Basement Inspiration

Now that the warm weather is just around the corner and we have some solid plans for what we'll be doing outdoors this year, I am already thinking ahead to the fall and winter when we'll be getting started on finishing the basement.

Our basement is a totally blank slate right now. We have done *nothing* down there except to fill it with stuff! Hopefully, a garage sale this spring will help us find new homes for lots of what's down there, but for now it's a big concrete box.

We aren't "basement people", even when I was a kid I didn't like spending time in our basements, so trying to come up with a design plan that would create a space we'd actually use and enjoy has been especially challenging. Needless to say, I did alot of Googling "basement ideas". More often than not, when I found a basement design I loved and felt particularly drawn to, it was by Canadian designer Candice Olson.

There is something about her designs that I totally relate to. She manages to pull together designs that are really welcoming, but have just enough of glitz that they feel special to the people spending time in them.

One of the things I love most about her rooms is that she isn't afraid to use dark colours. Many people shy away from using dark colours in a basement because they fear it will make the room(s) feel small, dark, or claustrophobic.I am always excited when I see her use a dark brown or taupe in a basement...then lighten it up with pops of fun colours and fun fabrics! Lesson #1: Warm neutrals + bright coloured accents = great and hard to mess up colour scheme.

Another constant in Candice's designs is how she maximizes every piece of furniture. She obviously gets that basements are often used for casual entertaining, not just family time, and understands that means everyone must have a place to park their butts! One word...SECTIONAL! Sectional sofas are in almost every one of her basements. They have a tremendous amount of comfortable seating, and are also great for lounging when not entertaining.

We could all take a lesson from her use of double duty, easily movable furniture. She uses small, circular side tables, nesting tables, ottomans, stools and built in benches. Everything is transitional, and can be used for different things depending on your need.

I also love her use of wall units and built ins to minimize the number of separate furniture pieces needed to hold all of the various t.v. and stereo components, toys, and various collections we all have and can't part with (you know we all have 'em). Sometimes the size and scale of her units can seem overwhelming, but certainly not as much as a collection of mismatched and randomly placed pieces would be.

So much inspiration for our own basement! Thanks Candice!