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Interior designer Jennifer Sucher was walking her dog at home in Chicago when she heard a familiar voice yell out: “Such.” “No one ever calls me that, unless they grew up with me,” says the founder of Sucher Studios. That turned out to be the case. The woman calling out to her was an old friend from Camp Tamakwa in Algonquin Park, Canada. They hadn’t seen each other in nearly 25 years, but now suddenly they realized they lived in the same neighborhood. Their friendship picked back up, and, a few years later, a new working relationship formed. The woman and her husband asked Sucher if she would redesign the basement in their Logan Square home.
Like most people’s basements, the space had become a landing spot for sports memorabilia, office papers, and old furniture. It was perfectly functional, but it wasn’t a room they actually wanted to spend time in. “She loves to read, he loves to watch sports, and they have a toddler who has toys down here, but it felt disorganized and chaotic,” shares Sucher.
Her goal was to transform the classic basement, with its gray carpet and white trim, into a warm, colorful living area fit for hanging solo and hosting. As a starting point, Sucher turned to her and her client’s shared history at Camp Tamakwa for inspiration, tapping into the nostalgia and natural beauty with sunset tones, plaids, and flannels. Down here, summer never ends.
A Paint Palette That Adds Architecture
Sucher’s paint choices—and placements—were crucial in setting the tone. “I like to drop a paint line,” Sucher says of carrying the sunbaked orange ceiling color, called Masada, down to the upper portion of the walls. The detail tricks your eye into thinking the room has crown molding, which was kind of the point. In a room that has almost zero architectural interest, Sucher likes to create some from scratch with paint. The new wall color only looks white but it’s actually a soft peach hue that lends a flattering glow to the room—and everyone in it.
A Comfy Sofa, Flipped Around
The first thing you used to see when you walked down the stairs was the TV positioned in between two glass block windows. But that arrangement meant the couch that was facing the screen bisected the room, disrupting the flow. Sucher set out to flip the two, starting with a sofa that fit perfectly in the window bay. Bernhardt’s Soleil sectional had the right dimensions. With plenty of room in front of the sofa at her dispense, she added an ottoman swathed in a wool check.
A Laid-Back Reading Nook
Cozy seating for every scenario was the goal. So in addition to movie nights, Sucher accounted for her client’s love of reading. A vintage Adrian Pearsall chaise now sits where the old standing desk used to be. (Sucher moved the couple’s WFH space entirely to another room). Luckily for them, it came with fuzzy brown upholstery that fit the basement’s palette to a T.
An Alternative to Gray Carpeting
Sucher wasn’t interested in swapping the dinghy gray carpeting with another, newer version of gray carpeting. Instead, she went into local showroom Oscar Isberian Rugs in search of a sunny yellow solid hue that looked like wool but was made to withstand basement life. The fiber is EnVision BCF Nylon, which offers maximum crush and stain resistance and has a velvety texture to it. “If there was a flood, true wall-to-wall wool carpeting would need to be pulled up entirely, whereas this could be revived in the event of water,” explains the designer.
A Welcoming Banquette
The existing banquette was ideal for entertaining in the basement, so it only needed a little TLC. To start: cushions. Sucher added a seat and backrest in a dark plaid fabric. The base of the bench is swathed in a yellow-green to help it disappear into the backdrop. And to avoid friends crawling in and out behind the massive dining table, she traded it for two smaller bistro tables.
An Antique Toy Zone
When the room is tidied up, you might never realize it serves as a play space, too. That’s because the couple’s kid’s stuff lives in a large antique chest Sucher scored from a dealer in New York. “It was no easy task getting it downstairs,” she says. The designer brightened up the dim corner with a plug-in sconce (an Etsy score).
A Work of Art That Ties It All Together
Part of why this basement revamp was such a success is because Sucher didn’t try to pretend the room was something else. “The goal wasn’t to keep it light and bright,” she shares. “We leaned into the moodiness. We weren’t afraid to play with contrast and color.” The custom Hayley Carrow painting that now hangs over the couch feels like an ode to the room’s transformation. Because who said a basement has to be 50 shades of gray?