We finished our 1,700-square-foot basement and are so excited to give you the finished basement tour!
In February 2020, we purchased a new construction home with an unfinished basement. The developer had started some initial work but paused construction because the initial buyer suddenly walked away from the custom build. Structural framing, plumbing, and basic electrical were in place, leaving us to transform the space. From designing the layout to adding the finishing touches, our contractor and his team completed the entire basement project in an impressive two months!
Let’s walk through the finished basement room by room. We got our contractor to complete as much of the space as possible while leaving room for me to do some DIY projects. I’m excited to show you around!
Rooms in our finished basement:
- Family TV area
- Full bathroom
- Kitchen
- Lounge area
- Home gym
- Wine room & closet
- Kids’ playroom
- Under stairs closet
- Utility closet
1. FAMILY TV AREA
85-inch TV | Electric Fireplace
We have this massive fireplace and TV wall with two niches and open shelving on either side. Stay tuned for a semi-DIY project, where I will be building accent cabinets to go on each side of the TV for added storage. Imagine a large, modular pit sectional here, a 10×14 rug, C tables for holding drinks, and two accent chairs. I will also make a DIY sofa table for another surface to place phones, remotes, and snacks while watching TV. Plus, it’ll help to visually define this otherwise wide-open space.
2. FULL BATHROOM
. 
Vanity (similar in white) | Mirror | Sconces
Here is one of my favorite spaces in our entire home, the basement bathroom. This adds a ton of value to our home because it is a full bathroom with a shower. I took some design risks in this bathroom with the tile choices. I knew that I wanted a large format hexagon tile on the floor and in the shower; I also wanted to use large format black tiles in a vertical stack. So I decided to combine these design elements in the shower and I could not be happier with how it turned out.
For the mirror, I initially wanted to do a round shape, but it would have had to be a small mirror to accommodate the width of the vanity plus the sconces on either side. The ceilings are so high in here that a small round mirror would have looked dinky and not the right scale for the space, so I went with a tall rectangular mirror instead.
3. KITCHEN
Dishwasher | Refrigerator | 43 inch TV
In the kitchen, I took another bold step with the same tiles as the bathroom, extending them upward to create a striking backsplash. Opting for a soft black theme, I visualized the design on Canva, and my contractor skillfully brought it to life in the following two days. I’m now planning to add an island or bar seating in the upcoming months to elevate the kitchen’s functionality and style.
4. LOUNGE AREA
This area is nothing special right now, but it will become a seating/lounge area. I’ll add four club chairs around a circular cocktail table, and a rectangular rug to ground the space. There are also double doors (not in the picture) that open out to our backyard and patio space under the deck. I’m looking forward to seeing this whole area come to life.
5. WINE ROOM & CLOSET
This area will be made into a wine room. We’ll add storage racks to the back wall, maybe a wine fridge, a sideboard, and a few accent chairs for a nice conversational moment in this space. There’s another large closet in this room that spans the entire vertical ceiling height. Again, I chose to wait on storage solutions until we can determine what is needed upon using the space.
6. HOME GYM
As a former NFL cheerleader and someone who has been active my entire life, I need a home gym. I am a runner (love the treadmill) and really enjoy strength training. So I will be making this room into our home gym.
The only thing we have right now as far as gym equipment goes is the Lululemon Studio workout mirror, which I love! We’ll also add full-length mirrors to the wall, a treadmill, a set of dumbells, and a bench to start.
There’s a nook that could have been a small closet, but I decided to leave it open for more practice open storage. I think it would be smart to add some floating shelves and an accent cabinet to store towels, water bottles, and other gym accessories like resistance bands and a jump rope. Excited to transform this space into a fully functioning gym.
7. KIDS’ PLAYROOM
This room will be the kids’ playroom, a dedicated space for their toys. To organize the mess that currently lives in the main living area, I’ll install a large cubby unit and bookshelves for toy and book storage. A modular kid’s couch, a mounted TV, a round rug, and childproofing measures will create a cozy and safe play environment. The room also features a spacious closet for additional storage, which will be customized based on the kids’ needs and room functionality.
While I feel so grateful to have the “mess” because it means my tiny blessings live and play here, I do think it would benefit us all to have an organized and dedicated space for their toys and playthings.
8. SMALL CLOSET UNDER STAIRS
Just a quick look at another closet space here under the stairs, directly across from the bathroom. I wanted to make sure we used every square foot we could to maximize the space. This closet wraps around under the stairs and will be good for seasonal decor and entertainment items like folding tables and chairs.
9. UTILITY CLOSET
Nothing pretty to see here. Just the utility closet that houses our water heaters, HVAC unit, and electrical panels.
That’s it! Thank you for walking through my finished basement with me. I’ve added some additional details to the list below. I’d love to hear your thoughts and questions in the comments below!
Other Details:
- Main paint color: Agreeable Gray – Sherwin Williams
- Accent wall color: Iron Ore – Sherwin Williams
- Cabinet paint color: Iron Ore – Sherwin Williams
- Basement ceiling height: just under 11 feet (or 130 inches)