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Basement, Before + After Makeovers, Project Gallery 24

Basement Progress: What would you do?

By Sabrina @pinklilnotebook · On March 13, 2014

A few weeks ago, I gave my laundry room a little refresher.  With a simple paint job and new accessories, I made this space feel more like a home rather than a cold, dark room in the basement.

So I thought to myself, “how do I achieve the same feeling for the rest of the basement?”

answer:  More PARA Paint!

I always say the most effective way to change a space instantly is by painting.  It’s the best feeling to watch the first coat go up and see the transformation happen right before your eyes.

parapaints_PLN

I decided to keep our basement walls light and picked a beautiful shade of grey that was similar to the grey in our floor tiles, Stainless (P5244-24).  To add a pop of colour, I went with PARA’s colour of the year, Plantain Chips (PF52).

basementprogress_PLN

I absolutely love this shade for my accent wall. Since we hardly have any natural light coming in, this yellow brightens everything right up.  It also makes the perfect wall for my vintage map I found at my local thrift store!

yellowaccent_PLN

I rarely ever use primer to prep my walls before painting for two reasons 1) I like high quality paints with built in primers and 2) I’m just lazy.  However, if you do use a colour like Plantain Chips, I would highly recommend using a primer beforehand.  These brightly coloured pigmentations usually take more coats than your average colour and also take a little longer to dry.  Just something to keep in mind.

powerbox_PLNl

Now that I’ve completed phase one of two for this basement project, I need your help.

You see that room all the way in the back. Yup, that one with the wood walls?

vintagemap_PLN

Hold on let’s walk a little closer.

laundryroompeak_PLN

Mini tour: to the right, you will see my laundry room!

woodbasement_PLN

And here we are. (I apologize for all the junk, it’s acting as our storage room right now.)

basementroom_PLN

Yes so this is the room that has been untouched.  I’m having such a difficult time deciding what I should do.

So let’s leave it up to you guys. What would you do with this room?  Would you keep all the wood or paint it out?

Leave a comment!

SabrinaBlog

accent wall in yellowbasementbasement paintingDIYPara Blog Crew 2014Para PaintsPink Litte Notebookplatain chips PF52Stainless PF244-24vintage map
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Sabrina

Sabrina is the design enthusiast behind the blog, Pink Little Notebook, where she explores her creativity through home décor, thrift store finds, DIY projects and her ever growing love to paint everything in sight! She is indeed a storyteller of style and has an extensive mixture of artistic skills and abilities which include everything from make-up art, graphic designing, painting, drawing, and even self-taught photography, just to name a few. Through her blog Sabrina combines everything she has learned over the years and hopes to inspire others along the way!

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24 Comments

  • Shauna says: March 13, 2014 at 1:33 pm

    I would paint it out. Have you considered adding a grid detail with mdf and painting it all out? I think that would look fantastic!

    Reply
    • Sabrina says: March 13, 2014 at 2:51 pm

      That thought crossed my mind a couple of times! The only thing is I’m starting to see a lot of light wood grain in the décor world. So I wasn’t sure if I should paint the entire thing or leave some wood showing?

      Reply
  • Alli says: March 13, 2014 at 3:01 pm

    I’m having a similar dilemma with my kitchen cabinets – paint or leave that light wood – that’s the only thing that hasn’t been redone in my kitchen.

    I might be tempted to leave some of the wood, but I’m sure you will come up with the perfect solution because everything you’ve done so far has been a big hit!

    Reply
    • Sabrina says: March 13, 2014 at 8:41 pm

      It’s such a hard decision to make because once you paint that wood there is no turning back! Good luck with your cabinets! Thanks so much Alli 🙂

      Reply
  • Maya says: March 13, 2014 at 3:32 pm

    Hi Sabrina!
    I would probably leave the wooden walls untouched!
    I think i would paint the french doors white, to match the baseboards and door frame; and maybe the column as well.
    Perhaps put down a grey area rug to bring in some of the same colours from the rest of the basement…. oh, and for sure accent it with the same fabulous yellow you chose!
    Everything looks great! Can’t wait to see what you’ve decided!

    Reply
    • Sabrina says: March 13, 2014 at 8:49 pm

      Hi Maya! That’s an awesome idea! Painting the french doors will help soften the transition of the hallway to the “wood” room. Also since you can see the room from a distance, yellow accents are must to tie in the bright wall. Thanks so much 🙂

      Reply
  • Zulema A Tomlinson says: March 13, 2014 at 3:41 pm

    That looks great! I can not wait till we buy our home and I can start painting the walls!

    Reply
    • Sabrina says: March 13, 2014 at 8:50 pm

      You will have blast making it your own! thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  • Jeannie says: March 13, 2014 at 8:08 pm

    You have already proven you have excellent taste. I kinda like the way the wood draws you to the end of the hall though.

    Reply
    • Sabrina says: March 13, 2014 at 8:55 pm

      Thanks so much for the kind words Jeannie! The wood definitely draws your attention when you walk down to the basement. Such a hard decision to make!

      Reply
  • Betty819 says: March 13, 2014 at 8:10 pm

    I loved the before color..sort of like a terra cotta color.. I prefer a light shade of yellow but that’s your house, you can put any color you want in it. Gosh, you’re really” going to town” on your decorating projects.. Since you showed us the bathroom you all tackled remodeling, it seems like you’ve accomplished so much in such a short time. Way to go!

    Reply
    • Sabrina says: March 13, 2014 at 10:14 pm

      Hi Betty! Yes, I would say the before colour is a mix between terra cotta and peach. It’s one of those colours that look great in natural light. However, in a basement with bad lighting, it just looks dull and cramped. I’m definitely motivated to finish up all the home projects + I love doing this kind of stuff! Thanks for the comment:)

      Reply
  • Crystal @ Sew Creative says: March 13, 2014 at 10:30 pm

    I love what you have done so far. I’m really into feature walls right now so I would probably paint the big wall and leave the other walls in wood. 🙂

    Reply
  • Inspire Me Heather says: March 14, 2014 at 7:04 am

    I would leave it wood! It looks great with your black table and chairs, I would play on that.

    Reply
  • Meredith says: March 14, 2014 at 11:04 am

    Hey! Love love the yellow. My two cents….for what it’s worth in Canada these days ;)…paint the doors to transition and then paint the wood. You could do a chair rail partially up the walls and paint out the lower white and the upper another bright fun colour. You could also consider a barnboard effect (if that’s your style) to pull in the grey of the laundry room and trim. Either way….what a great space! What are you going to use it for? That might change my mind 😉

    Reply
  • Becki @ The Uncommon Common Law says: March 14, 2014 at 11:49 am

    The yellow and grey looks great! For the wood room, you could paint it all white except for one wall. Leave that natural and hang three large punchy prints side by side with white frames (maybe the wall in the last picture). You could even paint the bookshelves white and the backs of them yellow, maybe thats too much but just a thought.

    Can’t wait to see what you end up doing :).

    Reply
  • Natalie says: March 14, 2014 at 3:48 pm

    I would completly make it over and make it a statement room. because its at the back it has nice doors to close the section off, i think it would be so cool to make it a totally different design, yet similar foundation to the rest of the basement. This would just add some flare and spunk i think. or make it into a lounge/tv theatre, somewhere thats comfy anf cozy.

    Reply
  • Natalie says: March 14, 2014 at 3:49 pm

    but i like the wood…depending on the feel your going for, then i would paint over it. cozy i would keep the wood……something crazier i would paint

    Reply
  • Amy ~ Love On Sunday says: March 14, 2014 at 3:58 pm

    Hey Sabrina! I actually like the wood! Love the idea of doing a chair rail and painting the upper area another colour or painting most of the room white and leaving one wall the original wood. There’s so many options, I can see why you’re having a hard time with it. You have amazing taste so I’m sure whatever you choose will be gorgeous!

    Reply
  • Jen @ RamblingRenovators says: March 18, 2014 at 12:09 am

    Oooh, quite the dilemma! I would do something different… paint out the french doors in a charcoal grey to draw your eye to that end of the basement. Then, since its a lot of wood, I would paint out the bookcases, baseboards, beams, and posts white to match your trim work and for a bit of a relief. You’ve got a cozy, slightly rustic feel going on with all that wood which is great for the basement so I’d run with that. Can’t wait to see what you decide!

    Reply
  • Heidi@OneCreativeMommy says: March 21, 2014 at 7:11 pm

    Tough call! The light colored wood is really pretty. If it were dark, I’d say paint it. Since it’s light and cheerful, I’m on the fence. Good luck!

    Reply
  • Natalie Trivett says: March 31, 2014 at 10:34 pm

    Hi Sabrina!

    Love what. you’ve done with your house already!

    I would paint out everything (including the metal on the drop ceiling) white! If you wanted to keep some wood you could leave one of the walls wood (like the one in your last picture) as an accent wall for a bit of mid-century mix!

    Can’t wait to see what you do!

    Nat

    Reply
  • Diane says: April 11, 2014 at 8:45 am

    I don’t know your plans for the room, but if I was going to use it for a retreat, guest room, or similar…and if the wood is in good condition…I’d leave the wood walls. Because I love wood. Some white for all the trim and doors. Couch and other upholstery in grays like your walls outside. Make curtains all the way to the floor in a bold pattern with the gray. Accent pillows, pictures galore…using that luscious yellow and some charcoal gray.

    Reply
  • L Rose says: March 17, 2024 at 10:39 am

    If it’s real wood, it would be a shame to paint it, since it isn’t overly dark. Redoing the floor and ceiling will make it into an asset instead of just being “there.” I am totally getting a Scandinavian vibe with your blacks and white and greys mixed with natural textures. The wood fits in with that Plus some art with white mats and black frames can break up the blankness of the walls.

    Reply
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