After years of traveling, Ginny and Oleg have finally put down some roots and bought their first home. They and their two young children, Nicholas and Anya, are thrilled to be in a nice neighborhood, with a good school nearby and plenty of green space. The couple is determined to be full-time parents in their new home, even though they have hectic work schedules and are not generally home at the same time. You see, Oleg works days in neurology at the hospital, while Ginny works nights as an ICU nurse, which doesn’t leave a lot time for “togetherness” during the week.
Needless to say, they all look forward to the weekend when they can squeeze in some much-needed family time. The problem was that the one room in their house that could be a great family room was a cold, dark and uninviting basement. In fact, the space was so scary the kids wouldn’t even go down there alone. Ginny and Oleg wanted a comfortable and welcoming place in which to spend their precious family time together — reading stories, watching movies and playing games. So I grabbed my crew and got ready to turn this frightful family room into a divine design.
Of course, the perfect antidote to dark, cold and creepy is light, warm and cozy. So this whole project was about taking one very cold room and wrapping it in layers of warmth. To do that, I started by putting up walls around the furnace room and finishing off the ceilings. I then covered the walls from top to bottom with rich, welcoming hues — a few creamy walls, a few buttery walls, a few walls in rust grass cloth wallpaper and one feature wall in a gorgeous chocolate, butterscotch and sage floral pattern.
To warm up the concrete floors, I installed radiant heating below a new cream-colored Berber carpet that is as hardwearing as it is beautiful.
I then divided the room into two functional areas — a living area and a games nook. In the living area, along the feature wall, I put up a whole wall of upper and base cabinetry made of dark, rich wood. In the center, I put in a big-screen television, which is situated across from a new large, deep L-shaped sectional in sage linen with tons of textured pillows in rust, gold and cream.
I sectioned off this part of the room with a dark-wood, mirror-topped storage cabinet, which I arranged just behind the sofa. On the other side of the cabinet, I created a little games nook where I installed a beautiful dark-wood table, a few creamy chairs and a storage console. Above the table, I put up a stunning chandelier that helps to create a great first impression of the room as you walk down the stairs.
To further lighten the windowless space, I put up recessed lighting, installed some track lighting behind a bulkhead, and placed some mirror-backed sconces that reflect light into the room.
Lastly, I decided on an eclectic mix of accessories — artwork, vases, candles and pillows — to finish off the space.
This room was suffering from a bad case of cold and creepy. So I prescribed warmth and light therapy and turned it into a happy, healthy place for rest, relaxation and family time. Now that’s divine!
