A Clean Refresh Completely Transforms Pamela Anderson’s Basement

The renovation of the basement into a functional and pretty laundry room was the first priority for designer Francesca. It served as the perfect project to test the waters and ensure that the designer and Pamela had the same vision for the property. The total budget for the basement renovation came in at just under $25,000.

The space formerly functioned primarily as storage, stacked high with boxes filled with Pamela’s belongings including over 1000 pairs of shoes! It was dark, drab and unpleasant for Pamela to even enter the basement before Francesca got her designer hands on it.

Francesca completely re-imagined the space into three functional zones: A mudroom zone (pictured here), a laundry zone and a pantry area.

The key to brightening up the space was painting it and revitalizing the existing floors. Working with tiler Gavin, the floors were given a rough polish (after several attempts to ensure Pamela was perfectly happy with the finish) to give them that stylish, lived-in concrete look.

In order to stay on budget, the team took on cost-cutting projects like sewing the window treatments. Pamela and her assistant Jonathan took on the task, with Pamela proclaiming that if she could do it, anyone could.

One of the highlights of the basement is this working vintage record player that Francesca sourced so that Pamela could play records and enjoy a glass of rosé while doing laundry. Pamela is unique in many ways, one being her passion for doing laundry (a household task that many have nothing but disdain for). But with a great record spinning and a laundry room as pretty as hers, the task is made that much more pleasant.

One of the benefits of the renovation team having already worked on the ‘phase one flip’ with Pamela is that they’re already familiar with her and can at times anticipate her needs. Pamela mentioned it would be helpful to have the large sink located near the door so she could fill up buckets of water for the dogs, however, she didn’t want to create extra work for the crew in moving the drain. Francesca and Darren, knowing Pamela, didn’t heed to her insistences to make things easier, and relocated the sink where Pamela preferred it.

As an animal and environmental activist, it was important for Pamela to manage waste and energy consumption on the property. Francesca brought this into the laundry room in details like dissolvable laundry soap and soap nuts, plus reusable dryer balls.

Another zone that Francesca created was this open-concept pantry shelving area where Pamela could easily access dry goods, pickled items and veggies that don’t fit in the upstairs kitchen.

One of Pamela’s hobbies at Arcady is the upkeep of her flourishing vegetable garden. The pantry area serves as a space to store the pickled garden produce in the prettiest, most satisfying way.

Despite growing up on the property, Pamela’s father Barry could hardly recognize the basement after the transformation. Her mother, Carol, was shocked that the floors were refinished and not completely replaced. With the update, the basement, typically the ugliest part of a house, has become a pretty spot where Pamela and her family can enjoy spending time.