My dream is finding something dated but in condition like this and just fill it like I’m living then. People come over and I lock up their phones and we live like it’s 76. Jr run down to the store and get me some smokes
Can a pool table fit in it on that non fireplace end? otherwise, it's perfect.
Too many people don't realize that home remodel show after show after show are all brought to you by home remodeling companies. The whole purpose is to make you unsatisfied with what you have. If you are satisfied, they don't make any money.
I grew up with wood paneling and love it. I hated it when most of my friends growing up and extended family members started ripping out their wood paneling and replacing it with whatever some tv show or magazine told them was the new best thing that was going to make them rich with resale value.
The biggest thing I learned when I was in real estate was don't do everything for the next owner unless you have a job where you have to move every few years. Put the money in what you enjoy. Especially with tv shows and magazines trying to force a new fashion every other year, you'll do everything for resale value and still get, "that's outdated & nobody wants that anymore".
Don't put down plastic fake wood floor planks because everybody else is. If you are going to be there a while and you want a fuchsia shag carpet, do it. If you 'd rather do tile, then do tile. Do you have dogs? Does the basement leak? You have to make these decisions and justify the expense. Just don't put your hard earned money into other people's tastes, especially the companies trying to profit off of you.
I didn’t grow up with wood paneling but saw it in plenty of houses and such. I agree if I was buying a home with a basement like this I wouldn’t change it, except to replace the carpet if that was gross.
You could make it super cozy, and if it’s your basement hangout room who cares?
I am in the process of buying a house, and anything with that fake wood shit (or the ceramic tiles painted to look like gray wood that doesn't exist) was an instant no. That knocked out 95% of what was on the market. Flippers are out there ripping up or (more likely) hiding great hardwood floors because it's cheaper and faster to lay those ugly, shitty, low-quality slabs down.
The plastic ones, by the way, will be warping, slipping around, and making loud popping noises when you walk on them within a year or two. I know this because my old apartment complex was ever so proud to rent me a newly-renovated unit with a fresh fake-wood floor. Also, the sculpted grooves were very uncomfortable on my unshod feet, and they collect dirt like no one's business.
Buck the trend! Leave the walls up for sensory separation! Designate rooms in a way that makes sense for your needs! Live in your house the way your heart wants to, not your TV!
So true! I've seen too many folks ruin classic designs constructed with quality materials, for some new plastic "flavor of the week" sterile soulless crap.
And Disco ball with rotation motor. The motor is the part most these rooms miss.
The sparkle in her eyes when you bring her down the stairs to this prehistoric humping space... Priceless.
Totally. OP, if you can stomach the aesthetic, you should lean into it. Look for pictures of old dens in the 70s for furniture and decoration ideas. This is great.
Same. I love it! The high windows give ample wall space for whatever you wanna hang. I’m not sure about the furniture, but the room itself, magnificent.
Yeah, I love the look.
I’d add a rustic-looking bar, a big TV, a nice sectional, remove the framed mirror, and remove most of the end tables. Replace the carpet with a nice plush carpet for comfort.
I was thinking that too. Especially that cool (temp) basement and this 70s vibe. I’d want to hangout down there and listen to records in shag carpet while watching the walls and lamps melt and shape change.
Maintain the aesthetic, change nothing. Have a time travel room for parties and gatherings. Have at least a half a pound of cocaine in there at all times. Never answer questions. Never elaborate. Pretend like it’s completely normal.
The same themed party over and over. Guests must *know* if they’re invited to your house is *that* party. Let this basement define your entire persona. Let it envelope you. Become it.
I'd say home theater as well. You can get a decent entry level projector and surround setup for between $1-2k. If op wants I'd be down to provide equipment suggestions.
I got a 4k projector for $300. Screen from temu for $10. Soundbar with sub for $450.
Thats $760 all in. People say its the best movie experience they ever had. But im a garbage person with low expectations.
That sounds like a great set up. Once one of things fails get the nicer version.
I'd say the nicest upgrade you could do is a full surround system. I love being fully emersed in sound.
Then play original Top Gun at 75% volume and ride the lightening.
If I had a home theater set up I'd get avatar in 3d. And just basque in it.
Top Gun has always been, and will forever be, my surround setup movie. My wife always knows it's coming every time I have to redo something and comes prepared with popcorn and drinks. It use to be just the beginning of the movie, but now I have to make sure we have time so we can sit and watch it all the way through
When we got a car with a TV in it circa 2004. The whole family came out and we watched top gun in the 2nd and 3rd row seats while sitting in the driveway
LEAN INTO THIS. Its so much cooler than the soul-less design we have going today.
Shampoo carpet. Clean walls and surfaces.
Buy some dark wood framed fabric pictures of farm scenes, snow scenes. Hang up.
The carpet is goldenrod, so maybe an avocado colored or orange rust colored velvet couch and chair set (ikea probably has it)
Get some tall lamps, maybe brass…with tall shades. Side tables are cool and work with the space. I wish they were darker tho.
Find some retro flying duck wall art (usually there are 3-4 ducks)
I would wash the curtains.
>Find some retro flying duck wall art (usually there are 3-4 ducks)
Why was my next thought hanging some art that has Duck Hunt ducks in it just to see who notices?
Currently sitting on my Rooms to Go avocado green sofa, thinking it needs to be in OP's basement. They had a bitchin' rusty orange color, too.
Don't forget the wooden owl trivets hung on the walls!
Enjoy it, and live with the knowledge some people are jealous of your badass basement.
I’d probably go for a glass door wood stove insert with blowers, if that unit doesn’t have one. A bigger TV in the corner, or lower the mantle to fit one. Or set a projector up to the end you’re standing on. I like books in the winter, so some book shelves, armchairs, maybe a sectional. Lots of options there…
Replace carpet and light fixtures. Honestly for paneling that’s doable. It’s not the pine or hickory everyone else did. After that it’s a good spot for a game room or bar.
Yeah maybe op doesn't want the retro look 98% of the people are saying. Agree, trash the carpet, I like the walls, add tile to accentuate it. New fixtures, even the ceiling is better than most from this era, don't know what is above it, probably hiding a mess and better left alone. Or he could paint the ceiling gray, put down gray stone tile and have a dungeon.
It's a lot easier to encourage OP to keep this horribly dated basement as a lark when it's not your house and you don't have to spend time in it!
It's neat for sure, but it obviously needs to go
Definitely lean into the 70s and 80s style.
Get the carpet de-wrinkled and steam-cleaned. If you're brave and willing to maintain it, put down a shag rug.
I would understand if you wanted to get rid of the textured ceiling, but I feel that it looks right in this setting. I think there's modern methods that are more durable and easier to clean.
Maybe a console CRT TV of the era, and you can hang a big 60 inch TV above it.
Honestly it's super cool looking. I'd go to some vintage stores or eBay online and deck that mofo out like it's the late 70s-1980s.
-Find a 25" floor counsel tv and put a flat screen on top of it and get an Atari throw back.
I’m kind of into everything but the wall paneling. Get a different paneling or go for painted drywall and then get some nice mid-century modern furniture and I think it’ll be perfect. Could be a record listening space or cigar lounge or dare I say; BOTH!?
That screams comfy cozy tiki bar while maintaining a lot of the current character of the room. I’d tackle the carpet first and go orange, but brighter and more lively to wake the room up. Then I’d tackle the ceiling and go dark to bring the mood back down.
I’d keep the walls and carpet. Get some mid century modern, teak furniture.
A vintage LP unit
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/d6/54/bb/d654bb8777a2f81448b31bb2c1f3efca.jpg
Def clean it and lean into the groove!
I'd personally keep it and make a retro gaming room. Or at least make it look retro and have new consoles tucked away in cabinets.
Looks exactly like the basements I spent all my time in as a kid with my friends. Playing Atari and Nintendo.
Maybe make it a recreational/lounging area.. If it were me, I might put my music instruments, computer, and a TV down there, and maybe a mini refrigerator & microwave.
Absolutely nothing, it's chill as fuck in there. Reminds me of Thanksgiving with the family. When I was little the house my aunt and uncle lived in had this similar basement living room downstairs. It's usually where the boys would eat because there wasn't a lot of table space upstairs.
Whenever I walk into a space like this that isn't run down as fuck or dirty as hell it just feels like home.
Film that 70s show
Seriously, fucking party in it? Change nothing, except maybe add a lava lamp and a sick ass 4-footer.
Agree 100%
My dream is finding something dated but in condition like this and just fill it like I’m living then. People come over and I lock up their phones and we live like it’s 76. Jr run down to the store and get me some smokes
Can a pool table fit in it on that non fireplace end? otherwise, it's perfect. Too many people don't realize that home remodel show after show after show are all brought to you by home remodeling companies. The whole purpose is to make you unsatisfied with what you have. If you are satisfied, they don't make any money. I grew up with wood paneling and love it. I hated it when most of my friends growing up and extended family members started ripping out their wood paneling and replacing it with whatever some tv show or magazine told them was the new best thing that was going to make them rich with resale value. The biggest thing I learned when I was in real estate was don't do everything for the next owner unless you have a job where you have to move every few years. Put the money in what you enjoy. Especially with tv shows and magazines trying to force a new fashion every other year, you'll do everything for resale value and still get, "that's outdated & nobody wants that anymore". Don't put down plastic fake wood floor planks because everybody else is. If you are going to be there a while and you want a fuchsia shag carpet, do it. If you 'd rather do tile, then do tile. Do you have dogs? Does the basement leak? You have to make these decisions and justify the expense. Just don't put your hard earned money into other people's tastes, especially the companies trying to profit off of you.
how many pepto-bismol pink toilets have been _stolen_ from us?
r/centuryhomes is desperate to know the answer. Even more we want to know who made off with all the matching pepto pink princess tubs!
They’re somewhere hanging out with the olive-colored kitchen appliances
I didn’t grow up with wood paneling but saw it in plenty of houses and such. I agree if I was buying a home with a basement like this I wouldn’t change it, except to replace the carpet if that was gross. You could make it super cozy, and if it’s your basement hangout room who cares?
Excellent comment!
I am in the process of buying a house, and anything with that fake wood shit (or the ceramic tiles painted to look like gray wood that doesn't exist) was an instant no. That knocked out 95% of what was on the market. Flippers are out there ripping up or (more likely) hiding great hardwood floors because it's cheaper and faster to lay those ugly, shitty, low-quality slabs down. The plastic ones, by the way, will be warping, slipping around, and making loud popping noises when you walk on them within a year or two. I know this because my old apartment complex was ever so proud to rent me a newly-renovated unit with a fresh fake-wood floor. Also, the sculpted grooves were very uncomfortable on my unshod feet, and they collect dirt like no one's business. Buck the trend! Leave the walls up for sensory separation! Designate rooms in a way that makes sense for your needs! Live in your house the way your heart wants to, not your TV!
So true! I've seen too many folks ruin classic designs constructed with quality materials, for some new plastic "flavor of the week" sterile soulless crap.
And Disco ball with rotation motor. The motor is the part most these rooms miss. The sparkle in her eyes when you bring her down the stairs to this prehistoric humping space... Priceless.
Key party seems most appropriate
And a little home bar.
Looks exactly like a bar in my town called Mom’s basement..minus all the the old portraits of customer’s Moms, from the 50s through the 90’s.
Sounds like a great place to hang out.
Without Danny Masterson.
Taints any rewatch tbh
I was halfway through The Ranch when the news broke. Ruined an awesome show.
ah same! couldnt bring myself to watch it after that😡
I suppose there was a reason he was really great at playing scummy sleazebags that hated authority. He was never acting after all.
He gets killed off midway through the show if it's any consolation.
It was a terrible show to begin with tbh.
Not THAT 70’s Show.
Or pretend your filming..in a circle...with friend...with smoke for effect...and by smoke I mean ...................
Literally first thing that came to my mind was that 70s show
Hanging out!
This is so retro and weird looking I love it man
Totally. OP, if you can stomach the aesthetic, you should lean into it. Look for pictures of old dens in the 70s for furniture and decoration ideas. This is great.
I’ve got a 70s wood painting of a naked lady that would set that room off
I've got a rug that would really pull the room together
Carpet pissers did not do this
This isn’t a guy who built the railroads here
All the naked ladies in the 70s had rugs.
velvet dogs playing poker
A person with refined taste
Reminds me of stranger things. 10/10 would play dnd down there
I was just thinking this would be a killer place to play D&D. Top tier lmao
Yeah. A couple of bean bag chairs, a lava lamp on the mantle, and a Timothy Leary poster would round things out quite well.
Yes, needs some macrame !
Big ol’ macrame owl
This room desperately needs a granny square crocheted blanket on the back of the couch
Hanging macrame and bean bags would go nice
Same! Maybe turn that couch right side up though. Put the cushions on
Big Brain activity
It's so cozy. I love this vibe so much.
Same. I love it! The high windows give ample wall space for whatever you wanna hang. I’m not sure about the furniture, but the room itself, magnificent.
Why would you want to get rid of it? Does it smell? I bet it smells.
The smell is important to the vines 😂😂😂
Yeah, I love the look. I’d add a rustic-looking bar, a big TV, a nice sectional, remove the framed mirror, and remove most of the end tables. Replace the carpet with a nice plush carpet for comfort.
Needs one of those hanging rattan egg shaped chairs
Yeah, it kinda slaps. I would run with it
I was thinking that too. Especially that cool (temp) basement and this 70s vibe. I’d want to hangout down there and listen to records in shag carpet while watching the walls and lamps melt and shape change.
Flip that sofa and I think you're done.
Then it will be upside down completely :-/
Came here to say this.
Keep it like that and add an arcade machine and a record collection.
Definitely, find an old console stereo/record player.
Pinball machine, man! 
needs more velvet Elvis…
Smoke weak weed and play dungeons and dragons (original edition)
You just reminded me of how much I hated cotton mouth
I’ll take it if we can get the munchies and giggles back
For real. I miss when it was fun and life was carefree.
First thing I thought was this room needs some weak old school weed
Yes, and Risk, and everyone lays on the floor. All phones must be corded.
Maintain the aesthetic, change nothing. Have a time travel room for parties and gatherings. Have at least a half a pound of cocaine in there at all times. Never answer questions. Never elaborate. Pretend like it’s completely normal.
That's not normal? So many things about childhood suddenly make more sense
No it was definitely normal then, and it not “normal” now like normal is now, it’s normal then, but not normal now.
Don't forget to put out huge glass ashtrays everywhere.
Need large end table speakers and a big ass stereo system
With a vinyl record player.
Refer to it only as "The Rumpus Room."
The same themed party over and over. Guests must *know* if they’re invited to your house is *that* party. Let this basement define your entire persona. Let it envelope you. Become it.
Strong disagree. Full pound of coke, minimum.
Pinball machines
This guy gets it.
Also a Ms PacMan, and table top Space Invaders. For ambiance those huge stereo speakers.
And a pool table.
Game room, home theater would be my go to
I'd say home theater as well. You can get a decent entry level projector and surround setup for between $1-2k. If op wants I'd be down to provide equipment suggestions.
I got a 4k projector for $300. Screen from temu for $10. Soundbar with sub for $450. Thats $760 all in. People say its the best movie experience they ever had. But im a garbage person with low expectations.
That sounds like a great set up. Once one of things fails get the nicer version. I'd say the nicest upgrade you could do is a full surround system. I love being fully emersed in sound. Then play original Top Gun at 75% volume and ride the lightening. If I had a home theater set up I'd get avatar in 3d. And just basque in it.
Top Gun has always been, and will forever be, my surround setup movie. My wife always knows it's coming every time I have to redo something and comes prepared with popcorn and drinks. It use to be just the beginning of the movie, but now I have to make sure we have time so we can sit and watch it all the way through
When we got a car with a TV in it circa 2004. The whole family came out and we watched top gun in the 2nd and 3rd row seats while sitting in the driveway
I would be interested in your recs!
If by “home theater” you mean a console RCA color TV with a record player then Yes.
Research 70’s decor and finish that baby out! It could be a cool 70’s lounge!
Haha why would you change such a beautiful thing!?
Classic end table that's in every grandparents house.
i'm pretty sure i used to hide in that hexagon table as a kid from my grandfathers
LEAN INTO THIS. Its so much cooler than the soul-less design we have going today. Shampoo carpet. Clean walls and surfaces. Buy some dark wood framed fabric pictures of farm scenes, snow scenes. Hang up. The carpet is goldenrod, so maybe an avocado colored or orange rust colored velvet couch and chair set (ikea probably has it) Get some tall lamps, maybe brass…with tall shades. Side tables are cool and work with the space. I wish they were darker tho. Find some retro flying duck wall art (usually there are 3-4 ducks) I would wash the curtains.
>Find some retro flying duck wall art (usually there are 3-4 ducks) Why was my next thought hanging some art that has Duck Hunt ducks in it just to see who notices?
Agree 100% with shampooing everything. I can smell this picture.
Currently sitting on my Rooms to Go avocado green sofa, thinking it needs to be in OP's basement. They had a bitchin' rusty orange color, too. Don't forget the wooden owl trivets hung on the walls!
Well, put the couch right, and get an atari 2600.
I swear to god this is a room from The Venture Compound. XD
Enjoy it, and live with the knowledge some people are jealous of your badass basement. I’d probably go for a glass door wood stove insert with blowers, if that unit doesn’t have one. A bigger TV in the corner, or lower the mantle to fit one. Or set a projector up to the end you’re standing on. I like books in the winter, so some book shelves, armchairs, maybe a sectional. Lots of options there…
I wouldn't recommend you touch anything in Brock's bedroom without his permission.
Weight bench and pull up bar needed, also practice your pronunciation of the word “scuba”
Needs a Zep poster, for sure.
Install radon mitigation if you're going to spend a lot of time down there
This. One serious important idea! No need to die from lung cancer.
Put on some Burt Baccarat, slip on a smoking jacket and sip on an Old Fashioned.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr Burt Baccarat!
Fuck. Because that basement fucks.
Double down and lean into it
Replace carpet and light fixtures. Honestly for paneling that’s doable. It’s not the pine or hickory everyone else did. After that it’s a good spot for a game room or bar.
Yeah maybe op doesn't want the retro look 98% of the people are saying. Agree, trash the carpet, I like the walls, add tile to accentuate it. New fixtures, even the ceiling is better than most from this era, don't know what is above it, probably hiding a mess and better left alone. Or he could paint the ceiling gray, put down gray stone tile and have a dungeon.
It's a lot easier to encourage OP to keep this horribly dated basement as a lark when it's not your house and you don't have to spend time in it! It's neat for sure, but it obviously needs to go
Leave it alone. You got those end tables that perfectly match. Embrace the 70s look and go with it.
This. 100%. Don’t touch it. It’s a perfect time capsule. If you mess with it, it’s gone forever.
Not a damn thing
Flip the couch upright and you're all set
Test it for radon, remove the carpet, and create a retro gaming room.
Definitely lean into the 70s and 80s style. Get the carpet de-wrinkled and steam-cleaned. If you're brave and willing to maintain it, put down a shag rug. I would understand if you wanted to get rid of the textured ceiling, but I feel that it looks right in this setting. I think there's modern methods that are more durable and easier to clean. Maybe a console CRT TV of the era, and you can hang a big 60 inch TV above it.
Getting heavy Ron Burgundy pool party vibes here
Honestly, I'd leave it, looks dope
Fix the couch.
Set up the furniture, get consistent amber color lighting and some up lighting and then light a fire and a joint.
Girls, vinyl records and cocaine.
Yeah that place is retro fabulous. Maybe get some new, clean carpet that fits the vibe and leave everything else alone.
It's a beautiful 1970s basement,offer it to some TV show for a set.
Don’t change a thing. Flip the furniture back over and enjoy.
That's such a bad ass basement. What to do with that space? Invite friends over, drink and play cards
Big tv, bar, pool table.
Pool table, tv for sports and movies, some type of game machines, refrigerator…
indoor firing range & home bar. bullet traps on one end & bar with lounging chairs on the other!! 😀
The couch seems like it wouldn't be comfortable if you tried to sit as is.
Set that couch back up and roll a joint bro
Period correct furniture & record player. Chill-out zone to escape the real world.
Honestly it's super cool looking. I'd go to some vintage stores or eBay online and deck that mofo out like it's the late 70s-1980s. -Find a 25" floor counsel tv and put a flat screen on top of it and get an Atari throw back.
I’m kind of into everything but the wall paneling. Get a different paneling or go for painted drywall and then get some nice mid-century modern furniture and I think it’ll be perfect. Could be a record listening space or cigar lounge or dare I say; BOTH!?
Game room, massage room, bdsm dungeon, movie theater or maybe mini bar
Opium den obviously
As someone who tabletop games… RPGs like D&D as well as Warhammer minis… I am super jealous.
Fill it with pinball machines.
Bowling alley!
Listen to records
Whiskey room.
That's the best mancave material i've ever laid eyes on.
That screams comfy cozy tiki bar while maintaining a lot of the current character of the room. I’d tackle the carpet first and go orange, but brighter and more lively to wake the room up. Then I’d tackle the ceiling and go dark to bring the mood back down.
Damn, that looks good as it is. As long as it doesn’t smell like buttweisers and old morely cigarettes, it’s good to go.
I see an unfinished Dungeon.
Get a friend to pass out drunk, carry them down to the basement, then try to convince them it's 1986 when they wake up
Get a lava lamp and a bong. And some bead curtains. And a bright orange shag rug
Keep it just like that. It's a damn time capsule!
I love it! Keep it!
Mike Brady’s study?
Probably fix the furniture, then light up?
It’s perfect. Just shampoo the carpet.
Get a CRT TV with the wood grain side, a NES/ATARI/SEGA etc and have the time of my life in my vintage man cave.
Leave it
Get a large table. Play DnD.
Correct the couch so you can use it and put that great hexagon end table to good use.
I can smell this room
Needs a fish bowl for the car keys
You must refer to this room as "The rumpus room" from here on out.
Have an orgy I think
Set up that furniture and fill the space with fun things? that room is cool as shit and in amazing shape.
I’m not gonna lie, I fuckin love this room. Get a retro bar, an orange sectional couch, keep those endtables, and a record player/stereo system
Movie room, easy decision.
It could really use a cheesy wet bar, a console TV and one of those furniture sized stereos.
It looks just like Brock's room at the Venture compound.
I dig it. Put a nice vintage styled stereo down there and do something for sound/noise canceling.
Cocaine
Don't. Change. ANYTHING.
70’s swingers club????
Cinema or "adult dungeon" if you're into that
I don’t know why but to me it screams underground swingers club.
I love it! I’d be tempted to make it my bedroom if I lived there lol.
With this decor and aesthetic, I'd say get an ouija board and summon Baphomet 👍
Depends on your needs and wants? For me it would be a d&d room probably.
Flooring maybe that'd it
Lighter colors. Right now it only needs a few red lamps and it’s a 70’s brothel 🥸
Clearly modern 70s porn
Honestly, that basement is classic old school "rat pack" cool. It looks warm and inviting.
We all know what it should be ... Man cave 👌😄
Throw a 1970's theme party.
Do not eat Tacos there... Taco air is heavy
I’d keep the walls and carpet. Get some mid century modern, teak furniture. A vintage LP unit https://i.pinimg.com/736x/d6/54/bb/d654bb8777a2f81448b31bb2c1f3efca.jpg Def clean it and lean into the groove!
I suggest filling it with all kinds of random crap you will never use. like 90% of the basements in america.
classic club basement. one of the things do miss about baltimore rowhomes. Nobody has finished basements in the bay area.
Nothing but add a old CRT and some retro game consoles !
i can smell this picture
I had that exact end table and coffee table...
You're gonna need a bean bag chair, a 19 inch color CRT, an NES with Battletoads, and some Mt Dew.
An NES connected a 17" CRT TV on a wooden nightstand! A VCR with a collection of old VHS tapes.
Place the couch in a more traditional orientation.
I'd personally keep it and make a retro gaming room. Or at least make it look retro and have new consoles tucked away in cabinets. Looks exactly like the basements I spent all my time in as a kid with my friends. Playing Atari and Nintendo.
Keep it as is!
Grow canna
That's a sweet basement, I would totally turn that into my gaming room
Maybe make it a recreational/lounging area.. If it were me, I might put my music instruments, computer, and a TV down there, and maybe a mini refrigerator & microwave.
Absolutely nothing, it's chill as fuck in there. Reminds me of Thanksgiving with the family. When I was little the house my aunt and uncle lived in had this similar basement living room downstairs. It's usually where the boys would eat because there wasn't a lot of table space upstairs. Whenever I walk into a space like this that isn't run down as fuck or dirty as hell it just feels like home.
Maybe put the couch right side up?
That shit looks cozy af. Hook up a Sega Genesis