When we first moved into out house, our basement started off as being a “man cave” where the hubby could just have his gadgets and sports stuff spewed on all of the walls, a wet bar that was eventually going to be updated and a bathroom decked out with sports paraphernalia.

Once we had our second baby, we have lost our guest room.  After searching for extra space around the house, the only logical spot for a guest room would be in the basement.  Therefore, the “man cave” had to become a guest bedroom along with a functional living space because we needed more space with our growing family.

After many discussions, we decided to put in a Murphy bed because the only regular guests we have are my parents, so with minimal notice, we can have the space ready.  After we got the Murphy bed installed, we needed to spruce up the basement bathroom.  Ben started by painting the bathroom with Benjamin Moore Baltic Sea.

We installed an adorable Kohler pedestal sink.  Then we fixed the toilet so that it would actually work, instead of being a glorified chair.  By adding a mirror and light fixture from Lowes, we have a very functional bathroom.  We also added a towel rack with a shelf above the toilet for extra storage.

But the space needed some decorations and more counter space.  When my parents come to visit, they will need space to store their stuff since they will be using this bathroom because it’s right next to the Murphy bed.

Now, Ben’s tools were in a pile in the corner of the bathroom.  We needed something to store the tools in, but also worked as a counter top for my parents to use when they visited.  After clearing out everything from the bathroom, we figured we could still hold the tools in the space, but needed a nicer looking organizational system for the tools to be housed.

Ben went to IKEA and purchased the ALGOT frame with mesh baskets.  We purchased three ALGOT six-frames to hold all of the tools and other items that we felt would be a good fit for that space.  This product looks nice and is very functional for our purpose of holding the tools along with providing extra counter space for my parents to use when they are visiting.  The space fits the three six-frame ALGOT mesh baskets perfectly, with a small amount of space on the side to hold a baby gate to use when we are playing in the basement.

We went through all of the tools and other items that were being housed in this space and realized most of the items weren’t just tools, but light bulbs, painting supplies, and baby-proofing items.  Using plastic bins, we sorted all of the nails, screws, and bolts into containers to make it easy to find and access.  When all of the tools were organized, we started to put away the tools in the mesh bins.  We bought some big mesh bins to hold some of the bigger tools such as painting supplies.  Once everything was sorted and stored, I finished off the baskets using Martha Stewart Home Office Bookplates.  I created labels for each mesh bin so it would make it easy to find what we are looking for!

I also added some finishing touches to make the space more inviting for visitors.  We had a few pictures what were sitting on the floor of the space before we finished the bathroom.  One of the pictures is a drawing my brother drew of toilet paper roll.  I got a big IKEA picture frame and hung it in the bathroom, as I think that is an appropriate piece of artwork for a bathroom!  We also have a picture I painted at a wine and painting event for Eli’s school.  Ben also loves the picture of Starry Night he had from forever ago, so that also got hung up in the bathroom.

Extra towels are stored in a basket on the shelf above the toilet.  I hung up some towel hooks, making it easy to store towels when visitors are using that bathroom.  I really didn’t want to put too much stuff on the counter space we created using the ALGOT frames.  By not keeping a lot of stuff on the counter, I don’t have a lot of stuff to move when we have guests!

With some rugs down on the ground, the space is ready for its many uses!  I really love how we gained extra counter space, while keeping our tool storage.  I also love the color because it’s still a “manly” color for when the basement can turn back into a “man cave” once the kids are older!