How to make them comfy, cozy and functional for the whole family
Dungeons, caves, “no man’s land” — these are just some of the descriptors that may come to mind when thinking of the basement of a home. But why not use every space in your home, as opposed to having what in many cases is a large area that is often underused?
In many parts of the country, having a home with a finished basement is a desirable selling feature. In other areas, where space may be at a premium, ensuring a basement is fully functional and used to its fullest may be an absolute must.
BASEMENT OPTIONS
Typically basements are generous in size, often the length and width of the entire home. Instead of having just one large open space, why not create various zones?
Some options include: Lounge zone
Play zone
AAWorkout zone
Study zone
Ideally, a basement should be a space a whole family can enjoy. Creating various zones can help ensure that it is appealing and welcoming for everyone.
AABASEMENT TIPS
One of the commonalities in a lot of basements is they feel cold, damp and dark. There are a number of ways to help a basement space feel comfier and cozier.
Some top Design Recipes
tips include:
Add plenty of soft surfaces. Whether it is wall-to-wall carpeting or an oversized area rug, adding soft surfaces will instantly warm up a space.
Mix both fabric and leather furniture pieces. While leather is a durable choice, so is fabric when the proper fabric is selected. Look for hospitality or commercial grade fabrics for upholstery items; they are long-lasting and will come in a variety of textures and colors. Fabric furniture pieces add softness to get rid of and acquire pre-owned pieces and was intent on making sustainability a core value.
At the Gallery at 200
Lex, a 33,000-square-foot vintage and antiques emporium at the New York Design Center, gallery director Emily Collins says business has been brisk, especially from designers desperate to furnish clients’ empty homes. Collins says the 52 dealers who maintain booths there stock “pieces that are ready to rock and roll,” including leather inlaid desks and MCM Vladimir Kagan curved sofas. The dealers also post items on incollect.com, an online antiques and vintage marketplace, and buyers can then arrange through the gallery to have pieces shipped anywhere.
“Everyone wants something right now, something really special,” Collins says. “You can walk in and say, ‘I want that pair of Italian club chairs. How quickly can you get them to me?’ With local shippers, we can get them out in a few days. If they can get a big enough UberXL, we are happy to and warmth to a space, while leather selections may potentially make a room seem colder.
Add a dehumidifier.
Basements often retain moisture differently than other parts of a home. A dehumidifier can help reduce moisture and in some cases improve air quality.
Let there be light.
Lighting can truly go a long way in making a space feel bright and cheery. In a basement or lower level, the more light, the better! help them load.”
Designers such as Jay Jeffers in San Francisco are scrambling for available furniture. “Two adults are working on one side of the house, and the kids are in school on the other,” he says. They need more space and more furniture – and they need it fast. “But everybody is backed up,” Jeffers says. “One manufacturer just told us that last month’s 16-week lead time for a sectional sofa is now 36 weeks.” So Jeffers is sourcing more vintage upholstery that he can have recovered, but even that is taking 14 weeks.
Sofas are big sellers at many vintage shops, including Baltimore’s Wishbone Reserve, a go-to location in the hip Hampden neighborhood where shoppers, including decorators and set designers, appreciate the mix of art deco, Victorian and MCM.
Antiquing once required having a car with a trunk, but social media has made it possible for others to easily join the hunt. Instagram had already expanded the market for
Right color. Select light rather than dark colors for your furniture and accents. Instead of dark and gloomy, opt for the bright and cheery color palette.
Cathy Hobbs, based in New York City, is an Emmy Award-winning television host and a nationally known interior design and home staging expert with offices in New York City, Boston and Washington, D.C. Contact her at info@cathyhobbs.com or visit her website at www.cathyhobbs.com. those looking remotely for antique and vintage pieces when the pandemic hit and many antique centers and flea markets had to close. The shift brought consumers just a few direct messages away from scoring the teak bar cart or 1980s swivel pouf of their dreams.
There are new players on Instagram, too. Holly Rockbrune and Jenna Parkes, childhood friends who grew up together in Ontario, started selling curated “drops,” or collections, of French heirlooms and antiques in 2019 on the platform. The feed for Joliette, which has more than 56,000 followers, is a grid of aspirational vignettes plucked right out of a chic Parisian apartment, featuring bentwood bistro chairs, tableaus of pottery and brass candlesticks on rustic tables. They want customers to envision the items in “snapshots” and to be able to re-create something similar, even if they’re not anywhere near a French or Canadian “brocante,” or flea market.