My favorite thing about design is the positive impact it can have on people’s lives. It can be empowering to change your dwelling and it can be heartwarming to give it as a gift to someone else.

The latter is exactly what happened with Ashton Kutcher, who decided to give his mother the surprise gift of a basement remodel for Mother’s Day and he documented the whole thing in a new online Houzz series, My Houzz.

This series captured my heart. While Ashton lives in LA, his mother and stepfather still live in the same house in Iowa where Ashton grew up. Until recently, their basement had long been an afterthought in the home, a place where the grandkids would gather and Ashton even stayed when visitng. That’s why Ashton, with the help of his stepdad, Mark and a team from Houzz, decided to secretly renovate the space for his mom and surprise her with the space she had long dreamt of having.

“My mom has been the greatest influence in my life – my parents gave me everything. They went to great sacrifices to give me the life that I have and anything I can do to say thank you is the right thing.” ─ Ashton Kutcher

Before, the basement had no organization and was a catch-all space for recliners and memorabilia. Ashton enlisted the help of designer Catherine Thomas, who he found on Houzz, to help him and Mark turn the basement into a functional and stylish space his mother would love.

The result is a beautiful space that is comfortable for their growing family:

The new basement not only got a beautiful makeover, but also included space to display her collections and a room dedicated to storing her famous homemade salsa.

You can see more photographs and watch the 4-part web series over at Houzz.com. It’s definitely worth watching, not simply for the great design but for the touching story of a son’s gratitude for his mother.

Warm regards,
Megan