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Playroom, office, dining room, entertaining space, indoor-outdoor sunroom—Robin Heller and Jen Levy, the duo behind Baltimore-based design firm Surrounded by Color, had ended up touching almost every part of this local family of four’s home—except one. They’d always wondered, Why didn’t they do the basement? Then, two years later, the duo got the call they’d been waiting for. It was renovation time.
The assignment: Turn the unfinished, catchall space into a guest bedroom, gym, hangout spot, and storage room. “We worked with the same contractor, so they knew the house really well,” says Levy of the five-month project. “Everybody knew what they were getting into.” The only surprise was the good kind: the final reveal.
Let Your Basement Be a Basement
Three tiny windows at almost ceiling height were the basement’s only sources of natural light. Luckily, homeowners Samantha Williamson and Robert Travieso were down to lean into the darkness. As Levy remembers, Travieso told them, “I don’t want it to feel like you’re not in a basement—I want you to be in a basement.”
Each area promptly got the Surrounded by Color treatment, which is to say they were drenched in just the right shades of paint: blue-black Salamander by Benjamin Moore (on the living room walls), light-reflecting Teresa’s Green by Farrow & Ball (in the window wells); Downpipe by Farrow & Ball (in the bedroom), and Backdrop’s Novelty Wave (in the bathroom).
The main furniture pieces—a groovy conversation pit with velvety futon cushions and a stained wood IKEA bed frame—almost exactly matches the inky palette. The move makes them feel intentional and luxe, even though they weren’t break-the-bank buys.
Don’t Mistake Budget For Boring
Most everything was done on a tight budget—not that you would be able to tell. “We could have done color-stained wood paneling and all of these really expensive, beautiful design ideas, but painting in these deep, gorgeous colors is a great way to create a feeling,” says Heller.
The homeowners presented a layout that the duo easily got on board with—all it would take was a bunch of drywall, an inexpensive material (the bathroom would be located where there was already plumbing). The minty green wall-to-wall carpet was another economical pick. “With hard flooring, you need to do that plus a rug, so it’s almost double the cost,” Levy points out. “Carpet install is cheaper and it’s so, so cozy.” They even carpeted a structural steel post, which “the kids climb up like they’re little koalas,” she says.
Simple Square Tiles Have Endless Possibilities
Ultimately, each of Heller and Levy’s design choices had to jive with the rest of the house. A major throughline was “simple materials used in a really cool way,” like the tiled border that runs along the home’s first-floor addition and the black-and-white upstairs shower stall. For the basement bathroom, unassuming square tiles became a mesmerizing checkerboard pattern—one of Heller’s specialties, according to Levy.
Small Pops of Color Create Big Impact
Unexpected hits of color, like the vintage red light fixture in the bedroom and the toilet seat that matches the bathroom wall color “to a freaking tee,” are what make this project really sing. Most impactful might be the staircase, painted a vivid lime green and topped with a custom snake-adorned runner. Despite the client’s fear of the reptile, no convincing was required. Heller and Levy’s advice for any basement makeover: have fun. “You don’t have sunshine and all of the other great parts of the upstairs house,” says Levy. “It’s really essential to bring in joy.”