Basement Remodel | Guest Suite

October 19, 2020

House & Garden, Interiors

Continuing on our basement remodeling tour (craft room here), we arrive at our mini Guest Suite. At the bottom of the basement stairs is a little bath and bedroom connected by a hallway that have all been completely refreshed with new drywall, flooring, trim and paint after our flood. I made an inspiration board for this room as construction was underway.

In the hallway is a sweet little antique telephone demilune table that fits perfectly in this small space. The ceilings are low in the landing, so the smaller scale of the table gives the illusion of a higher ceiling. I moved this sunburst mirror which used to be over our living room fireplace to the bottom of the stairwell to reflect light and to add some warmth.

Flooring | Wall Color: SW ‘City Loft’ | Trim Color SW ‘Alabaster’ | Mirror (similar)

The bedroom was quite cozy and welcoming before, but I knew putting carpet down anywhere in the basement would just welcome disaster, so we opted for tile everywhere and I am so glad we did! A vintage coral and hunter green kilim area rug warms up the space quite nicely, and I’m happy to provide a pair of guest slippers against cold toes. I kept the palette soft and warm and repurposed some décor from around the house. The sunburst motif is carried into the bedroom with this beautiful little mirror from Nathan’s aunt, and the wrought iron element is brought in with some antique (but not matching) wrought iron tables topped by trays. I like to stick with white bedding for a five-star hotel feeling. People tend to shy away from it, but I find it’s actually easy to care for because you can just bleach it to make it like new again (especially if you have dogs).

*Full-sized bed and raw silk headboard, flanked by vintage crystal lamps on wrought iron nightstands*

Bedroom (flooded) before; We changed the orientation of the bed in this room which made all the difference. Normally, I like to see a bed facing the doorway as you enter, but that layout made the room feel narrow. The bed is now on the wall where th… — Bedroom (flooded) before; We changed the orientation of the bed in this room which made all the difference. Normally, I like to see a bed facing the doorway as you enter, but that layout made the room feel narrow. The bed is now on the wall where the watercolor artwork hung, and that piece was relocated to the hallway.

Now when you walk into the bedroom, there’s a little chair, antique oak table and floor-length mirror which draws you in and gives you a spot to set your bag. Adding a floor-length mirror is a great trick for bouncing light into this room that come… — Now when you walk into the bedroom, there’s a little chair, antique oak table and floor-length mirror which draws you in and gives you a spot to set your bag. Adding a floor-length mirror is a great trick for bouncing light into this room that comes from across the hall in the craft room, and also gives scale to a small room.

I moved this set of framed antique French postcards here from our bedroom. — *I moved this set of framed* *antique French postcards* *here from our bedroom.*

Door | Door Hardware

*Formerly a closet, I added a dresser to this alcove.*

*In the alcove, I also added an iron plant stand which acts as a valet for hanging clothes instead of a closet rod, and a little basket for laundry.*

I recently had this pretty carved chair recovered in a neutral leopard print, replacing a faded needlepoint fabric seat pad. These Tardiva hydrangeas are drying out in this vase for year-round natural décor.

*A hand-forged iron heart hook hangs on the back of the door.*

For the bathroom, we made absolutely no major design updates in here except for swapping out the tissue and towel holders, yet this room looks better than ever with the fresh drywall, trim, paint and a minimum of accessories. While we eventually want to do a full remodel of this bath with a walk-in shower and the same flooring as the rest of the basement, the cosmetic upgrades this room received make all the difference. The flooring is just ceramic tile that I had previously painted with concrete paint to lighten it up (it was a terracotta color). My favorite new decorative element of this room is the cutest little Italian Florentine gold floating shelf that acts like a sconce with a votive on it. It adds a pretty glow to the room to welcome our guests.