It seems only appropriate that on a day that we woke up to snow, I’m talking about how I want to transform our basement to feel like a Mediterranean vacation. Anyone else craving a sunny getaway right about now!?
As I’ve mentioned around here before, our entire basement floor is (wait for it) tile. Now, if we lived in a sunny climate, this would make total sense. We do not. It seems very strange to open the door to the basement and see saltillo tile lining the floors. In a perfect world, where I have unlimited budgets to spend on home renovations, I would happily yank those tiles out and lay down some lovely wood or even carpet, but that’s just not in the cards right now. So, I’m going with option B: work with it. 
What I’m going for is a room that 100% feels like a transition into a space you would expect to find in a little island getaway to Mallorca or Capri. While still acknowledging that yes, we live in Seattle and this home is most definitely farmhouse/craftsman inspired. I’ve designed the main floor to have just enough of a California vibe, that I don’t think going full on Mediterranean in the downstairs will feel like a total shock.
Here are some more pieces of inspiration for where this is going: 
The more minimalist side of me wants to swath the whole (tiny) room in neutrals with tons of texture and bring the vacation vibes in through natural materials like the rug, textiles, baskets, etc.
But the other side of me thinks, hey. This is my playroom! A room that we literally never spend time in and only visitors will get to enjoy for a few days at a time. I kinda want to have more fun with it! 
Venturing into some Moroccan styles and really playing up the textiles would be fun in here. I have always been inspired by Malene Birger’s Mallorca home (which we blogged about here) and think that added a bit of that Majorelle Blue into the mix would be a fun surprise of color. 
1. brown and cream lumbar pillow | 2. vintage french chandelier | 3. black spindle bed frame | 4. mallorca throw pillow | 5. mini mondo lamp in blue | 6. majorelle blue pom pom throw | 7. ‘la fontelina’ framed print | 8. ikea stripe rug
First off, I just have to point out that those fan pillows are literally called the ‘Mallorca’ pillow. So obviously, they’re perfect. HA. Secondly, I have always always wanted a black bed frame in this style – I’ve just never had the room to carry it. And now I do! Yippee! I love it so much and the fact that it’s very affordable, relatively speaking, makes me incredibly happy. The blue lamp is a piece I purchased over the holidays when it was on sale, and I’m so excited about it. It’s incredibly cute! I only have one, because I was picturing it on the dresser – they’re too small for a bedside, I think.
There are a few other pieces that I want to go hunting for. The nightstands, and the overhead lighting (something similar to what I’ve got on this board!), and maybe a cool vintage rug to layer over the ikea one. The tile being terra cotta should balance out and warm up all this black and white, but we’ll see! I want to get the major pieces in there and then worry about accessories and textiles a bit more. I’m so excited to pull this all together!
Side note: this means I’m finally selling my gorgeous Serena & Lily bed frame. If you’re in the Seattle area and interested in purchasing it, shoot me a message.
