Designing a basement that feels just as warm and welcoming as the rest of the house is no small feat—but that’s exactly what Rachel Del Vecchio and Megan Kearns of Fox & Fern Interiors set out to do in their Montavilla Basement Remodel project. Their clients needed more space for their growing family. Luckily, their 1940s bungalow came with a large basement, but it was underutilized and, frankly, a little spooky! It had small windows, concrete floors and a washer and dryer tucked into a dark corner. The space clearly had potential but they couldn’t figure out how to create a beautiful, functional space on their own.
So, they called in Fox & Fern and Rachel and Megan worked their magic!
Creating Cohesion in a Classic Portland Bungalow
The clients needed their basement remodel to check a lot of boxes. They wanted lots of storage, two bedrooms, a media room, and a second bathroom—but more than anything they wanted the new lower level to feel like a seamless extension of the original home. “We wanted it to feel like the rooms had always been there,” explains Rachel. This desire for timelessness guided the design process.
“We always try to avoid trends,” says Rachel. “We want our work to feel classic and cohesive, especially when we know clients plan to update other areas of the house later.”
That meant sticking to classic finishes—matte black fixtures, soft white walls, and warm wood-toned floors—plus thoughtful, family-friendly touches throughout. (Think: a coffee bar, built-in storage, and a seriously dreamy soaking tub.)
One of the biggest transformations? The new media room, which the designers carved out in the basement’s biggest open space. It’s a soft, inviting den made for movie nights, puzzles, catnaps, and slow mornings with cartoons. And at the heart of the room is a big, beautiful custom modular Charlie sectional from Perch.
Designing a Family-Friendly Media Room
“We asked our client what she wanted the room to feel like,” said Megan. “And she said: I want the biggest, coziest couch you can possibly fit in here.” Given the tight basement access and the quirky layout of this older Portland home, custom was the only way to go.
The Fox & Fern team brought their clients into Perch Furniture—where they got to sit-test everything and pick a fabric that felt good to the touch but could also handle kids, snacks, and the family cat.
“It’s so helpful to bring clients to Perch,” explains Rachel. “The process is super smooth, and Amelia [Perch’s Design Lead] is great about helping narrow things down.”
The team landed on a deep green, textured fabric and a sofa with a low profile and extra-deep seats. They also swapped out the style's standard metal legs for an inset wooden plinth base. Not only does the warm wood tone match the room's vibe, it ensures that LEGOs and cat toys can't find their way under the couch. It’s the kind of sofa you immediately want to fall into—made to fit exactly to the dimensions of the room, with enough space for the whole family to stretch out on.
To make sure the sofa would fit down the stairs, Perch did an onsite visit to assess the access and determined that the sectional needed to be built in three, modular pieces to fit smoothly down the stairs!
Light, Bright & Full of Smart Details
To make the below grade rooms feel anything but basement-y, Rachel and Megan installed larger egress windows, light wood-looking LVP flooring that coordinates with the original wood floors upstairs, and soft white walls and ceilings. The bathroom feels very grown-up with custom cabinetry and a glorious, extra deep soaking tub with modern, minimal hardware sourced from Chown Hardware.
Tucked behind a pocket door in the hallway, you will find a laundry area so lovely you might actually look forward to coming down and doing a few loads! The small room is intensely functional–with custom cabinetry painted a dramatic dusky pink. On the laundry side, you'll find a stacking washer dryer set, a stainless-steel utility sink, and ample cupboards and drawers for stashing away essentials.
The other side features tall storage cabinets and a coffee bar hidden away inside cupboard.
“Our client is a coffee nerd, so we created a space for his espresso machine and a little built-in fridge. That way, when they're down there as a family, they can grab beverages and snacks while they watch TV,” says Megan. “It’s just a really fun little space.”
The moody green beauty of a sectional anchors the media room, paired with a solid, kid-climbable round coffee table and vintage artwork. ”Portland has so many great little vintage shops, like Village Merchants, where you can find fun pieces of art that you can the mix in with newer pieces,” explains Megan. “It doesn’t look like it came from a catalog.”
Instead, this once-forgotten basement now feels like the family’s favorite place to be.
Source List
The Fox & Fern Interiors design team shops locally as much as possible! Here are some of the sources they used in this project:
Perch Furniture: Custom, Modular 3-Piece Green Charlie Sectional
Paint by Benjamin Moore and sourced locally at Dick's Color Center. Living room paint color is White Dove, the cabinets' paint color in the laundry room is Hickory Stick and the wall color in the bathroom is Tree Moss.
Custom cabinets by Cedar Canyon Furniture
Plants from Bloom Boutique
Bathroom Vanity Lights: Schoolhouse
Have a tight space? Not sure how to get your dream sectional into your basement? Schedule an in-person or virtual appointment with our design team and we can help you figure out a custom solution!