Much, much better :)

The cabinetry is Martha Stewart Living from The Home Depot. The style is Ox Hill in the Picket Fence colour. Originally, when I met with the kitchen designer to select the cabinetry, I was going to go with the Sharkey Grey colour. Then I realized how little natural light the basement gets (those two windows above the banquette face the underside of our deck), so decided to go with the white cabinets instead. The white also provides a nice break between the DIY whitewashed plank walls and the Kamina Oak laminate flooring. We kept all the other walls and ceiling light and bright, painting them in Whitewash White by Para Paints.

Installing these cabinets was quite the feat. Since the Martha cabinets come pre-assembled, we thought we could save a few dollars if we installed them ourselves. That would have been true... if our floors were level. We did some leveling with the subfloor but we decided against the more expensive option of pouring a new concrete slab. So not only is the floor not completely level, it is higher in one corner than the other AND slopes from the exterior walls in towards the support post. We did the smart thing and had our fabulous contractor Basement Spaces install the cabinets instead. They did an amazing job. You hardly notice the 3" difference in the toe-kick from one corner to the other, right? ;)

I love love love all the little details. The Martha Stewart Matchbox Catch paired with the ribbed glass is exquisite. It makes the perfect little 'click' sound when it catches. I've paired these with the Martha Stewart Canopy Cup Pulls on the drawers.

And then there's the banquette. 106" of cushiony goodness. Room enough to stretch out and take a nap (I tried!). The sewing for the cushion is courtesy of my fabulous sponsor Tonic Living using outdoor fabric and a ticking stripe that I provided.

I thought we were going to have to DIY the banquette using kitchen cabinets but that Martha, so smart, she makes these bench cabinets with pull out drawers. The banquette is flanked with small bookcases (which are actually kitchen upper cabinets finished with a trim piece on the front edge).

Here's the view from the stair landing. You can see the laundry room peeking out from the left and the broom closet (wink) and Chloe's secret playhouse-to-be on the right.

And do you see that Alanna Cavanagh silk screen print hanging on the wall? We purchased that piece of art almost three years ago and have had it wrapped in storage ever since. I just knew where it was going to go in my someday dream basement. And there it is! First thing you'll see when you come downstairs. It feels incredibly good to finally get it up on the wall.

But let's keep this real, there is still so much left to do. While those areas are looking pretty and almost finished...

we haven't even touched the bathroom. It's a garbage room for now...

...and there's a big pile o'stuff that needs to be dealt with.

What's still on the list:

- install two more doors

- install door casings and baseboards

- countertops installed

- laundry backsplash

- find & install pendant lighting for craft area

- install toilet and vanity

- pick and install bathroom shower tile

- install beadboard down the stairs

- install carpet on the stairs

- install tile on stair landing

- buy all the furnishings 

- decorate