HHello, it’s Courtney! I’ve moved out of my apartment and into my parents’ lower level. I wanted to share how we’re laying out the new space and what our plans are.
First, can we agree moving is always far more exhausting than you expect? And you always seem to have way more stuff than you think. I swore I didn’t have much, but unpacking proved otherwise—things multiplied as we went.
If you missed my move announcement, catch up HERE.
Before I describe the new layout, here’s a quick reminder of how the lower level looked nearly five years ago. For the full “blast from the past” watch our Seattle house before video. It’s amazing how much the house has evolved. You can see our house tour and updates here.
Originally the main area of the lower level was one large open room. It was the nicest basement we saw during our Seattle house hunt. Because it’s only partially below grade, it gets a lot of natural light and feels cheerful and flexible.
For context, my parents’ kitchen sits at the top of the basement stairs.
About a year after moving in, we installed laminate wood floors and built a wall to create a home office. You can read about that decision in this post.
Here’s where the wall was built.
And here are a few views of the office after the partition. We also added plantation shutters, which helped finish the look.
Adding that wall made the lower level feel even larger and more functional.
Fresh paint and the new flooring completed a big transformation.
After the wall went up, the lower level comprised a living room with a fireplace, our office with an attached storage room, and a hallway leading to the garage, bathroom, and laundry room.
This is the hallway to the garage, bathroom, and laundry room.
This is the bathroom. It already looks different with some simple accessorizing, and I have a few small makeovers planned that I’ll share soon.
This is the laundry room, which we’re converting into a kitchen/laundry combo. I’ll post soon about how I’m setting this up as a usable kitchen in a small space.
We considered several options for assigning rooms before I moved in. One idea was to leave the office as-is and for me to take over the fireplace room, adding a wall at the bottom of the stairs to close off my space. We even considered opening a doorway between the laundry room and the fireplace room to connect them.
In the end, the simplest plan was to make the existing office and its attached storage room my main apartment. The office, which has an exterior door, became my living room, and the adjacent room became my bedroom. The fireplace room became our reorganized office and meeting spot, with a cozy seating area by the fire.
Overall, the lower level is considered my area now, though we share the laundry and the office when we need to. My parents mainly live on their main level, so while my move has shifted things a bit, day-to-day life has stayed fairly consistent.
I’ll share more peeks as I get settled. I’ve already posted some updates on my Instagram stories and in this thread in our free community group. For now, I’m relieved my plants survived the move—especially my string of pearls. Fingers crossed it thrives in its new spot.
It’s been fun decorating and finding new uses for both my furniture and my mom’s pieces. Making a new place feel cozy is one of my favorite things. I’m excited to share small-space decorating and organizing ideas and the mini makeovers we have planned—hope you’ll follow along.
Stay tuned, and follow me on Instagram for updates and behind-the-scenes!
More details about Courtney’s move
Courtney’s Old Apartment Tour
Courtney’s Old Tiny Bedroom Tour