a day in the life | a tour of my refinished basement
back by popular demand: today we’re continuing our a day in the life series with a tour of my recently refinished basement. it’s been a longstanding project over the past year. and it all began when the basement was flooded last summer. what a mess: our carpet was ruined! but out of lemons we made, well, you’ll see in just a moment. but i gotta say, i like the finished product better than lemonade.
whenever i post an entry into our a day in the life series i get a lot of questions and comments about my home decor. i’ve tried to pull as many links to what you see here. if you like something i’ve missed, make sure to let me know in the comments below!
home office
as some of you know, my middle son came down to visit me earlier this spring from NYC before the city implemented quarantine. he couldn’t go back for obvious reasons, and he’s been working remotely from Georgia ever since. here’s a view of the home office he’s helped me put together.
simple yet effective, and i’m just loving the truck painting we picked out. for those of you who have virtually toured my home over the past few months, you’ll recognize my affinity for animal paintings, particularly dog ones.
blouse | tee | jeans | sandals
truck art | leather desk collection
living room
after the flood, we completely rethought our downstairs aesthetics. i wanted something simple and maintainable but with a contemporary feel. once the carpets were completely pulled, and all that was left was bare concrete, it occurred to me: why don’t we just refinish the concrete itself?
yup, those purple floors are in fact finished and stained concrete. and how striking they are. purple may not be for everyone, i get it. but they’ve opened up a world of decorating possibilities to me. just take a look at my cow artwork? how fun! and once that was in place, adding faux fur and leopard print pillows was easy. the cascading effect of breaking out of a design box can be profound. and i urge you to explore it in your own way.
blouse | tee | jeans | sandals
cow painting | cow painting 2 | end table | faux fur pillow | leopard pillow | leopard pillow 2 | faux fur throw | planters
outfit of the day
on a normal spring day, you’re going to catch me in a tee and pair of jeans. i’m sporting Talbots today, and the striped tee breaks up my neutral base established by my olive blouse. it’s the perfect over-shirt for those spring days you need to layer. and it goes with just about everything.
a day in the life
i hope you enjoyed the virtual tour of my refinished basement. in case you’re new to the blog or missed some of our entries into a day in the life series, make sure to check all of them out below.
- a tour of my front porch
- a tour of my home office
- a tour of my home gym
- a tour of my living room
- a tour of my kitchen
Your finished basement looks great. It inspires me. Love the OOTD, olive green has become my new favorite color. You know alot of time has passed when you look how Pax has grown!
Take care and be well.
i know! it’s only been about four weeks but he’s growing by leaps and bounds. but we’ll look back at these photos someday and say awwwww!
I may have missed a post, but is that a new puppy? I love the cow print….I too have several cow prints around my house, and a large dog and three cats in my house, helping me telework! But I love it….have a great day!
Pax is Jr. Style’s new puppy. isn’t he adorable?! having a comforting space at home to telework is key.
Looks like you are not the only one enjoying your new space. What a great place to work!
isn’t Pax a cutie! what an even temperament.
I am confused by the message sent that you had been hacked- then your site continued.
Please confirm that these are from you and not the hacker.
hi patricia,
if you read the post, it stated my Facebook page Style at a Certain Age has been hacked. not the website, not Instagram, not YouTube nor Pinterest. Only Facebook.
So much to love in this post…Pax, the great office set up (the desk is just like the one in my dreams!), your olive shirt with white jeans, why, even that purple concrete floor is fun to look at! I know me. Wouldn’t consider a purple floor but love your courage for going outside the comfort zone. So sorry the basement flooded. So you to turn that negative experience into what we see today! Love to you and your family~
thanks for all the love, sylvia! i hope you and yours are doing well.
I love your purple concrete floors! I noticed them in some of your pictures. I’m so drawn to your style – clothes – food 🙂 and your home decor. You’re very talented! Hope your’re enjoying your time with your son as he isolates with you. It’s scary to see what is happening in New York! Yikes!~
the floors weren’t supposed to be this purple. the original stain was a deeper blue. but i am really happy with the end result. my heart goes out to all of NYC. it has to be so hard to be cooped up in your apartment and not be able to take advantage of all the things that make New York – New York.
Hello from Texas. Your home is lovely with all the right touches!
hello Texas. all three of my kiddos were born in the Lone Star state.
Hi Beth,
I love the basement especially the finished concrete with purple. If it isn’t a pain would you take a photo of the painted floor. Just a portion. I would love to see it more clearly. Thanks.
Peg
Pegweir@gmail.com
i will try to share a close-up of the floor in another post.
Love that that cow! Perfect fit for conversation starter and setting a happy mood. I have loads of allergies, so painting the concrete is an excellent idea. A cowhide rug in the center for feet would be another n idea. My daughter-in-law has one in her basement bedroom for our feet and I love it. The good thing about painting the floors, is that you don’t have to ever worry again about water issues…silver lining🎁
i am absolutely loving the ease of concrete floors. and i think they look so chic. a much better solution for a basement instead of carpet.
Great look, both what you are wearing and your room. Purple concrete floors are a great idea. But, who is the puppy?
Pax is Jr. Style’s new puppy. isn’t he adorable?
Thanks for sharing! I have been planning on keeping my concrete floor after we had a flood as well – but it’s partially painted and chippy, and also had randomly placed glue from the carpet. So my question is about concrete prep – how did you get the glue off? And what products did you use for your amazing floor? 🙂 Thanks.
we had the floors done professionally. but the process was similar to wood floors. the first step was to sand down the floors. then the stain. last step was a sealant of some sort.
The purple is a wonderful addition! I really like it.
it really turned out well. bright and cheery which is what you need in a basement.
LOVE the new look in your basement and that you mix classics with pops of the unexpected, just like when you style your outfits. My boring old bathroom was in desperate need of a makeover. During this downtime, my son has helped me transform it from drab tan to fab lavender/periwinkle. It was a stretch but I love it. It’s a century farmhouse, so I’m going kind of Art Deco with purple, white, black, and hits of cobalt blue and green, drawing inspiration from lavender fields and forget-me-nots. Spring has sprung!! Thank you for sharing.
isn’t it fun to breathe new life into an old room? nothing better for the soul than changing things up. i’m certain you are loving the look.
Is that a new puppy or does he/she belong to your son?
Pax is Jr. Style’s new puppy. he has the best personality. Oscar loves him.
Hi Beth,
Love your basement, especially the purple floor. I miss having one as we live on an island in a flood plain and couldn’t have one. I would like to see your bathroom. Intrigued by the glimpse of it yesterday
i’ve lived in regions where there were no basements. having had one all while growing up i was shocked that other parts of the world couldn’t support them. can’t tell you how happy i am that this house has a wonderful walk-out basement as not all houses in Georgia have them.
Hi Beth,
The office and the basement look beautiful! Love the cow painting and the purple floor!
Something occurred to me after I saw Ollie in one of the photos. How do you keep him from scratching the furniture, especially the leather? I know cats are attracted to different textures and not to others. Just wondering if you have had any issues with him digging his claws into anything and if so, how did you solve the problem? (Asking for Jack, the cat and his owner who is in the market for new furniture. lol)
PS I have the same Talbots striped Tee you are wearing. 🙂
Stay well,
Helen
Brilliant! Well done.
thanks so much! as for Ollie she is generally pretty good about scratching on her scratching post or rugs. but she did do a number on a gorgeous wool egg chair when she was a kitten that’s been relegated to our guest room. 🙁
I love your home! That room has so many things to love. I’ve always loved those cow pictures and a red truck with dogs! You have a southern soul. LOL Any Southerner would feel right at home in your basement. Purple floors? How fun is that!
I have a shirt like that in olive. It’s a little heavier than a regular shirt and makes a wonderful lightweight jacket. It may be Talbots. I cut tags out. You look healthy and happy and that is a precious puppy. Grouchy cat but a cats a cat and that’s that,
i’ve always thought the south and the midwest have so much in common. everyone says Ollie looks grouchy but she is the chillest cat out there. although she’s not so certain of Pax.
It looks very nice! I’ve seen some concrete floors that I really like. And they’re very practical too. Will this be your new workspace? Or for guests? Looks like you get some good light from outside, too? I’m glad to hear you have some family around. Especially in the age of corona. Hope the knee is doing well!
the basement is for guests. right now my son is enjoying all of the updates. and yes we have some sunshine beaming in as it’s a walkout basement. so very happy i’m not all by myself in life in the time of corona. hope all is well in your world.
Your refinished basement rocks! I love all the colors and textures. I miss the land of basements since moving to the coast.
if you’ve grown up with basements it’s hard to live without one. but you’ll manage. 😉
Love the basement floor! such a neutral color. I so enjoy your post. I was wondering how your knee is doing? I will also have to do a knee replacement in the near future. Best of luck with recovery!!!
my knee is mending nicely. but you have to be faithful about physical therapy. that’s the key. and you have to push yourself a bit but not too much. listen to your PT and you’ll be fine. so happy i have the surgery in the rear view mirror. now i get to reclaim my vibrant life that was sidelined. good luck!
I love your basement, the floors are stunning !
I must have missed when you introduced us to the little puppy, would you mind telling me about home or her ?
Thank you !
Pax is Jr. Style’s new puppy. he’s a shepherd/lab mix. and he’s adorable.
Beth did you get a new dog ??? The puppy looks adorable.
Pax is Jr. Style’s new puppy. and he’s so good natured.
Hi Beth, how is your knee? It sure looks like you have a lot of flexibility. I hope it’s without much pain. Where do you find your art? I love it with all the colors. Take care. Pat
hi pat! the knee is on the mend but not without some pain. but my PT is thrilled with my progress. all of the artwork is linked in the blog post.
Love the floors! What a great idea! Everything is so modern and pulled together. I love your style, Beth!
Hello Beth,
In your post above you mentioned that readers can ask about things you have in your home. I really like the picture of the poppies in your upstairs office. I also like the orange egg chair. I hope you can share where you purchased them. Good luck with your knee had had mine done several months ago. Keep exercising and putting scar cream on the incision. Janice
thanks, janice! exercise is key with knee replacement and I’ve just started to use the scar cream. here’s a link to the egg chair – https://rstyle.me/+XlJ3CVTS0B2HLdd3QIUY1A
and the poppy painting is no longer available.
BETH,
Was that your Maine Coon??? Beautiful! What’s its name??
Love your site!
I’m 67, and I feel it is the best and most age- appropriate site out there.
Rita