"Rec Room" Re-do

 After our son moved out last fall, 

the basement Rec Room was left a bit "unfurnished".  

The couch, the Giant TV and a few other items went with him.

Trust me, they were no loss.  Well, maybe the Giant TV.  

 And then we noticed that our Darling Daughter 

and her friends were rarely seen at our house any more. 

We decided that maybe she needed a place to bring her friends,

maybe not sharing the couch in the Family Room with Mr. Grand and me.   

Imagine that.

A Rec Room Re-do was in order.

 I will post the "Before" pictures later, so I don't scare everyone away....

The first item we purchased was a new sectional sofa from Ikea.  

Well, that's not exactly true.  

The first item I purchased was a sectional sofa from Carsons.

After the big, strong delivery men from Carsons 

(Bless their hearts, they really tried) were unable to squeeze 

the sectional sofa down the basement stairs and around a corner, 

I took Darling Daughter's advice and went to Ikea.  

Their sectional sofas come in three units 

and were no problem at all to get down the stairs.

I bought the sectional in the morning and Ikea delivered it that same evening!

Set up was a breeze and the slipcovers are washable

so I could actually go with a light color.

Here's the new Ikea sectional in the Rec Room:

Next, Darling Daughter and I set off for Home Goods to see what we could find.

 We picked up some fun throw pillows and some colorful art work to hang on the walls.

We also bought this rustic white cabinet to hold DVDs and cards and games.

I love the colors in these prints- they work well with the pillows and sofa.

 

 

  A new rug from Ballard Designs...

I couldn't resist this green lantern and added the white lights for a sparkly effect.

Not that I want to encourage any romance down there, but it is pretty.... 

Any ideas for what else to put in it?  It has so much potential.

 

 As promised, here's the "Before" picture, 

taken before the arrival of the Ikea sectional.

 Here's the new sectional in place,

but before we changed the art work, pillow, area rug and accessories.

 And the After...

Easy, casual and comfortable.

As you can see, I didn't sell the giant birdhouse 

from the family room entertainment unit makeover.  

You can read about that little project here.

Here's a corner in the Rec Room with some of the old sports themed stuff:

 

And the same corner, with the new cabinet and art work:

A new, "smart" TV was added too and we've had a lot of fun with that.

We (meaning our "smart" son) hooked a wireless keyboard up to it 

and we were able to plan our entire trip to Italy, sitting on the new sectional together

and surfing the internet together on the new TV.   

We browsed hotel rooms and tourist sites 

and took votes on what to do and where to go, together.

And I have to say, looking at Google Earth on a big TV is really something.

Amazing.  Gotta love technology.

 (Media console cabinetry made for us by none other than Ed Dolan.  

You can see some of his other masterpieces here and here and here and here.)

I'm happy to report that Darling Daughter and her adorable friends 

spent countless hours in the re-done room, watching movies and playing games.

 I sure miss those sweet girls-

 the laughter, the energy and the pure youthful delight 

that swept into the house with them.

They are all college Freshmen this Fall, 

spread out all over the country,

delighting all new people with their smiles and their charms.

Exactly where they should be.

Alas, for me, a little bittersweet...

Thanks for keeping me company!

Linking to:
My 1929 Charmer Linky Par.tay
DIY Home Sweet Home MMM#76
Make The Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill
Just Something I Whipped Up at The Girl Creative
Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
Under The Table and Dreaming Sunday Showcase Party
Sunday's Best at My 1929 Charmer
DIY Project Parade at DIY Show Off
Uncommonly Yours Link Party at Uncommon Designs
Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seed
Fabulously Creative Friday at Jennifer Rizzo
Saturday Night Special at Funky Junk Interiors
Weekend Bloggy Reading Party at Serenity Now