Before & After: Basement Turned Light-Filled Art Studio

Cambria Bold
Cambria Bold
Cambria Bold is the Executive Editor of Cubby, and one of Apartment Therapy Media’s first full-time editors from way back when. She was The Kitchn's founding Design and Lifestyle Editor as well as Managing Editor of Re-Nest, Apartment Therapy’s late '00s green living site. She…read more
updated May 6, 2019
comments
Add Us
See more Apartment Therapy stories when you search on Google.
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Cluttered basement with exposed pipes, storage boxes, a red snowblower, and an American flag on the wall.
See More Images
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

This basement makeover, submitted to us by Re-Nest reader Sarah of cafe + dish, shows just how transformative a few coats of white paint can be. As she writes: “Living in Boston, space is at a premium. The studio is in a “garden-level” part of the basement, so I used lots of white paint to brighten the space. What once was a very dark and dingy corner of a basement is now one of my favorite spaces…”

See More Images
BEFORE (Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
1 / 5

“The renovation took about a week combined to complete. I had to spend a few days cleaning and prepping the space first (we have a 100-year old condo and the basement shows its age). Then my (carpenter) father traveled 900 miles and built the wall, installed the door, and installed the electrical outlets in 2 days. I spent several days after that painting, painting, and painting the space bright white to reflect the natural sunlight.

I would encourage people interested in carving out a creative space to think beyond the obvious. When space is at a premium, consider attic spaces, walk-in closets, corners of dining rooms, or dead-end hallways. Don’t wait for perfection, but embrace what you have!”

• Read More: Art Studio: Before & After at cafe + dish

Thanks, Sarah!

Filed in:
Home Projects
before & after
renovating