When Kelly Finley, Founder and Principal Designer at Joy Street Design, first met her clients, they were in the process of building out the ground floor of their house to create a proper basement. “They hired Joy Street Design to help with project management and finishing the space,” she explains. “The goal was to create a space that the family would spend their free time in while infusing color and fun. They wanted a family room, office space, play space, and proper entry from the garage. The room is considered a basement walk out and the ceilings are not very high, so we wanted to do what we could to brighten up the space.”
First, Kelly solidified the floor plan to ensure that the family’s access to the backyard wouldn’t be blocked by furniture. “The family’s directives required a large comfortable sectional that would allow for family and friends’ game night, as well as a nice office space when working from home,” Kelly says. “Who knew how important that would be now!” They first started with the entry off of the garage — it’s the first access point to the space. The designer used Pierre Frey’s Arty wallpaper to set the tone and show the clients’ fun and playful personality. “There are so many colors in this wallpaper that we were able to pull the remaining colors for the room,” she shares.
In the family room, Kelly chose a great yellow hue to anchor the room. She created a custom sectional that contains a queen-size mattress, allowing the basement to also serve as a guest room. “We designed a custom ottoman with a cascading table that will allow the family to put their feet up on a daily basis and have space for drinks,” she tells us. “Doing double duty, the cascading table also forms the support for a large tabletop that is added for the aforementioned game nights.”
On the main wall, a large built-in cabinet (painted in Farrow & Ball’s Black Blue) with brass hardware allows the elements of the shelves to shine. “This color is fantastic because depending on the light, it reads as either black or blue,” Kelly quips.
Built-ins were helpful in the office area as well, maximizing storage and utilization. “The office built-in is made in walnut to add the richness of the wood tones in the super colorful space,” Kelly explains. “We wrapped the entire back wall in corkboard to allow the full use of the walls and added shelves behind the side wall to hide the necessary office items, like printers and file folders.” Of course, Kelly made sure everyone in the family was accounted for with this project. “We decided to maximize the space under the stairs to create a fun play space for their daughter. We added a colorful wallpaper of hearts and her favorite items.” With extra time at home over the last few months, a dedicated space to work and play has no doubt been a lifesaver. Take a tour in the slideshow!