OMG, our home styles look very similar. But I have to confess, our walls are a similar color (a bit more khaki, a touch less warm, perhaps?), and we've stuck with it because it allows flexibility in furnishings, and we have lots of colorful art (and an orange sofa!). But I hear you. Our basement is largely unused these days, and it's a repository of furniture that's a bit dated that came with us from our old house, plus a random piece or two from my mom's, and some pieces we bought when moved in 13 years ago that no longer suit our style. Oh, and the carpet is stained and stinky after 13 years of aging dogs. But it's low down on the priority list.

But I'm in admiration of what you're tackling! Post updates, please! I find it very inspiring.

I second Janet’s request for updates on updating your home. Funny overly-ambitious husband stories too please

Thanks, Runcarla! DH was shocked that the wood was in good condition, and a quick sand and clear sealant should get us several more years out of it. It was gross!

Janet
- we inherited the wall colors and carpet (along with awful window treatments and built-ins in the master). But, our reasons for keeping it is the same as yours - our artwork (by Shag and similar) is really bright and colorful, and most of our furniture leans mid-century modern. The basement re-paint was only started because the kids had beaten up the walls pretty badly and, since it was the basement, color wasn't SUPER important. Then, the built-in bookcases came out which exposed the gap in the carpet, and things just snowballed from there I was a bit miffed that I couldn't *just* paint the basement and be done with it all. Now there's flooring to replace, but it flows into a basement bathroom (currently tiled), so DH wanted to replace the vanity.... and all of that will affect paint color choice.

Maria's site talks about undertone and what she says makes SO much sense. The undertone of the current beige paint often looks green against our more orange-y cabinets and turns a dirty putrid gold against our grey couch and creamy ivory colored bathroom tile. I do have issue that only one paint color was used throughout each floor. The color doesn’t go with any of the fixtures or flooring, and it looks horrible in our rooms where we get little natural light. But, to have the designer suggest we consider changing all the fixtures and carpet instead of simply changing the paint made me mad. Maybe paint won't fix it all, but it certainly couldn't make it worse.


I'm happy to keep you updated on the renovations and updates as we go. I gotta keep hubs out of Home Depot for a while

haha, at least DH gives it a go; mine would let the house fall down around him before he'd pick up a tool unprompted *rolls eyes* lol!!

Nemosmom, yes! Undertone is really important. The color in this photo is not terribly accurate (facing into the sun), but you get the idea — we kept the khaki wall color because it provided a suitable backdrop for the orange sofa and warm accents. (This is literally my view as I write this — I sit in the spot with my coffee in the morning.)

I have a crazy idea to turn our basement den into an extended work space/gallery for my art, if I move out of my current studio. I’m thinking of tiling the floor and resurfacing the fireplace to create a more sleek, modern look. But I know that will open cans of worms, as there are other considerations (built in shelving that would need to be redone to suit a more modern style, wonky sliding patio door to replace, etc.). And we want to redo our kitchen in the next few years, and our en suite bath needs to be the next priority! A rabbit hole indeed!

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Oh TG, hubs has no trouble getting started- he just doesn’t know when to stop!

Janet - what a stunning and inspirational view and perfect place for coffee I hope you will post any updates on your own rabbit hole!