79 Comments

  1. I just found your blog, and I am so inspired by your talents. Your basement is charming, my husband would die to have one looking just like yours looks. Hope your kitty is doing well!

    Regards,
    Susan

  2. Lovely basement, better than any I have seen. It’s usually a catchall for everything you really don’t like that much! Very clever cat door….hope kitty is getting better, he sure is a doll. Love his coloring.

    The man cave is perfect,in that it doesn’t look totally male, just enough for the guys but still feminine enough for the girls.

  3. I’m in the market foe a new sofa, too. I’m looking at a LOVESAC sactional. Although a little pricey it will fit all of my needs. I’m looking at the movie sofa. Good luck!

  4. I can’t believe that you were hiding that! It’s not bad, at all. I love how I still see your style even with all the man-cave sports stuff. I can’t wait to see what you end up doing with this.

    We are huge football fans…so I guess I can’t really call ours a “man cave”. GO CHIEFS!

  5. I wish like hell we had a basement at all. We don’t have them were we live:( this space is so great and i cant wait to see you work your Julia magic on it! this room is freakin awesome though. Muhammad Ali!!!?? Seriously!!! Like I said, awesome. The bar-awesome, all the personal items with sentimental value-awesome, the Steelers sign-NOT awesome Julia!! That’s where the buck stops my friend! GO COWBOYS!!!!

    1. LOL, I could care less as far as football goes. My husband took me to a Steelers game once and I fell asleep. He was so mad and never took me again, which is totally fine with me. I love tailgating though, ha! That’s what he gets for marrying a German.

      My father-in-law used to take his kids to see Ali at his training camp and he would sit, talk and play with them. Isn’t that awesome?

  6. Come decorate my basement. It’s covered in Simpson’s stuff. I wish I was joking.

    I love that your space is well decorated but yet still super functional.

  7. That horse’s head! 1st thing my eye went to! I love it and I haven’t seen one like that before. Love it. And your kitty restrooms?!? Loooooooooove those!!! Your basement looks great and I would have never ever noticed your couch if you hadn’t said anything…it even took me a second to see what you were talking about. You conceal it well! 😉

    1. I love the horse head too and I just had to sneak it in. Thank God it doesn’t bother the hubs, well I kind a told him it matched his Steelers colors which in his book equals awesome 😉

  8. I am so sorry about your kitty. I hope he (she?)gets better. You might want to look into some herbal remedies for his kidneys.

    From your description I thought your basement would look like something from a horror movie, but it was lovely! I think it would look better without the curtain though.

    1. Without the curtain I feel like it looks like a jail cell. Maybe a different one down the road but I feel like it warms it up a bit. The window is what it is and I hate it.
      The vet is really worried about the kitty so I’m too now 🙁
      And the basement did look like a horror movie for a while or lets say it used to look like a Dexter kill room.

  9. I wish we had a basement. My husband would love to have a man-cave! The Ali photo is freaking awesome and such a great memory! I vote that you most definitely sneak any photo on his gallery wall and see when or if he notices. By the way genius cat door! Love it!

    1. Thanks and I think the votes are in and in favor of sneaking in some picture. Lets see!

  10. seriously i can’t believe you were hiding it either! it is amazing! i love the horse’s head and it was the first think i noticed! 🙂 also totally in love with the rug- what a great cozy space!

    1. Thanks Cassie! I just actually added the rug before we went to Germany because the last one was a cat toilet.

  11. Sorry to hear your kitty’s not doing well 🙁

    I’m cracking up about the cat bathroom sign–genius! I think I have to have one!

    Your basement looks like such a great place to hang out….I dream of finishing ours someday. But I dream of so many other things, too!

    1. Thanks, on Friday I have to take her to the vet again. She isn’t doing so good. And all the vet money makes me want to rip my hair out too. There goes my new sofa.

      I was actually thinking of selling a cat toilet sign like that in wall vinyl in my etsy shop. Maybe people would really buy it 🙂

  12. Yes, PLEASE write up a how-to about your bar. That is the PERFECT size for what I’d like to build in my basement. pleasepleaseplease!

    1. I’m planning on doing that next week if you don’t mind childish drawings 😉

  13. I would love to have a basement. (They don’t usually build them in this part of the country since the ground is so hard.)

    Your mancave (basement) looks great! It’s masculine but definitely has some style. I love your feline toilet area, too–such a cute sign!

    So sorry to hear about your little calico kitty. I wish her well.

  14. Your basement looks awesome! We don’t really have basements here in Texas, so we’re turning a large bedroom upstairs into my husband’s “man-cave/office”. I love the way you were able to decorate with your husband’s likes and hobbies and make it look great! My challenge will involve an extensive craft beer bottle collection – yay 😉

    1. Craft beer bottle collection…that’s kinda really awesome. The hubby and I love beer 😉

  15. Hello gorgeous! Your basement is such a fun space to have. You made all of your husband’s items really chic.

  16. I actually love how the basement is now. It really is tastefully done Julia, I don’t know why you want to change it. I bet your husband just loves it down there! Seriously, it reminds me of something Candace Olsen would design, it has all the zones done perfectly and tastefully.

    1. Aww thanks so much! Did you notice that the things I want to change are the big ticket items? The ones we always push ahead of us. Couch and TV 😉

  17. You made it seem like it would be so bad and it’s already such an awesome space! Thinking about your kitty… I know it’s hard. My doggie has a heart murmur and his dentist appointment (with anesthesia) is in the spring. I’ve been dreading it already.

    1. Oh that is scary, I know what you are talking about. I wish him all the best but it really has to get done to keep them healthy!

  18. I think this space is awesome! I like that it feels light and airy even though it’s a “man cave.” I also love how you pulled his likes and loves into it, without being overwhelmingly manly. =)

  19. Fancy man-cave! My husband would LOVE a room like this. We just signed papers for a 1904 house with a terrifying basement yesterday though, so…no man cave for him 🙁

    1. Oh wow 1904, that’s really cool though. How a bout a man-attic (manatttic)?

  20. I really like your basement!! I can’t believe that you’ve been hiding this from us all this time 😉 I would love for our basement to look like yours someday.

    I actually kind of like your couch…I bet that’s super comfortable, and you can’t beat leather. Keep your eye out for something great! It always comes along when you least expect it 🙂

    1. Yes, the hubby says it’s really comfortable and I will totally keep my eye out for a craigslist couch. You know me!

  21. I feel so sorry you are dealing with another health problem with your dear pet. It’s so hard to deal with.
    You have a great basement and tons of areas with great activities. In all 35 homes, MC and I have never had a basement. What fun, it’s another house!

    1. Yes it is and it’s heart braking. Thanks so much Patty!
      I still can’t believe that you’ve lived in 35 homes 😉

  22. Please oh please show us your cats ‘business’ closet!! 🙂 I am desperately trying to come up with ways to manage the dusty mess that follows litter boxes. And I am sure that you are a pro!! 🙂

    1. Hmmm, should I? It’s kinda not nice at all. like you said, it’s dusty LOL

    2. I use torn newspaper instead of kitty litter…its lighter, cleaner and free! The cats ( I have 5 ) love the newspaper and it never tracks, also it is very deodorizing. Hope this helps!

  23. Hi!!
    Could you please share where you got your kitty door? We are building a new house and will need one for our lower level! That’s the cutest one I’ve seen (I’ve been looking!)….I love the sign you made as well! Too funny!!!

  24. Nice setup! I would love to see you you constructed the bar since it’s so nice. We’re a ways off from finishing our basement, but most of the elements that you’ve incorporated are what we’re going to shoot for.

    1. Thanks John, I will try to draw something up next week. I really wish I’d have photos of the project!

  25. That horse head…Julia, I loooove it. I think it should come live with me 😉
    And your basement looks great. I am really impressed with how you managed to make a sporty space still look so polished and chic.

    1. I love the horse head too, I think it still wants to live at my house 😉 and thanks so much.

  26. annie hearts says:

    Oh Julia, you will regret having asked what my basement looks like. It’s where the seventies went to die and you will feel miles better about your basement once you see mine.
    p.s. You should TOTALLY paste a Brad Pitt photo on one of the frames. I would cut it to the exact same size as the photos that are already in there. Or even better, put your face on all the model’s faces! haha!

    1. I have to go and check out your basement. And great idea about pasting my head on the swim suit model 😉

    2. It’s not that bad Sherry. It looks like it’s heading into the right direction.

  27. amykristinteriors.com says:

    Julia, first I am sorry to hear about your kitty’s health problems. We are just now dealing with similar things with our 14 1/2 yr old dog. My heart goes out to you. Second, I love your basement!!! It’s so bright and cheery and how LUCKY is your hub that you made him a bar!!! When can my hubby move in?? Big Hugs, Amy

    1. Ha, my hubby loves visitors send him over.
      And thanks so much. Wishing the best for your dog too.

  28. Anonymous says:

    I would love to hear how you made your bar, especially the painting process. It is beautiful! Also, I actually like the couch. It looks so comfortable and perfect for a man cave. I love the kitty door and the sign above it. How did you do that, and do you sell those signs?
    Thanks,
    Jeanine

    1. Hi Jeanne,
      I’m planning on posting the sign on etsy for sale in a couple of days, so check back ok.
      And I’m also planning on writing a post about the bar.
      Thanks for stopping in.

  29. Looks good down there. I love the bar area and the stripes are to die for (but then I have a thing for horizontal stripes).

    I’m sorry to hear about your cats. My Simba (we had to put him down last year) was diabetic and even with shoots he wasn’t doing very well. He lived in our upstairs bedroom bathroom and would pee everywhere. I still miss him and tear up about him. But he lived with his diabetes for 5 years and they only gave him 6 months when he was diagnosed. He was 15 years old so he had a good life. My kitty now (Chloe) is my baby.

    1. Oh no that is so sad and it’s so hard to deal with too. Poor Simba!

      Chloe is such a cute name love it. Good luck with your baby.

  30. Our mancave is pretty similar to yours, except we haven’t decorated it at all since I don’t know what to do with a sports theme. You’ve given me some ideas with the Sports Illustrateds and the baseball cards, though.

    And I almost died when I saw your couch – ours is very similar, except brown – until I saw yours is a sectional. Ours… isn’t. 😐

    1. I like my sofas a little sleeker these days… our is from 1997, so even though it looks to be in good shape (pleather never wears out!), it’s woefully out of style. And uncomfortable. So… yes. I agree.

  31. Om my I was dying when I saw the bathroom sign and door for cats! Love it1 They are for sure like the small four legged kids of the house! I love how you displayed the sports illustrated covers! Great idea. The bar looks great! I can’t believe you built that and I think you should post the sketches! I love the big yellow horse head too! Love the pops of color! It looks like a bright cheery space!

    Laura

    1. Yes, they are my furry kiddos, totally! And thanks so much for the kind words.

  32. I wish I had a basement! That’s one of those things I left behind when I moved to southern California. I just love the bar…please do put plans up! Also, you HAVE to put a young Brad Pitt up. How funny would that be?!

  33. WOW!! What an awesome area!! My hubby was peaking over my shoulder and was asking why WE don’t have something like that for him to watch football in. Thanks a lot Julia! 😉

  34. 🙂 Your basement is pretty Julia! I don’t see anything wrong with it! I would love it if mine would look like that! our living space in ours is very small and not much space for anything! My husband would love to watch TV in yours, I better not show him these pictures, he would be jealous (just like me) 🙂 & of course, I love the horse head and the pillow very much! 🙂 You know, I just got an orange lamp myself, your husband might like it for his basement then! ha!ha! 🙂
    You are so lucky to have a big area to exercise too and can’t wait to see your craft space, I’m sure it’s lovely! 🙂
    the cat restroom is so cute, so adorable! I love it!
    & yep! you should add one or two Bradd Pitt picture there, see when would he noticed! hi!hi! 🙂

  35. Anonymous says:

    Hi. That little cat door is the best thing ever, and have a brush on it. I love it!. Greeting from México City. Ofelia.

  36. Anonymous says:

    Hi Julia,I would love to do the sports illustrated framing just like YOU! Did you just frame the cover or the entire magazine?Do you have a good place to buy those frames in bulk?How did you decide where to put each magazine? By year? Sport?Thank you for the post and inspiration.-MattPS. It could be a win/win if you framed the Brad Pitt “Moneyball” Sports Illustrated cover

    1. Hi Matt,
      YES to the Brad Pitt cover, that’s a great idea! Love it!

      I ended up buying the frames at AC Moore with coupons, but you might get them cheaper these days at Ikea or Michaels. It’s been a while.

      My husband wanted them hung by sports. So a boxing, baseball, football and basketball section…at least that’s what he wanted.

      I framed the entire magazine behind the matting so I wouldn’t destroy them.

      Let me know if you have another question.

      Good luck!

      Julia

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