Totally psyched to have a basement of our own

Basements, as a general subject, might not be the kind of thing that reeves up most people's engines - at least not in the way that a dazzling kitchen, freshly renovated powder room, or stunning garden might.

I admit, as a whole they're usually not my absolute favourite corner of most homes (in part because the largest spider - if it wasn't a tarantula it was darn near close - I ever saw was in a basement when I was a little girl), but that certainly isn't to say that I dislike them either.

So long as they're dry, well ventilated and properly finished, basements can be fantastic places. Thus is not the case for all underground portions of homes though.

Prior to moving into our current apartment, my husband and I lived in a rather dark, nearly window-less basement (the tiny windows that were there had bars on them, which yes, I know is illegal - we didn't put them on, the homeowner did long before we moved in) for over two years. It was, to say the least, a less than wonderful experience.

When we moved into that kind of environment, we did so believing that we would only be there for a few months (max!). Little did we know that events would play out in our lives that would end up keeping us there for much longer than anticipated. When the time came at long last to move, we wanted to get as far away from dank, depressing basements as was humanly possible, and so our house hunting lead us to a high rise apartment.

This home, while far from perfect either (oh the horror stories about this building I could tell you!), was a huge improvement over our previous abode here in Toronto, and for all it's shortcomings, it has served us pretty well for the past three and half years.

Now though, as many of you know, that time has come for us to move once more. Not just from this apartment building, but from Ontario. We're headed to my home province of British Columbia and to a house, that at long last, isn't just one floor.

Finally, in a charming condo, my husband and I are going to have two floors and a basement all to ourselves. This point, as you might imagine, makes me more than a little giddy!

The basement in our new place isn't massive, but it's not super tiny either. It has plenty of room for me to create a dedicated craft space, as well areas for storage, and a washer and dryer (after years of not having laundry facilities in our home, I'm beyond thrilled about that!!!).

Though the paint (and floor colours) are not the same, and there are some other differences in certain respects (there won’t be all the woodworking and DIY equipment, for example), over all our new basement (as I've seen it in photos and videos), looks a fair bit like the 1940s one pictured below.

{Industrious and attractive, this wonderful basement from 1947 is bursting with creative possibilities and plenty of space for everyone in the household to partake in their favourite hobbies, much as our new basement will allow us to do as well. Image via saltycotton on Flickr.}

To me moving into a house with a basement, the rest of which is also ours to occupy is symbolic of how we've come over the years. Are we moving into a mansion? Goodness, no, but as I sit here now, a little over a month from our moving date, I can't help but feel like this new home is every bit as significant and meaningful as if we were.

So, dear new house basement, I look forward to our impending meeting and the fact that you are the foundation upon which our whole home - and much of our home life - will be built.

Can you guess what decade this autumn hued home is from?

✯ Day 296 of Vintage 365 ✯

{Image via my Vintage Home Decor Pinterest board; originally sourced from American Vintage Home on Flickr.}

 

It sports a palette of earthy, autumnal hues in shades of woodsy brown, rusty orange, concrete grey, and faded buttercup. Has plenty of blond wood, an unfussy sofa, and includes a bold square pattern fabric in the form of curtains and upholstered chairs. All of these elements working together to channel a sense of the late 1960s

The mood, helped no doubt by the large living room lamp with its eye-catching tangerine hued shade, is warm and mellow - you can almost envision a fondue pot or raclette being carried to the relatively small dining room table any moment now. Surely this room, you're naturally thinking, must be from the 70s.

It's not however, nor is it from the sixties. Though the hues, clean lines and mid-century furniture might have you thinking you're ready for anything from Woodstock to Studio 54, yet fans decades prior to those will be delighted to know that, in fact, this unique (for the period) home hails from 1953.

Indeed, many years before a palette that seemed to partially have its dial tuned to fall time took home decor by storm, this house - complete with dark orange ceilings and kitschy little knickknack shelves in the dining room - foresaw the colour trend that was coming (and which would last for a good part of two decades).

Yet, as one looks really closely, you can sense somehow that it's not a house from the 60s or 70s. There's something, a subtle vibe that's redolent of an earlier era, that lets viewers know they're dealing with the 1950s.

It's little touches like the hanging copper lamp, thick (indoor!) wood shutters, and built-in bookcases that speak of the fifties and the remains of more classic American style that still lingered during the decade.

Though I'm much more of a fan of the pastel and candy hues of the fifties (pink, aqua, mint green, and soft lemon, for example), I found myself instantly and completely drawn to this distinct home. Given how wonderfully suited its colours are to fall and certainly Halloween, too, and that we're knee-deep in October, I tend to think that the time of the year is why such is the case.

Or perhaps, I simply enjoyed the fact that such an unexpected marriage of hues popped up in a house well before the wild days of the 1960s and 70s had even come close to starting.

After all, once a 1950s home decor lover, always a 1950s home decor lover!