One Room Challenge Week 1 // Basement Plans

Interiors
Written By Lauren Koster

It’s One Room Challenge season again! This will be my third consecutive go round and forth total overhaul. Last fall I tackled my mom’s kitchen, this past spring I did our sunroom and at our old house I made over our garage. If you are not familiar with the One Room Challenge it’s an online challenge started by blogger Calling It Home and sponsored by Better Homes And Gardens, where 20 featured bloggers and dozens of others complete a room makeover in 6 weeks and document their progress on their blog and/or social. See all the other rooms here.

This time around I will be tackling my basement. It was previously a big open box with beige textured wallpaper and a drop ceiling. I choose this room because I have a four week old baby, and I thought it would be a relatively “easy” project to tackle. I haven’t even fully completed demo yet, and I’m already feeling like I bit off more than I can chew. But I will press on.

My plan is to transform the 80’s basement/storage dump into an Australian meets California casual hang zone. There will be a family space and a kid zone complete with toy storage.

THE INSPIRATION

BEFORE

Basement Before
Basement Before
Basement Before

TO DO LIST

  • remove drop ceiling

  • paint raw ceiling

  • remove wallpaper

  • paint walls

  • paint fireplace

  • create kid zone

  • storage solution for toys

  • storage solution for styling props

DESIGN PLAN

Lauren Koster Creative One Room Challenge Basement Plans

family space: Article / rug: RugsUSA / coffee table: Eclectic Goods / side table: Urban Outfitters / bean bag chair: Joss & Main / peace flag: Kawaiian Lion

kid zone - play table: All Modern / wood and fabric: Target / white boxes: Ikea / terazzo floor pillow: Target / rug: Coco Carpets

SHOP THE POST

One Room Challenge
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One Room Challenge Week 8 // Reveal Part 2
One Room Challenge Week 8 // Reveal Part 2

We made it! Another One Room Challenge in the books! I am just so happy with how this bright and modern kids bath turned out! Started from a dated 80’s bathroom with a blue formica countertop and carpet and gave her a major glow-up in the form of a complete renovation. Now - classic selections with a special layer to make it a happy, updated space for my kiddos.

One Room Challenge Week 7 // Reveal Part 1
One Room Challenge Week 7 // Reveal Part 1

For the reveal part 1, I’m showing you the everyday wear of my kid’s bath reno. Next week she will get dressed up! I designed this bathroom to be updated classic at its core. The subway tile on the walls and the mosaic on the floor are available at big box stores, but I’ve mixed them in unexpected ways. The bones of this bathroom have longevity and flexibility. I could paint, wallpaper, add paneling and it will all work with the tile, vanity and lighting. The color and fun I will be sharing next week are the frosting and can be easily changed and updated as my kids grow.

One Room Challenge Week 6 // Kid's Bath Accessories
One Room Challenge Week 6 // Kid's Bath Accessories

Shopping for a kid’s bath? I got you. I’ve been wanting to do a round up of places to shop for a bathmat for quite some time. For a kids bath I need a true bath mat, something washable, with the non-slip grips, that can take a beating, get wet and is also comfy enough to kneel on to give the kids a bath. I rounded up 12 super fun and playful mats that would be perfect in a kid’s bath. Then I took it a step further and found you some complimentary shower curtains.

One Room Challenge Week 4 & 5 // Progress Report
One Room Challenge Week 4 & 5 // Progress Report

No pretty pictures or fun shopping resources to share with you this week, unfortunately. We have been getting down to business though! If you’ve missed it, check out my plans in week 1, tile layout options in week 2 and lighting options in week 3. About two and a half weeks ago my husband and I completed the demo. We ripped out the bad shower surround, the blue formica countertop, the carpet, all of it! Keep reading to see how far we’ve come!

One Room Challenge Week 3 // Etsy Lighting Shops
One Room Challenge Week 3 // Etsy Lighting Shops

That’s it for the updates on the progress, now for the fun stuff! I’m talking about lighting today. I spend lots and lots of time looking at lighting for clients, and one of my favorite resources is Etsy. The options are endless, the pricing is usually good an, items are often customizable and they are made by artisans. Click to check out my favorite Etsy shops for lighting!

One Room Challenge Week 2 // Subway Tile Layout
One Room Challenge Week 2 // Subway Tile Layout

I have made almost all of the design decisions, check out the plan here. There are just a few hanging question marks. One of the big ones is the subway tile layout. I sourced classic matte white subway tile in an updated size, 2 inch x 8 inch. I originally planned on doing a basket weave pattern, but because the tiles are exactly 2 inch x 8 inch they won’t work as a basket weave with grout lines. I want something more out of the box than a straight stack or a traditional brick pattern. I have been playing around with a few other layout options.

One Room Challenge Week 1 - Kids Bathroom Makeover
One Room Challenge Week 1 - Kids Bathroom Makeover

I started this design back in 2019 and purchased the vanity in 2020, I am THRILLED to finally be starting the reno on the kid’s bath! I will be linking up with the dozens of other bloggers and Instagrammers who are also participating in the One Room Challenge. We will document our progress over the next 6 weeks both here and on my Instagram account.

One Room Challenge Week 6 // Studio Bath Reveal
One Room Challenge Week 6 // Studio Bath Reveal

In some projects there is one element that makes the room, this bath makeover is truly the sum of its parts. Ripping out the dated paneled drop ceiling, raising the height and adding shiplap made a HUGE difference. Adding decretive trim to to the walls, doors and bookshelf made this makeover look way more expensive than it was. A fresh coat of moody purple-grey paint (“Vintage Collection” by Magnolia) changed the space and the new vinyl peel and stick floor tiles completed the look.

One Room Challenge Week 4 // Paint Color and Progress
One Room Challenge Week 4 // Paint Color and Progress

Although I have a lot more to go, I’ve made a lot of progress. I installed drywall and shelving in the closet, I’ve painted and primed the storage shelves and I also added all the trim to the walls and painted. Come check out my progress!

One Room Challenge Week 3 // Modern Mirror + Sconce Combinations
One Room Challenge Week 3 // Modern Mirror + Sconce Combinations

Since I have little progress to show this week, I am going to share some fabulous modern mirror and sconce combinations that were on the table for this project. The combos are heavy on rich metals, clean lines and special details.

Lauren Koster
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One Room Challenge Week 2 // Removing The Drop Ceiling

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