At Simply Beautiful Homes, we believe a home should be a sanctuary—especially when a family is navigating health challenges. Recently, we had the profound honor of partnering with My Happy Place in Mankato to complete a lightning-fast, high-impact basement transformation for a local family in need of a restful, healing space.
While most basement renovations take weeks, our team—alongside some incredible project partners—completed this entire remodel in just three days, start to finish.
Designing for Healing and Comfort
When a family is dealing with health issues, the environment matters. We wanted to move away from a “finished basement” feel and toward a sophisticated retreat where the family can enjoy spending time together. This required a mix of custom carpentry and carefully specified furnishings.
The Focal Point: Custom Electric Fireplace & Live Edge Maple
To bring warmth (both literal and visual) to the space, we constructed a custom electric fireplace enclosure. This serves as the heart of the new family room. Vertical shiplap paneling adds height to the standard ceiling and Sherwin Williams Gallery paint in peppercorn brings weight and durability to this focal point.
To add a touch of organic texture, we installed floating, live-edge maple shelves. These shelves provide a beautiful contrast to the modern fireplace and offer a place for the family to display meaningful items and their extensive movie collection. The natural wood tones bring a sense of the outdoors in, which is known to aid in stress reduction and recovery. The Owner had a reclaimed beam from a barn that he wanted to use for a mantel, which coordinated perfectly with their new shelves.
The Dry Bar Addition
A basement retreat isn’t complete without a functional space for refreshments. We added a sleek dry bar, perfect for keeping hydration and snacks close at hand without the family needing to navigate stairs—a crucial consideration for those managing health recovery.
Collaboration in Action: Our Project Partners
A 72-hour turnaround is only possible with a “dream team” of partners who share a vision for excellence and community support.
- My Happy Place (Mankato) https://myhappyplaces.org/mhp-mankato-mn/: Our core collaborators who helped coordinate this mission of joy and comfort for the family.
- Rooms and Rest https://www.roomsandrest.com: Provided the stunning, hand-picked furnishings that turned the renovated shell into a lived-in home.
- Ploog Electric https://ploogelectric.com: Handled the technical precision required for the fireplace installation and the new dry bar lighting.
- Rickway Carpet https://www.rickwaycarpet.com: Supplied and installed the plush new carpeting, ensuring the “barefoot comfort” that every basement needs.
The 3-Day Miracle
How do you go from a standard basement to a designer retreat in just 72 hours? It comes down to meticulous planning and a dedicated crew.
- Day 1: Demolition, electrical rough-ins by Blue Electric, and the construction of the fireplace framing.
- Day 2: Custom carpentry (the maple shelves and bar), painting, and the Rickway Carpet installation.
- Day 3: Furniture delivery from Rooms and Rest, final styling, and the “Big Reveal.”
Why This Project Matters
For Simply Beautiful Homes, this wasn’t just about ROI or design trends. It was about showing that the Mankato and Belle Plaine communities show up for one another. We are incredibly proud of the result and even more proud to have helped this family find a little more peace in their daily lives.
If you know of an opportunity for us to help out in the community, or if you’re a trade partner who’d like to participate with us in future projects like this, please let us know!
