Progress on the basement playroom to family room conversion continues along, albeit slowly. The drafty french doors to the patio have been replaced with a set of weather tight walnut clad doors. The old decommissioned wood fire box has been removed and in it's place a gas insert sits. The heavy popcorn texture has been removed from the ceiling (no asbestos, yay!) and recessed can lights now illuminate the room. The walls are now painted with a Sherwin Williams Peppercorn, a warm dark grey - a bold move I'm glad I made!

At the outset of this project my husband had his heart set on having a Chesterfield sofa in this room and channeling a vibe akin to the Multnomah Whiskey Library - a space with ample waxed mustaches, walls of whiskey, overstuffed chairs and a dark moody atmosphere. This doesn't really mesh well with my mid-century aesthetic, so thankfully we compromised on a beautiful blue Chesterfield sofa which seemed way more playful than the traditional type. He found this family-run company in North Carolina that makes amazing couches and it's less expensive than the ones he was eyeing on sale at Restoration Hardware! You can pick your length, leather, style, legs - sold! The only catch is being patient while they make it and send it along, but 3 months is worth the wait. It should be here by mid-May!

The back of the room has an inset that eventually will be converted to storage casework for the tv electronics, board games, books, etc.. I found some beautiful modular storage pieces from west elm with walnut and brass accents, but it all priced out over $3,000 which is more than that sofa costs! I'm getting a quote for custom cabinets and then we'll see where we land. Initially in laying out the cabinet design I was trying to channel what the house wanted, i.e. what would look original to the house. The only built-ins we have are in the kitchen and it's just a small triangular corner with a tiny lower cabinet and triangular open shelves above, all gloss white with 2" beveled trim, very 50's. But the idea of melding something new with the old, a detail or a series of details that would fit the age of the house but also introduce something new to the mix, has always intrigued me. Mostly because it can be done so well or so horribly, and in both instances you stop and investigate. Either relishing the mix or staring at a train wreck. So, I've decided to showcase some of these old + new examples in the next few posts that I've come across in my research and let you judge their success.