When we first looked at our house in Germany this past April we assumed that the large room in the basement with the tiled floors would be an additional usable space. We moved in only to find that this basement room had no heat. This was fine in the summer, it was actually great since the room stays a nice cool temperature when the rest of the house is baking. but winter is approaching and the room is rapidly cooling.  So a couple of weeks ago when our landlord told us he was planning to replace the windows, upgrade the lighting, and add heat, we were ecstatic. My husband was excited that he would not have to wear earmuffs while using his computer and I was excited because I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the space, which I think makes my husband a little nervous. You see, right now this is his man cave. He sits on a trunk to use his computer and he hangs his dirty camping gear from the ceiling and he is fine with that. But me being me, I want to make it pretty!

I am trying very hard to keep this a masculine space that my husband can use as an office but can also double as a second living space and maybe even sleeping space for those few extremely hot summer days. He has given his approval on what I have picked so far but in the end he usually lets me do what I want.  So here are my ideas for the space so far.

1. The Sofa- Ikea FRIHETEN opens into a full size bed. $699 in the U.S. but only 399€ ($550) here in Germany.
2. The Chairs-  A mid century thrift store find for 50€ ($68) my plan is to paint them black and recover the cushions in…
3. The Fabric- The NewHGTV Home fabric in Malachite. I love the large tear drop print for the chairs and want to mix the others along with the Premeir Prints yellow chevron as throw pillows etc.
4. The Table- My favorite and inspiration piece is this yellow Tulip table also a thrift store find for only 10€ ($14)
5. The Rug- Dash and Albert Diamond Sprout indoor/outdoor which will hold up great in the basement.
6. The Desk Chair- Eames molded plastic side chair. Still hunting the yellow but I found a great deal on the black,white, or even green on e-bay.

I still have a few more things to work out like a television console and a desk to go with my cool chair but I think I have a good start. Oh yeah and the windows and the heat would be good. The landlord says mid October. That is not to far away so here is your chance to let me know what you think. I will be ordering the rug soon so speak now or forever hold you peace.

Now for the before photos,please try not to cringe!