Discovering they now lived in the same neighborhood sparked a renewed friendship that naturally evolved into a professional collaboration. Seeking to revitalize the chaotic lower level of their Chicago home, the couple turned to Sucher to redesign a basement that had long served as a catch-all for sports memorabilia, office papers, stray furniture, and a toddler’s sprawling toy collection. While functional, the space lacked cohesion, leaving the homeowners with a room they rarely wanted to spend time in despite its potential.
Sucher faced a classic interior layout challenge: a typical subterranean footprint defined by standard gray carpeting, stark white trim, and a lack of inherent architectural character. Her clients had distinct uses for the area—the husband wanted a dedicated space to watch sports, the wife needed a quiet zone for reading, and their young child required a functional spot for playtime. To tie these competing needs together, Sucher drew inspiration from her and her clients’ shared memories at Camp Tamakwa, leaning into the nostalgia of the Canadian wilderness with rich sunset tones, warm plaids, and tactile flannels that would make the space feel like summer never ends.
A Paint Palette That Adds Architecture
Rather than fighting the subterranean nature of the basement with blindingly bright lights or sterile white walls, Sucher utilized a sophisticated and intentional paint strategy to fundamentally alter the room’s perceived architecture. In a space with virtually zero architectural detailing, the designer manufactured her own structure through precise color placement.
She carried a sunbaked orange ceiling color, Benjamin Moore’s Masada, down onto the upper portion of the walls. This deliberate choice creates a visual drop-line that tricks the eye into perceiving custom crown molding where none exists. Below this rich, warm ceiling tone, Sucher applied a soft peach hue masquerading as crisp white—specifically, Benjamin Moore’s Chamois. This subtle peach undertone provides a flattering, warm glow that envelops the entire room and anyone inside it, immediately banishing the cold, clinical feel often associated with subterranean home renovations.
A Comfy Sofa, Flipped Around
The functional flow of the basement required a complete inversion from its original layout. Previously, walking down the stairs immediately confronted visitors with a television positioned awkwardly between two glass block windows, while a bisecting couch broke the room’s natural rhythm.
Sucher resolved this spatial bottleneck by flipping the configuration entirely. She anchored the primary seating area directly into the window bay using a customized sectional from Bernhardt, specifically selecting the Soleil model for its precise dimensions. With ample open floor space now available in front of the new seating arrangement, she added a substantial ottoman upholstered in a rich wool check fabric by Paul Smith, establishing a cozy and cohesive anchor for family movie nights and sports viewing.
A Laid-Back Reading Nook
Balancing the energetic television-viewing zone required carving out dedicated quiet spaces. To accommodate her client’s passion for literature, Sucher relocated the couple’s work-from-home standing desk to an entirely different part of the house, freeing up prime square footage for a dedicated reading retreat.
In its place, she positioned a vintage Adrian Pearsall chaise lounge sourced with pre-existing fuzzy brown upholstery. The tactile fabric happened to align flawlessly with the basement’s newly established natural palette, creating an inviting spot for solo relaxation away from the main entertainment hub.
An Alternative to Gray Carpeting
Instead of replacing the worn, dingy gray carpeting with a newer iteration of the same neutral shade, Sucher looked for an unexpected flooring solution that would maintain durability while infusing the subterranean level with warmth. Visiting the local Chicago showroom Oscar Isberian Rugs, she selected a solid, sunny yellow wall-to-wall carpet in a shade called Saffron by Masland.
Though it possesses the visual richness and soft texture of wool, the material is actually constructed from EnVision BCF Nylon, engineered specifically to withstand heavy foot traffic, resist crushing, and repel stains. From a practical standpoint, the material offers a distinct advantage over traditional natural fibers in below-ground environments. If a basement were to experience flooding, traditional wool carpeting would typically need to be entirely discarded, whereas this high-performance nylon can be safely revived and dried following water exposure.
A Welcoming Banquette
The basement already featured a built-in banquette well-suited for hosting and casual dining, but it was in dire need of a stylistic refresh. Sucher updated the seating area by outfitting the seat and backrest cushions in a heavy, dark plaid fabric from Pindler.
To help the heavy base of the bench visually recede into the room rather than dominating it, she painted the woodwork in a dynamic yellow-green shade, Benjamin Moore’s Newt Green. Furthermore, to eliminate the awkwardness of guests having to crawl behind a massive, immobile dining table, she replaced the single large fixture with two independent bistro tables from Design Within Reach, improving both flow and flexibility.
An Antique Toy Zone
Maintaining a clutter-free aesthetic in a home with a toddler required hidden storage solutions that did not sacrifice style. To keep toys out of sight when not in use, Sucher sourced a large antique armoire from a dealer in New York.
Transporting the heavy wooden piece down the basement stairs was a formidable logistical feat, but it ultimately provided a substantial cabinet to corral children’s belongings while elevating the room’s sophistication. To brighten the darker corner where the armoire now sits, she installed a plug-in wall sconce sourced through Etsy, providing targeted illumination that enhances the antique wood finish.
A Work of Art That Ties It All Together
The success of the Logan Square basement renovation ultimately hinges on Sucher’s willingness to embrace the room’s inherent architectural limitations rather than fighting them. By refusing to force a bright, sunroom aesthetic onto a subterranean space, she created an intimate, moody environment that celebrates depth, contrast, and saturated color.
A custom painting by artist Hayley Carrow, hung prominently above the newly positioned sofa, serves as a visual capstone for the entire project. The artwork encapsulates the spirit of the redesign, standing as a testament to the idea that a basement does not need to hide behind fifty shades of neutral gray to be a welcoming and functional part of the home.
