You Won’t Believe What This Basement Playroom Looked Like Before Its Transformation

Once a dark and dingy basement filled with storage boxes and sports equipment, this renovated space is now a fun, functional kids’ zone. On Save My Reno, designer Sabrina Smelko and contractor Sebastian Clovis explored their inner child to the fullest.

Chic basement playroom with large blue graphic rug, grey chevron tent and mountain murals on the walls

HGTV Canada

1 / 10

Romper Room

With their first baby on the way, homeowners Amanda and Lauren wanted to take their awkward basement and transform it into a clean, calming space for their little one to play and relax in with his friends.

See these 30 basement renovations that’ll blow you away.

Chic basement playroom with a mountain mural on the wall, a grey play table, two chairs and two blue stools

HGTV Canada

2 / 10

Colour Inside the Lines

Since the space was quite large and open, Sabrina created thematic areas to give form to the room’s function. A great example is the mountain wall murals, which frame and define the colouring and counting station.

Old unfinished basement with ugly green carpet, wood paneling and piles of boxes and old furniture

HGTV Canada

3 / 10

Last But Not Least

After renovating the rest of the house, the basement was the last area Amanda and Lauren had to tackle before the birth of their baby. Removing the old carpet, wood panelling and dated dropdown skylight feature were the first steps.

Chic basement playroom with a mountain mural on the wall, a large blue patterned rug, a grey play table and two chairs, a chevron play tent and a large toy closet

HGTV Canada

4 / 10

Pot Lights

Taking out the skylight gave Sebastian enough extra ceiling height to install new pot lighting throughout, which makes the space feel airy and bright, especially compared to what it looked like before.

Chic basement playroom with a grey chevron play tend and zebra striped rug

HGTV Canada

5 / 10

Safari Dreams

A sweet chevron-striped tent provides the perfect spot for kids to curl up in and pretend they’re going on their own safari, complete with a plush rhino, zebra-print rug and a trio of animal heads. (No animals were hurt in the making of this playroom!)

Set of three live edge wood shelves display family pictures, fun toys and sweet messages

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6 / 10

Getting Edged Out

Amanda had been holding onto this gorgeous piece of live-edge wood for a future DIY table project, but she gave it up to Sebastian when he suggested a set of shelves to hold family memorabilia and kid-friendly objets du art instead.

See Sabrina Smelko’s tips on bathroom accessories.

Crowded basement laundry area with HVAC system and a white washer and dryer

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7 / 10

Laundry Quandary

One of the main design flaws of the original basement was the poor placement of the washer and dryer. Opening the machine doors was cumbersome and needed to be addressed before the laundry loads expanded greatly post baby.

Chic grey basement laundry room with grey vinyl floors, white shaker cabinets and a butcher block countertop

HGTV Canada

8 / 10

Clean Machine

Now the laundry gets its own separate room, complete with a cost-saving butcher-block countertop for folding, a deep rinsing sink and a chic geometric-patterned tile backsplash.

Launder like a pro! Check out Sabrina Smelko’s perfect laundry room solution.

Three ceramic planters hang in a chic laundry room with a pattern tile backsplash and wooden butcher block counters

HGTV Canada

9 / 10

Up a Notch

Since Amanda and Lauren will be spending a lot more time in the laundry room once the baby is born, Sabrina wanted to elevate the space with thoughtful design elements, such as the trio of hanging porcelain planters and sleek storage containers.

Organized basement storage room filled with wooden shelves, white cabinets, a table on casters and blue stool

HGTV Canada

10 / 10

In Its Proper Place

With a kid on the way, having plenty of storage was key to these homeowners – now with this dedicated area for bits and bobs, there’s somewhere for everything, including seasonal clothes and decorations.

Laugh along with Sabrina and Sebastian. Watch these outtakes and bloopers from Season 2 of Save My Reno.