As you may have seen on my Instagram Stories of late, some big changes are underway in the basement! I first announced the basement design project a year ago. While it’s taken longer than initially anticipated, I’m so excited that progress is happening now. 

To keep you all in the loop, today I’m sharing exactly what’s going on with the basement design project right now and what’s happening next.

What’s Going on With the Basement Design Project

So much is happening in the basement right now. The bulk of the updates are in the family room, with a few updates also happening in the adjacent wine room. My main goal for this project is to make the basement feel brighter and less orange (thanks to the orange tones in the terracotta flooring).

The biggest change is that everything in these areas is being painted—the walls, woodwork, and ceiling. The fireplace has also been prepped for a plaster application and the popcorn on the ceiling has been removed! In the wine room (shown below), we are planning to do a light limewash on the brick and keep the wood in this space unpainted for now. Even though these updates are not fully finished yet, the space looks completely different already.

Why We’re Doing This Painting Project Now

Throughout the process of updating the basement fireplace this summer and fall, I kept thinking about expanding the project to include the rest of the basement family room. Ultimately, I realized it would logistically make the most sense (and cost a little less in the long run) to hire someone to work on the fireplace project and basement paint project at the same time rather than further breaking up the project timeline.

What’s Happening Next With the Basement Design Project

The bulk of this paint project will be done by the end of December. Our painter has a limited amount of time in his schedule to work on this project, so we won’t be able to finish painting the entire basement in one fell swoop, but the family room area will be completed for the most part. 

Once the painting is finished, I want to add some fresh furnishings and rugs to the family room. I’ve been working on finalizing product selections this month and hope to order them before the end of the year. I also plan to add a bit more lighting variation to soften the “spotlight” effect of the can lights.

Stay tuned for more!

Kate Arends

Kate is the founder of Wit & Delight. She is currently learning how to play tennis and is forever testing the boundaries of her creative muscle. Follow her on Instagram at @witanddelight_.