Basement family room ideas?

2 years ago

We just moved into our 1960 home in Seattle. We'd like to renovate the basement into a TV/family room but unsure what direction to go.

We're undecided on if we should use vinyl flooring or new carpet.
There is almost an entire wall of cabinets with a weird nook in the back that are in perfect condition but unclear on if and how we would use them.
There is plumbing on the right side if we wanted to put a sink and cabinets

Also, we are planning on painting walls an off white and there's a red brick fireplace on the far left wall (where you can see brick on the ground). Not sure if it matters but we'll have light wood flooring upstairs)

Any thoughts/feedback from the community would be greatly appreciated!

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Annette Jaffe Interiors

2 years ago

Perhaps starting off by knowing your needs for the space would help. Are you looking at putting a kitchen in down there? A bathroom? Here is a basement we designed for a client. Please notice the flooring, kitchen, and furniture used.

Better Than A Finished Basement on the North Shore · More Info

Better Than A Finished Basement on the North Shore · More Info

Better Than A Finished Basement on the North Shore · More Info

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Comments (7)

Sammie J
2 years ago
It appears the "nook" in the cabinets housed a refrigerator.

It's really hard to visualize the space - and thus what you could do to it - by the one photo you posted. Can you post a layout with dimensions?
kandrewspa
2 years ago
I put LVT in my finished basement a year ago and am so happy I did. Carpet shows traffic patterns and doesn't last as long. I got an inexpensive area rug (pattern was being discontinued) to define the TV/family room area. I also painted the walls a white with a yellow undertone to brighten it up. The only thing with LVT is that the installers need to check to make sure the floor is relatively flat before installing. If it isn't, they have a way to fill in the low spots. While you won't be able to get it completely flat, just make sure you don't have any low spots in noticeable areas like at the bottom of your stairs. Most basement floors aren't flat (you can't tell with carpeting), so make sure they check.

The floor doesn't have to be the same color as the upstairs, but this also depends on how the stairs are covered. Mine are carpeted so you can't tell the floors aren't identical. If you put new carpeting on your stairs, tell the carpet store you are doing stairs so they can recommend a product that will hold up well for that use.
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Appreciate the responses, this site is always so helpful in generating ideas. cabinbuilder -- a corner fireplace would be nice, but I don't think it will work here. The long outside wall will be taken up with two large windows and a frenchdoor to take advantage of natural light -- which doesn't leave a lot of wall space remaining. We're also trying to tap into existing gas pipes/vents which only gives us the 2 end walls. But will noodle it around... Love the idea of cabinets near the game room. beaglesdoitbetter -- What beautiful rooms -- we have a similar fireplace to the first in our great room with a black granite surround. So hubby wants to do something quite different in the basement. LOVE the fireplace in your bedroom -- it's so unique. caminnc -- I did also think of candice olsen -- she does a lot of beautiful basements -- I will check out her stuff fnmroberts -- I'm going to try to get to the fireplace shop near us for some ideas -- good thought. I need to have tile for mudroom, paint and carpet choices by Monday so scrambling to try to get the full picture. Afraid if I delay the contactors at all, I may not see them again for a month. Good for you to do your basement yourself -- you do beautiful work. I will ask about sound insulation for utility area -- I hadn't thought about that. I made the mistake of telling my husband he could do whatever he wanted in the basement -- now having a hard time keeping my word on that. We usually have different visions but can come together in the end. People complain that their husbands don't have any opinion on decorating -- mine definitely does. Luckily he has good taste!
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Hi Pamela. These houzz discussions are quick with people offering various opinions. They often miss critical steps. The things I get from my clients from the beginning are (and I spend quite a bit of time on this) 1) Inspirational photos (based on comments you have made and your ideabooks, you are not interested in traditional decor, but what exactly, I am guessing). So, for your sake and others, photos of what you like and want the room to look like are critical, None has to be exact, just the direction 2) If you want future flexibility. If so, I'd buy neutral for larger items like a rug. 3) Photos of entire room 4) Measurements. 5) Functionality: how you want the room to function. Example: rarely used, used often and must accomodate x amount of people, etc. So, I cannot tell you if that rug is appropriate for your room, as I don't know the answers to those questions. It seems to ignore the recliners, though. 2 things I am observing: the recliners are large and brown and don't seem to fit your future direction (although could be pulled in with the right additional elements). The pool table light fixture the same: very traditional and you are trying to fit it in. Hope that helps.
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Audrey G.
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We just installed LVP in our 1960's basement, and I couldn't be happier. You have to be careful with carpets in basements as they can trap in moisture and cause it to smell like mildew. My mother who is an interior designer by trade and used to work for a flooring company, would always recommend LVP in the basements since they are waterproof.

It was a little bit more prep work because we had to pour self leveling concrete as we had a lot of unevenness in our floor but I really do love how they turned out, and they are easy to install yourself if you have the right tools!

We also painted our walls an off white; Shoji white from Sherwin Williams is a beautiful color.
Nancy R z5 Chicagoland
2 years ago
I think painting the walls an off-white is a good start and something you could do right away. But I would hold off on any changes to the flooring until you have been there 6 months or a year. You want to find out what the chances of seepage are before you select any new flooring. However, if the carpet smells moldy or like pets lived there, I would remove it.
Nancy R z5 Chicagoland
2 years ago
I think painting the walls an off-white is a good start and something you could do right away. But I would hold off on any changes to the flooring until you have been there 6 months or a year. You want to find out what the chances of seepage are before you select any new flooring. However, if the carpet smells moldy or like pets lived there, I would remove it.
suezbell
2 years ago
Would not choose carpet. LVT and then you might consider a rug to define different areas for different purposes.

Basement family room ideas?

Annette Jaffe Interiors

Comments (7)

Sammie J

kandrewspa

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Audrey G.

Nancy R z5 Chicagoland

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