Basement Reno - Blah to Aaah!

The night I returned home from Australia, Jeff surprised me by showing me a "few things he'd been working on in the basement while I was gone".  I wish I had pictures of the navy blue wallpaper with a pink and yellow floral design that graced the walls of our basement when we first moved into this home 13 years ago.  It was something to behold.  It went well with the stucco/stipple stuff that was plastered all over the upper half of the adjacent walls.  Pine boards, laid diagonally on two walls and vertically on another wall, along with dirty ceiling tile, completed the look.  Oh, no, there were also huge arched mirrors hung on the wallpaper wall, reflecting all this 70's and 80's loveliness back into the room (as if seeing it once wasn't bad enough).  

Here is what this area of the basement looked like at the start of the reno process (please ignore all the  clutter junk piled in the middle of the room.  I've looked carefully at each photo, and I don't think there's anything embarassing or incriminating lying around - just everyday life mess piled up in horrible reno heaps.).....

BEFORE:

DURING:



AFTER:

This facelift is, by no means, jaw dropping; but for us, it makes this room feel much fresher, friendlier, and modern.  It no longer hails from the 70's (not that I think the 70's didn't produce anything worthwhile - after all, the 70's produced ME!!).  It feels more serene and peaceful.  Less visual clutter.  It's a blank canvas that we will, no doubt, stamp our signature on as time progresses.  Or we'll just let the kids go nuts and destroy it.  Or both.

Because I was in Australia during all this, I  wasn't aware of all the contributors to this project, but I heard later on that credit is due, in part, to the generosity of both sets of parents, Jeff's brother, and my brother.  So, thank you to all, for showing up when you did, ripping walls apart, scraping walls, painting (ceiling tiles and walls), messing around with moulding, taping, babysitting, and feeding the clan. We, er, Jeff, could have done it without you, but you made the process way more fun!

Lastly, thank you to my hubs, who knew just what kind of thing gets me fired up.....Diamonds....meh......expensive clothes.....yawn......drywall and silicone?  Now we're talkin'!!