Basement Media Room Updates + Movie Night

It has been almost five months since I gave our basement living space (or media room, as I like to call it) a makeover. You can click here to see it, along with the before images, if you missed the post back in September of 2019. I didn’t really do much or spend a ton of money to update the space- it was mostly painting, hanging art, and installing textiles & window treatments. It was drastically better from an aesthetic point-of-view, but we’ve since made some updates to make the space more comfortable and functional. Click through to see how it currently looks today and take a peek into our family movie night!

*This post is sponsored by Ben Soleimani. All content, ideas, and words are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that allow us to create unique content while featuring products we actually use & enjoy! 

In case you’re wondering what exactly changed in this room and why… let me break down the biggies for you. Let’s start with the rug… our previous rug, while beautiful, was shedding terribly. I also didn’t love the high pile in our basement, since the rug is layered over top of carpet. I opted for the stunning Ita rug from Ben Soleimani to replace it. This rug is hand knotted, made of wool and viscose, is super silky underfoot, and the pile is soft, fine, and low- which is perfect for layering! I also love the modernized take on a traditional pattern. It just feels like it fits this space and our home nicely.

The next big swap was the occasional chair. While I loved our modern navy chair from our previous living room, it was adding blue to a very blue space and felt too modern for our current colonial home. Emmett had been begging me to source a leather reclining chair for him and I’ve resisted for what feels like our entire marriage. Ha! Well……..

I granted his wish and spontaneously brought home a recliner I stumbled across at HomeGoods on Monday. I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen him so happy- it was well worth it! I also enjoy the texture and color the leather chair brings to the space.

After swapping those two large pieces, the room already felt better and more cohesive with the rest of our home. It’s funny- when you move and try to make your existing furniture fit into a new home… some of it works seamlessly, while other pieces just weren’t meant to move with you. I definitely learned that lesson with this home– which is totally different than our previous one.

I also swapped a few items, accessories, and textiles. I’m constantly shuffling the decor throughout our home. It’s just something I enjoy doing because I get bored easily and like to mix it up in small ways.

The third large item that changed in this room was the coffee table. Did you notice that?! It’s easy to miss because it is the same size and shape as our previous one, but this one has a marble top and drum base instead of brass. To be honest, this wasn’t a planned trade. As many of you know, I just finished designing new offices for Emmett’s place of employment. Our previous coffee table actually went to his work, and this damaged one I ordered for his office came home with me to replace ours. Sometimes you have to design in a pinch and improvise. That’s exactly what happened in this scenario with the commercial project! I’ll share the entire thing on the blog soon.

Long story short- that’s how our “new” coffee table came to be. Eventually when we fully renovate this room (knock down walls, pull up the carpet, etc), I want to replace the sofa with something larger. I already have a BIG rectangular coffee table we’ll pair with our future sofa. It’s currently sitting in storage in one of our guest bedrooms. I have yet to share that with you guys- I’m sorry! I suppose I’m full of secrets these days (coffee tables, commercial design projects, surprise recliners). Ha!

The media console was styled much better in my previous basement makeover post, but Emmett shifted things around for his surround sound. Sigh. I pick my battles. This is currently our reality and how it looks in person today.

After finishing the makeover five months ago, I’ve received some consistent questions about our basement media room. I figured a tiny Q&A might be helpful?

• What are the wall panels, and how did you make them? I didn’t photograph a DIY for these, but you can see the full tutorial in my Instagram Highlight, titled “Media Room”. I honestly made these panels because I like the way they look, but they also help with acoustics.
• Do you get natural light in the space? Yes! We have two window wells in this room with large windows (behind the wood roman shades in the corner). I love having a source of natural light in our basement- it’s pretty lucky.
• A white sofa?! You must be crazy. Yeah, yeah. We’ve had this sofa for about four years now and it still looks great! I talk more about my love for white sofas AND washable, family (pet & kid) friendly sofas in this post. Read it and you’ll see why I’m NOT crazy. Haha!
• I can’t believe you caved and got a reclining chair. You and me both!! How did this even happen? My love for Emmett must run VERY deep. I honestly should’ve bought one sooner after seeing how happy he was. The one we ended up with isn’t too hateful, right?
• How and why did you layer a rug on top of carpet? I really don’t like our carpet. It’s pretty blah. Before moving, the previous homeowners had all of the carpet replaced- so it’s new, just not my style. Eventually we’ll rip it out and replace the flooring in the basement, but until then- layering a rug is the perfect solution. I definitely recommend using a rug pad- check out this post for more info.

I brought my ball pillow down from the formal living room, and I’m not sure where it will end up staying, because I like it in both spaces! I might have to DIY another one in a navy fabric.

I’m not big on “themes” when designing rooms, but somehow a few ski-related items ended up in this space. All of these were things we previously owned… the gallery wall prints from our previous master bedroom, a pair of vintage skis Emmett has had since high school (he’s actually the one who “styled” them in the space- ha!), and a printed ski dish that was gifted to me from Jacqueline.

I think given the leather, faux fur, wood tones, deep paint color, and other rustic elements- this room kind of took on a bit of a modern lodge feel. I really don’t mind it at all… especially since we live in Utah. Hey- it’s true after all… we do have the greatest snow on Earth.

Click directly on the items below to be redirected to the source, or use the numbered links to shop…

01: gallery light // 02: floor lamp // 03: navy paint color // 04: ski art // 05: slipcovered sectional // 06: faux zz plant // 07: marble coffee table // 08: black side table // 09: soapstone bowl // 10: leather recliner (similar) // 11: greek key pillow // 12: ball pillow // 13: leather recliner // 14: candle // 15: woven ottoman // 16: ita rug // 17: navy throw // 18: large basket // 19: pedestal bowl // 20: leather pouf // 21: wool throw // 22: faux fur throw // 23: velvet pillow // 24: marble table

Before I sign off, as promised- I wanted to share some quick peeks of our family movie night and how this room looks during the evening hours with the lights on… a little warmer, more cozy, and definitely very comfortable!

Cash & Crosby actually cuddle and spoon like this in real life. It’s basically the cutest thing I’ve ever seen! I caught them in the act before we started the movie. For everyone asking if they’re allowed on our furniture… what do you think? How could I say no to those faces?! Our house is 100% dog proof. We buy furniture and bring things into our home that are durable and pet friendly.

We watched Troop Zero on Amazon and Emmett and I both loved it! Seriously such a heart-warming, feel good movie. Five stars from us! I’ve basically had to drag Emmett out of his recliner the last couple nights- he’s obsessed. It makes me laugh!

Honestly- we rarely make popcorn for movie night, but we always do a beverage of some sort… craft beer, wine, or a cocktail. The basement living space has really become our happy place to lounge, relax, and unwind at the end of the day. I had no idea we’d spend so much time downstairs when we bought this house. It’s pretty wonderful and cozy!

Will we still renovate this space someday? I think so! Emmett really wants to and we would love to demo some walls to make room for a larger sofa and expand the kitchen (into my prop closet) to create additional space for a game table or downstairs dining area. We hangout in the basement a LOT… probably more than we do upstairs. I will say- for now, I’m 100% happy and content. I love lounging and relaxing down here. With the latest updates, I’m pretty sure Emmett is perfectly content for the time being, too. Once our bathroom renovation wraps up, we may never leave the basement. This floor in our home definitely has a lot of potential! It will be fun to watch it unfold and continue to evolve over time. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!