the unfinished finished basement

we are at the beginning of a very long project...

creating a playroom in our dark, unfinished basement.

we're currently gathering ideas & making some decisions. 

here are a few thing we know...

1 - the kids need to vacate my office (the current playroom), so i can use it as it's intended

2 - we need to lighten up the basement... make it clean, inviting & desirable for the kids

3 - we can't spend a ton of money :(

4 - i need to purge... big time (the basement is full of cr@p)

yesterday, i went house hunting with my mother-in-law & i saw this unfinished basement.

by no means is it what i want. but, because we can't totally finish the space,
this unfinished basement does seem bright & less basement-y.

the design & photo quality is not so good, but i like how it's light & bright

so, how can i take this little piece of inspiration & make it colorful, fun & desirable for kids?

here are some inspiration photos. although none of these photos are perfect,

each one has something i like....

love the vinyl black & white tiles & all the bright white stairs/woodwork
via

very rustic, love the lighting & curtains
via

love the ceiling, lighting& red painted pillar
via

love the crates, the wall finish & the floors
via

pallet wall dividers... so clever!
via

lighting, floors, curtain walls & shelving.
clearly i want a playroom not a laundry room :)
via

love the lighting & the swing
via google

i like that it's bright with the natural wooden ceiling
via google

i think there are some great ideas in these inspiration photos.
now i need to put together a plan.

more to come on this home improvement project :)

happy wednesday! -erin