This Basement Renovation Turned a Hurricane-Battered Space Into a Whimsical Retreat

Counters: Quartz

Cabinets: Existing boxes with custom Shaker-style fronts by Virden Home in Calke Green by Farrow & Ball.

Backsplash: Custom plywood by Virden Home in Calke Green by Farrow & Ball. “We wanted to continue the quartz into a custom-cut backsplash, but that was really expensive,” Velten admits. “To cut costs, our carpenters cut a scalloped piece of wood and painted it like the cabinets. That was a little hack to create a bespoke look without the expense of countertop material.”

Hardware: Schoolhouse Parker Pulls in True Black

Floating shelves, pegboard, built-in bench, and desk: Custom plywood by Virden Home. “We always use live-edge so you can see that imperfection and the grain of the wood,” Velten says.

Furniture: 1970s Johan Bertil Häggström cantilever striped chair, orange midcentury-modern office sofa, Anatolian Turkish rugs, IKEA media console, tall Tulip table, and Arthur Umanoff–style stools.

Lighting: Vintage pleated scissor accordion sconces, Spaces deadstock French pleated sconce, tramp art popsicle lamp from Cherin Studio, terra-cotta Gantri sconce. “I always look at lighting as jewelry,” Velten explains. “It really is the most emotional element, but actually has functioning utility, which is so incredible. So, we always do a lot of lighting. The client usually thinks it’s overboard to stack and layer lighting, but actually, you need it. And it just ends up creating such a mood when you can manipulate incandescent lighting at different levels.”

Framing: CSM Art & Frame

Most insane splurge: “The biggest splurge was the ceiling tiles. We could have gone inexpensive, but they’re just horrible,” Holly opines. “The decision to bring in the light wood, grounding that northern and southern plane with something organic, made the room.”

Sneakiest save: The crafty wood backsplash was the most significant money-saving measure.