Is This Real Life?

We have a little saying in our family that we say anytime something seems unbelievable or too good to be true… “Is this real life?” It all started when I was on Shark Tank in February 2013. We had a viewing party with close family and friends and during my part of the show, our then five year old daughter Addison said, “IS THIS REAL LIFE?” And that about sums up how I feel about the renovations so far on the basement den in our cabin.

BEFORE

I’m not sure many words are needed for the before images. It wasn’t exactly screaming “come have a seat, sit by the fire and relax…” The enormous concrete block wall was quite the eyesore and the flooring was well… half dust, half dirt and some carpet mixed in there too I guess. Here’s a little “before” tour…

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

First up, flooring! This is the basement level of the home so I chose a high-end laminate wood flooring. For flooring on a slab, moisture can be a huge problem so wood flooring isn’t a great option unless you have a heavy duty underlayment. I fell in love with this rustic wood that looks so real it’s kind of ridiculous. We did the basement den, hallways and both basement bedrooms in this same flooring.

Reclaimed Laminate Wood in Bistro by Shaw Floors

I have to admit that the Great Wall of Concrete took some thinking. Being in the stone industry with our Kitchen/Bath company, APF, Inc., my hubby wanted to cover it all in tile or stone slabs. Although that would have been pretty amazing, I wanted something a little more subtle. Instead we met in the middle and created a smaller fireplace area and hearth with stone tile and made the remaining area look more like a wall with horizontal 1 x 6 pine planks. This shiplap effect done in Alabaster by Sherwin Williams really brightens up the space and makes it more cozy and inviting.