pic. of the infamous 'stage' wall:

Here it is now below.

Another before pic. of the area where we added the 'bar'.

AFTER:

A few inexpensive touches:

$500 Ektorp Sofa from Ikea. 

Old record Album art in frames we had from two houses ago.

A $40 tripod floor lamp from Target.

A red $10 garage sale chair I bought two summers ago.

A rustic looking coffee table on casters from World Market.

$25 metal shelving (two) from Ikea on back wall above counter.

Ken's handiwork on bar area. I painted and stained it with materials I already had.

Pillows from garage sales and Hobby Lobby.

This angle:  $5 garage sale retro floral chair I found last summer. Repainted tall director's chairs that my girls use for singing. (Garage sale for $15 each.)  Repurposed metal cart with wire baskets to store odds and ends. (Allegan Antiques).

Garage sale door I painted using our exterior trim paint color. This is at the bottom of the steps so we can shut it when the girls are singing with their mics!

Repainted and papered bookshelf that stores the girls shoes for singing!

I painted the entire space "Edgecomb Grey" by Benjamin Moore in a flat sheen to match the wallpaper that I had found (new) at a second hand store. I walllapered the bar area and the wall behind the metal cart. It is also the same paper in our upstairs kitchen hallway.

Goofy angles and awkward lines, but it was the best we could do with the angles of the stairwell above it leading up to the second story. I wanted "V" groove paneling on the lower wall so paint wouldn't get dirty and the wall wouldn't get dinged up, but we didn't want to spend a lot. Ken ended up running a large sheet of flat paneling board through the table saw and making seams so it would look like 'v' groove board.

Upstairs kitchen hallway ties together with the basement colors as you head down: You can't tell it in the pic, but these walls are wallpapered with the light grey linen as well.

This storage cubby will eventually have a rustic barn style door on a track to close over it. We have the track. We just need to find time to build the door. And yes, wall art is desperately needed.

This "B" I found at Allegan Antiques at the end of the summer. It hangs at the bottom of the basement stairwell. The door to the right, leads to our semi-finished laundry room-a post for another day. In the pic. it looks like it's upside down...in person, not so much. :)

And one more shot.

Again, in a perfect world, I would have all new coordinating furniture with fun patterned chairs. But we all know that this isn't a perfect world Chumps and I am finding contentment in the imperfections. Maybe just today, but it's a start. 

Have a great weekend!