These small basement ideas on a budget show how one intrepid homeowner stretched every last dollar.
Interior designerRyan Rabuskahad a refined vision for the basement off his Wolcott, CT, home.
He imagined a swanky lounge for watching movies with his fiance, Jeff Pelletier.
Credit:Matt Dutile
His small basement ideas on a budget are inspired.
Ryan confidently dove into a transformation that cost around $1,000.
“I’m a pretty handy guy,” he says.
Credit:Matt Dutile
“I kind of inherited the gene of: How hard can it be?
I’ll figure it out.”
Ryan spent six hours and used 5 gallons of paint to spray the basement.
He hung 10 curtain panels from three rods to “build” the wall.
“We wanted to make the basement feel special without spending a lot of money.”
Ryan Rabuska
The monochromatic foundation counters a high-contrast black-and-white floor Ryan painted after ripping up the carpet.
“My personal design style is I like a lot of contrast,” he says.
“Most of our house is light and bright, so I like that the basement contrasts that.”
A pair of sconces bought on clearance light up the spacewith a little trickery.
Rather than having the sconces wired, Ryan attached a battery-operated, remote-controlled puck light to the socket.
A wall with a long alcove seemed like an invitation to build an oversize floating shelf.
Ryan used 2x4s to build the frame, which he screwed into wall studs.
A plywood top and front piece, both stained, screw into the frame.
“It ended up looking expensive and chic,” Ryan says.
“We look forward to our time down there,” Ryan says.
Credit:Matt Dutile
The extra space has definitely been a benefit to our house."
