Shelly Han was thinking about her family’s future, contemplating how she might someday live contentedly under one roof with her aging parents or her grown daughters in the 1939 Ballston red-brick Cape Cod she bought 30 years ago.
In the interim, she wanted to maximize her income potential. So she tapped Arlington designer Kate Hougen of Mira Jean Designs to transform the home’s 750-square-foot walk-out basement into a chic, one-bedroom apartment unit. Han now rents out the space to traveling nurses and other professionals who come to the DMV to work three-month stints.
The design of the unit combines custom touches and thoughtful savings in a light-filled, open plan. Hougen painted the walls a crisp white and installed durable vinyl plank flooring with a warm, textured finish that looks like wood grain. The full-size kitchen features Ikea Kasker quartz countertops with a waterfall edge, stainless steel Whirlpool appliances and mod Ikea cabinets.
For a touch of luxury, Hougen commissioned a Baltimore woodworker to craft the kitchen’s open walnut shelving. The unit also contains a full-size washer and dryer.
In the bathroom, simple, sophisticated finishes include black-grouted subway tile, matte black Mosaic plumbing fixtures, hexagonal floor tiles and a floating acrylic vanity from Wayfair.
“[We said] yes to black-and-white, yes to a fairly minimalist approach, but not stark,” says the designer, who scored a mirror on Overstock and a light fixture from CB2.
The rental unit’s private glass entry door overlooks Han’s lush backyard, channeling natural light inside. A cute bistro set on the stone patio is perfect for morning coffee or a “wine down” happy hour.
Han half-jokes that the basement kitchen is now nicer than her kitchen upstairs. Someday, she may claim the lower level as her own permanent abode. “If I was going to spend the money to do it,” she says, “I wanted it to be something that I felt comfortable in.”