Eight Months Later

I intended to post these pictures days ago but was unnaturally busy after being snowed in for ten days.  Well, that and the fact that three days of dancing Thriller with the kids (all wii owners of my "generation" simply must have the Michael Jackson Experience) left me sore from the rooter to the tooter. 

Anyhoo...  eight months into our basement project, here's where we are.  (Remember how I used the term "us" lightly the other day?  Ditto for the term "we" in this post.)  With low ceilings and very limited natural light we made very budget friendly finishing choices on a room that will always be more of a Bory Turch than a Tory Burch.

- We've installed this oak finished laminate flooring that we scored on sale for $0.82 a square foot.

- We've replaced the entire ceiling grid (went with a drop ceiling rather than smooth finish for a variety of reasons) and purchased these new, modern looking tiles from Ceilume.  While I don't really care for suspended ceilings, Honey insisted on this so that we can easily access the pipes and wiring in our ancient home.  This was just the best I could do.

- We put up walls in the board and batten style.  I liked the aesthetic of this and Honey liked that only a drill and saw were required (compared to the knowledge and experience needed to make drywall look nice.)  I chose a bright, neutral shade of white called Snow On The Mountain from Benjamin Moore for the walls, trim, windows and doors.
- We purchased and installed these unfinished assembled cabinets for the bar and buffet areas and painted them in a gray shade to complement the fabric.  We also installed the wine cooler the previous owners left behind, added a dishwasher and regular beverage fridge (both purchased on super sale), and installed a sink for the bar.

- We painted the doors, replaced the knobs with oil rubbed bronze and painted the hinges with ORB spray paint (I see many more cans of ORB spray paint in my future as I wave adeiu to the gold hinges throughout the rest of the house.)

- We moved the existing can lights and added wiring for additional pendants (yet to be installed.)
- We removed the nasty carpet from the stairs.
- We painted our tv cabinet the same Snow On The Mountain shade of white - but in high gloss - and replaced the hardware.

And the proof is in the pictures:

Some of the things left on the Honey Do list include the banquette, lighting, pictures and accessories, a new door, finishing the bar and stairs, putting together the pool table, the bathroom, finishing trim and cleaning out the storage room.  So, as you can see, there is still plenty to do but I am crazy proud of Honey for pulling this off!

PS. See the lovely black bar stool behind the best baby in the world?  I have three of these looking for a new home.  Seat is super easy to recover and these are in fabulous condition!!  Let me know if you are interested.  $125 for the set.

Posted in: decor