If you're new to Rambling Renovators, welcome! My name is Jennifer. I'm an e-Designer and social media strategist and I've been writing this blog since 2007. I live with my husband and daughter in Toronto, Canada in a centre-plan, colonial style house that we've infused with the fresh traditional style we love. We DIY all our renovations and have a fondness for architectural details, built-ins, and classic decor. Click to see some of our past ORC Before and After transformations: 



If you're unfamiliar with the ORC, it's a biannual event where 20 designers (and anyone who wants to sign up as a guest participant) are challenged to makeover a room in six weeks.

But this ORC promises to be unlike any other. The timeline has been extended to eight weeks instead of six weeks, many more people are joining in and taking advantage of being at home, and we're all dealing with curbside-only pickup or online purchases for everything from sandpaper to sofas. And, given the current economic climate, we're aiming to do a more budget conscious basement remodel. Expect to see a lot more DIY projects and reuse and repurposing of items we already have. Despite the challenges, I can't wait!

Basement Layout

I shared a few weeks ago that we'll be remodelling our basement. Basements tend to be awkward, tricky spaces but have huge potential when done right. We're lucky that the basement was finished by previous owners but the good ceiling height and ample lighting aren't enough... it's time to improve the finishes, add functionality, and create a beautiful space for our family. Today, I'll be sharing the basement remodel layout (and the many basement floor plan options we considered!)

But first, let me remind you what we're working with:



The basement is a good size with 7.5' ceilings and recessed lighting throughout. When you come down the stairs, you land in this area. To the right past the bifold doors is our unfinished laundry room. To the left behind the blue door is our coastal craftroom which we renovated in 2018:


This craft room gives you an indication of the look we're going for for the rest of the basement space. While our main and upper floor are more formal and traditional, we want this basement to be casual, bright, and infused with a coastal vibe. Our basement is going to be that breezy escape where we can spend time as a family.




The other end of the room contains our entertainment zone. We only have this one TV in the house so this area gets a lot of use for movie nights and family time on my vintage PlayStation 2, lol!


Because the fireplace is in the centre of this narrow room, it's forced us to cluster the seating and TV to one end. It feels cozy and good for viewing, but the room does feel imbalanced. We are also less inclined to use the fireplace as its not really visible from the rest of the room with the armchair placed in front of it.


Let's talk about this fireplace for a second. It works intermittently (it definitely needs to be serviced), looks dated, and the stone is not our style at all. Those protruding stone shelves? They're an eyesore and a hassle to decorate around.

So where do we begin? As with all my designs, I start with determining the function of the room. You can have the prettiest room, but if it doesn't work for the way you live, it will always feel terrible!

Finished Basement Ideas

Basements tend to be bonus spaces where you can incorporate functions not found in the rest of the home. You could create a basement bedroom, a basement workout room, a secondary kitchen, a craft room, a place for gaming and teen hangouts. It's a chance to let your imagination run wild and create a dream space.

Who uses this room? What needs does it serve? How do you want to live and feel in this space? Those are some of the initial questions I ask my e-design clients when we assess their space. For our basement, our wish list was clear:

• An area for TV viewing
• A spot for game night or hanging out with friends
• Space for overflow dining during family parties
• An updated fireplace that is a focal point in the room
• More task and ambient lighting
• A kitchenette with a fridge for drinks and counter space for popcorn making
• A bright, open coastal feel that works with the existing craft room 

Basement Design Ideas

In this post, I talked about the free online tools I use to design a room. I used the Icovia Room Planner to test out dozens of floor plans. Here's a few I considered and I've indicated the pros and cons of each:

Unlocking The Plan

So many plans, none of them a good solution. But then... have you ever heard the term "unlocking the plan"? Occasionally when designing a room, you'll discover one change that is like the magic key. By making that change, other changes follow and you end up with a better and more effective design.



For us, we unlocked the plan when we decided to extend the wall behind the sofa by about 2'. This small yet mighty change would allow us to:

• centre the sofa on the fireplace
• move the conversation and TV viewing area to the middle of the room
• use one side of the room for a games table. We could also use this space for overflow dining for family parties
• create a kitchenette at the opposite end of the room

These changes would not only improve the functionality of the room but also the visual flow. Picture yourself standing at the bottom of the stairs looking towards the table with a pendant hanging above it. Or imagine the full-width kitchenette wall. New cabinetry, a drinks fridge, wall sconces... it would be such a pretty sight! And, of course, this room would give that tired fireplace a chance to shine.

To make this plan a reality, we've got a very long To Do list over the next eight weeks. As the start of the ORC was delayed we have started on some of the bigger items so I'll be sharing "pre-recorded" content. We've done almost all of our previous ORC projects in real time in six weeks but this one has been different... the goal remains the same though: to have a gorgeous, finished room perfect for our family!



Next week, I'll be sharing the design scheme. In the meantime, follow me on Instagram. I'll be sharing the work we've done, sneak peeks at the some of the materials and finishes, and talking about the DIY problems we've encountered along the way. There have already been some challenging ones ;)

19 other Featured Designers are also sharing their projects today. I hope you'll click over and check them all out! Let the fun begin!!

A Glass of Bovino | Beginning in the Middle | Beth Diana Smith | Clark + Aldine | Coco & Jack
Deeply Southern Home| Design Maze | Dwell by Cheryl | Erika Ward | Home Made by Carmona
House of Hipsters | Hunted Interior | Kandrac & Kole | Kate Pearce | Katrina Blair | Liz Kamarul
Veneer Designs| Rambling Renovators | Renovation Husbands | Studio Plumb | Media BH&G