A Tour of My Renovated Basement Studio

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a big believer in the adage: a clear space, a clear mind. But even more than that, I want it to exist in a space that seamlessly blends form and functionality. Practically, given that I work from home, I need my home to double as an office;  and given that I’m a fashion and lifestyle blogger, I need my office to also function as a studio. My home has to be everything for me at once. (A lot to ask, I know.).  

Aesthetically, I want my space to be a never-ending opportunity for creative expression. I’m constantly rearranging furniture—swapping this couch for that chair and back again. I’m always adding new art; replacing this decoration for that one; moving one of many coffee table books from shelf to table and back again. So, last year, I decided to take the ultimate plunge and remodel the house. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for years—ever since we moved in, actually. And in all honesty, it turned out better than I could have hoped.    

As part of our reset, refresh, and renew month, each Thursday, I’m going to take you through a tour of each renovated room. We’ll start today with my recently renovated basement studio. So take your shoes off and come on in. (During the early part of the pandemic, we ran A Day in the Life: Home Tour series over here on the blog. If you’re interested in before pictures of my basement, you can check out A Tour of My Refinished Basement as a “before” reference.) 

Remodeled kitchen

What was so appealing about this house was the fact that it had a finished, walkout basement complete with a guest bedroom, bath, and full kitchen—total privacy and convenience for anyone who comes to visit. So, let’s kick things off with my remodeled basement kitchen. A total transformation, here, with new custom cabinetry, floating shelves, and a subway tile backsplash. Given that my floors are blue/purple stained concrete, I went with a neutral base: whites and grays, which really makes the brushed gold hardware and faucet pop.  

Remodeled studio

My home doubles as a studio for both the blog and YouTube. Lights, camera, action all day, every day. (Or at least it feels like it.)  Just wanted to give you a quick little glimpse here of behind the scenes. ‘Cause this is where I spend most of my time when not photographing on-site out and about Athens.   

Remodeled den

Alright, my favorite part of the basement:  the den. The biggest change here was simple but profound. We painted the stone fireplace in white, the firebox black and replaced the gas logs with functional ones. (Believe it or not, it went unused for six years.)   Such an unbelievable difference this all made. And I can honestly say that the fireplace really stole the show this Christmas when all of my kiddos gathered to celebrate Christmas Eve. We went with new paint throughout, rearranged all of the furniture and artwork, and transformed a room the kiddos kinda-sorta liked being in into one in which they love. A huge win.  

Webber Coleman Woodworks 

A special shoutout to Webber Coleman Woodworks, who led the renovations in their entirety. I was introduced to a family-run cabinetry shop here in Athens through my daughter-in-law, who also had her kitchen renovated through Webber Coleman. I can’t recommend this team highly enough.   The quality of their work is exceptional, and they hit every deadline on time. (And for anyone that has gone through a renovation, that actually might be the most important thing.). Make sure to follow Webber Coleman on Instagram, especially if you’re looking for inspiration for your own home projects. 

In case you missed it

Our new YouTube video—5 Fashion Mistakes (and how to fix)—is live and watchable below.      

About The Author

Beth Djalali

is the Founder and CEO of Style at a Certain Age. She writes Sundays-Fridays on all topics ranging from fashion, health, wellness, home design and more.

She’s 66, 5’8, and size 8.

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