Designing a Moody Moroccan-Inspired Basement

Well, hey there! It's been a minute...well, it's been about 4 months, but who's counting?

I hope you're well.

The truth is, for me, life's been hard. Between the post-wedding blues, grief that always comes up this time of year (now doubly so since my brother passed last year), and seasonal changes, it's been really hard to get inspired and motivated to do design.

It's not that I haven't wanted to. I've been hoping and wishing for some inspiration to hit me, for some ah-ha moment to permeate my consciousness and thrust me into action, but for the longest time, I'd look around my house and come up blank. Life was feeling very uninspiring. Until....

It finally happened! Inspiration struck!

(Shout out to my therapist for helping me through the tough times and to myself for putting in the work to get me to this point! Therapy really helps!)

I have to say, it feels REALLY good to be back on the blog today with a fresh project plan to share. And I am super freaking pumped about what I've got planned. So let me show you!

A Moody Moroccan-Inspired Basement

You read that right. I'm taking on the basement. Honestly, as excited as I am to get my hands on this space, I'm equally nervous and scared. It'll be the largest space I've worked on to-date, and I've got some really bold choices in the plans (color drenching the entire space - whaaaat?! more on that in a bit). It's going to be a TON of work, but I'm jazzed and rearing to go and I'm excited to take you along for the ride!

Let's check out the design plans and then I'll walk you through it. Click the pic to see it full size!

Let's start with the inspiration. My husband loves those ornate Moroccan lanterns (like the one in the design board above), and from the very start of our brainstorming, he said he wanted the space to be dark and inspired by Moroccan design. Have you seen Moroccan design? It's drenched in color, pattern, textiles and cozy seating - what's not to love? I was into it from the start.

Check out some of the inspo pics:

My design plans are a lot moodier than these pictures, but I took inspiration from the color combinations, patterns and general vibe.

I hinted at it earlier, but one of the boldest choices in this design is the paint color that will anchor the entire space. We're going with a deep cinnamon color, and plan to paint the walls AND the ceiling all the same color. The space is going to be DRENCHED in cinnamon, which will be the backdrop for a cozy new sofa, side chair and accents of teal and ochre pulled in through wallpaper, a rug and other accessories. This decision makes me the most nervous because it's such a large space to commit to. But you know what they say, on the other side of fear is...amazing interior design! So might as well go for it.

I also plan to add pops of pattern through using a couple different wallpapers, one behind the TV and another in the wet bar area.

I really want to completely transform this space and make it a really cool, cozy place to hang out, watch movies, and maybe rent out on AirBnB if we feel like it. It's going to look NOTHING like what it looks like now...

The Before Photos

And as you can see, I've already started exploring paint colors for the space (and think I've landed on the one I want - not pictured :P!).

Some of the projects we'll be working on to bring this vision to life include:

• Wallpapering behind the TV and wet bar (not pictured)

• Mounting the TV and speakers on the wall

• Mounting cabinets for added storage

• Replacing curtains

• Painting, so much painting

• And lots more!

I hope you'll follow along as I work on this space. It's going to be a really fun one!

Have I mentioned how good it is to be back?

Til next time.

Sam