Turn Your Basement Into A Family-Friendly Paradise With This Chelsea DeBoer-Inspired Design

Chelsea DeBoer and her husband Cole, co-hosts of HGTV's "Down Home Fab," have put a lot of work into making their South Dakota farmhouse feel both beautiful and family-friendly. While there are plenty of design trends Chelsea DeBoer can't get enough of, she also has an eye for practical design. If you're looking for some inspiration on how to merge form and function in a house full of children, look no further than the DeBoer family. With four kids in the house, the DeBoers are deeply familiar with the struggle of finding a space in the home where children can safely play. Chelsea's clever solution relies on an old playroom classic: a finished basement. The DeBoers took an ordinary carpeted basement and reimagined it as the perfect family room space, complete with areas to play and gather.

When the DeBoers took HGTV on a tour of their home, they described their finished basement as a beloved family room, with Chelsea sharing that having a big basement was an absolute must for her: "It was important for us to have a basement...it's just a space the kids can have all their toys and run around with their friends and it's so nice that it's out of the way of the upstairs." Highlights from the DeBoer basement include a cozy TV lounge area, a custom wooden playhouse, and a big play space. If you want to redesign your finished basement as a family room, the DeBoer basement is an excellent model.

Chelsea DeBoer's finished basement will surely inspire your renovation project — she transforms her basement into a fabulous family space. One area is devoted to a comfy sectional couch and a large TV. During the basement tour, Chelsea described this zone as a special spot for her children, saying, "We love, love, love to have movie nights down here as a family, it's one of our favorite things to do." Their basement is an ideal blend of coziness and open space: kids can snuggle up with the parents for a movie, but there's also a large play area for running around, as well as a custom wooden playhouse and slide made by Cole DeBoer. For a cute detail, the playhouse is painted the same shade of black as the exterior of the real DeBoer house.

The specific furniture choices in the basement are truly worth praising: the pieces are stylish and comfortable (the cream, ochre, and black color scheme is particularly soothing), and the arrangement creates lots of empty space for foot traffic without making the room feel too stark. Moreover, a receded built-in bookshelf provides extra storage while keeping the floor open. 

If you have a large basement, you also might want to follow the DeBoers' strategy and make it a flex space — Chelsea notes that their basement features a few bedrooms and a bathroom. Near the stairs, a hardwood floor area provides several extra functions, including a bar and a desk.

The best part of a finished basement is its open-ended potential: you can execute this playroom idea any way you wish. For furniture, pick a few cozy and functional pieces, like a big comfy couch, a TV stand, and a toy chest. If you have young kids, follow Chelsea DeBoer's strategy and leave most of the basement relatively empty so it can serve as a play area. Aside from furniture, consider splurging on some fun playsets to add an extra special touch to your basement. The DeBoer family built their wooden playsets, but if you don't have the time or woodworking skills, you can always purchase one, like this SparksRealm Climbing Set from Wayfair or this Avenlur Flair Wooden Playhouse from Target. Or, for a more budget-friendly playset, consider a tent playhouse, such as this Tiny Land Play Tent on Amazon, which costs around $60. 

Sometimes the carpet in a finished basement is a little thin, with concrete underneath, which isn't too fun for kids who take a stumble. Consider adding a plush area rug like this Multi Dot Kids' Rug from Target, so little ones (and the adults watching them!) have a soft surface to roll around on. Similarly, be mindful of any support columns or protruding walls in the basement. Anything that a kid could bump into should be covered in a padded material. Finally, add a few toys and some fun wall art, and you'll have the perfect family room setup.