We recently updated our basement guestroom with the addition of our bed from upstairs. Our upstairs guestroom is being turned into a nursery for baby girl so it was time to move the full bed out. We had the plan to do this for awhile - the planner in me was already spinning with ideas even before I was pregnant!
Adding the second bed seemed to fill and complete our basement. We moved the couch seating area around the corner by the television and we now have a full on guestroom suite.
Though the beds are different, I tried to keep a similar design scheme and used matching decorative throw pillows to tie the two beds together. With the repetition of blue and white plates, natural baskets, and green botanical prints, I am really happy with how fluid this room feels.
I love taking inspiration from hotel rooms - a seating area here and an empty table there. Having space for guest's luggage to spread out is the priority so I try to keep decor fairly minimal but still thoughtful.
I am finding that I really enjoy decorating small bathrooms. All you really need is one good decorative piece and a pretty mirror. All the white and simplicity speaks to my minimal heart.
I switched out a white plate for this blue and white one to hold soap and I really love it for it's subtle pop of color. It really can be just the smallest details that create big impact.
I love me some buffalo check but it is not a pattern I am super comfortable with. I often am afraid it will feel too country with our farmhouse decor. But I feel like I got it right this time with the throw pillows. When in doubt I just buy a bunch of pillows and then take back what doesn't work. I often can't tell what I might love unless I can visually see it in the space. I have taken more decorating risks with the freedom of buying things and being able to return them.
We added the black out curtains for our west coast guests who are on a different time zone. I wasn't in love with the color but it was the best we could find that weren't crazy expensive. But once we added the second bed and all the white linens, it now accommodates the space really well.
Our neighbors gave us their hand me down play structure that we used all summer in our living room while I laid around with morning sickness. It was a life saver to have something our son could climb on and get some energy out. Now that I am no longer sick we moved it down to the basement and it has come in handy for our son to play on when hanging with the grandparents.
This sitting corner still feels unfinished to me but it is functioning so it works for now. Long term I would love to have the room painted white - it would definitely brighten up this corner but it is not a huge priority at this point. I love how everything else looks - so good enough will do for now.
I stumbled across these pictures of our basement bathroom I took a long time ago (see the tiny baby I am holding!). I thought I would post them here for the sake of the better lighting I had that day. You can see my old soap set up. I think the new one adds quite a bit!
And lastly, the basement opens up from our dining room. So at the top of the stairs I hung this rack for guests to hang purses or jackets. It is easy to grab but helps tame the clutter in our dining area. We also use it quite a bit when we don't have guests - I hang our most used jackets here as well as our doctor's bag full of toys for our son. It is so nice to have things handy but out of sight.
It has been fun to play around in this space - making it pretty and trying to give our guests a really comfortable space. And I love that it can be a second home for our family while they visit!
