basement
Leave a Basement Ceiling Unfinished This St. Louis basement is fully finished, except for the ceiling. Rather than covering up ductwork, joists, pipes and wires with a dropped ceiling, Detailed Designs By Denise left it open. This allowed for a higher ceiling, and leaving everything exposed gives the space industrial loft style.
Surprise Shelving Another home making smart use of its under-the-stairs space, this Los Angeles-area property, developed by NUMI Home, makes tucked-away storage the star of the show. With clean lines, simple shelf styling and that bold pop of saturated blue, it’s no wonder the shelves-and-staircase combination was a hit among the Houzz community.
A Bright Underground Space A TV lounge, office space, a full kitchen and a full remodel of the existing 1970s bathroom were all on this Toronto couple’s basement remodel wish list. The creative team at Level Studio gave them a clean contemporary space, inspired by midcentury modern design and warmed by organic textures and colors. The accent wall, sculptural shelves and the green sofa were all a big hit with Houzz users.
Rock ’n’ Roll Entertainment Space A Boston-area couple was craving a place to entertain friends on casual nights, complete with a pool table, a bar with wine storage and a home theater. So interior designer Kelly McGuill lightened up their existing red walls with white paint and redesigned the space. The new bar area contains a tall wine fridge and floor-to-ceiling wine racks. McGuill plucked the photographs of musicians from the homeowners’ art collection. “The basement is a real rock ’n’ roll space,” McGuill told Houzz.
Cozy Cabin Style Cushy leather sofas, plaid pillows, wood barn doors and a reclaimed wood accent wall give cozy cabin style to this Minneapolis basement by Mark D. Williams Custom Homes. Box beams on the ceiling make sense of the challenges posed by soffits and ductwork (a common issue in basement spaces). And well-planned built-ins keep media equipment, games and books organized.
Marked by Stunning Millwork Well-planned built-ins and other feats of carpentry make this Chicago-area basement a stunner. Bookshelves, cabinet doors with grilles, deep drawers for storage and handsome columns are just a few of the special custom touches designed and crafted by the team of Two Hands Interiors and De Groot Construction.
This Toronto couple wanted to transform their partially finished basement into a big hangout for entertaining and for their kids to enjoy. Their wish list included a TV lounge, office space, a full kitchen and a full remodel for the existing 1970s bathroom. The creative team of Luca Campacci and Vinh Le gave them a clean, contemporary space, inspired by midcentury modern design and warmed by organic textures and colors.
Go Up to the Rafters Dropped ceilings are most commonly removed in basements because they often have the lowest ceilings in the house. This exposes the ceiling joists and beams, as well wires, pipes and ductwork, creating an industrial loft-like look. In this project from The Cousins, the ceiling’s dark color helps camouflage those elements.
2. Make a rug statement. This workspace, painted entirely white, is anchored by the bold purple carpet tiles set out in an interesting shape. Carpet tiles are a cost-effective option for basement flooring as they can be purchased by the box and laid out to separate a zone or add warmth to a bare concrete floor.
Workspace Workspaces are often hard to come by, and if you can designate a corner for one in your basement, you’ll be glad for it. Surprisingly, it doesn’t take much to create a bright and functional zone out of, well, nothing. 1. Furnish and decorate. This basement office room works so well because it really has everything you need. Again, this is essentially a raw basement that has been cleaned up with paint. Two collapsible tables are tucked into a corner to create ample desk space. An antique-style armoire and side table add hefty traditional elements that dress up the zone and offer storage. An area rug warms the painted concrete floor, and the bright task track lighting is layered with the warm glow of a table lamp. The pretty butterfly mobile finishes this space.
3. Leave it open. Another way to save some money in your basement bathroom is to skip the walls altogether. Here, a section of the basement is used for the bathroom, which is open concept. The shower is made out of a tiled curb with a curtain bar, giving it a modern look when privacy is not a concern. The toilet, not seen in this photo, is in a separate, walled-off enclosure behind the wall with the towel bar.
Build a Bathroom Adding a bathroom to your basement can be a worthwhile venture. In addition to being functional, it adds a lot of value to your home. But basement bathroom additions can be costly if you don’t already have the plumbing and drains roughed in. If you’re lucky enough to have this option, finishing it on a budget will be rewarding. 1. Just do the basics. This bathroom, which abuts one of the laundry rooms I’ve featured, is mostly unfinished. Creatively sectioned off with wood planks and paint, it proves that a bathroom need not have marble and high-end finishing to be warm, cute and functional.
Install cabinetry. The money saved on finishing flooring, walls and ceiling can often be better spent on cabinets in your basement laundry area. This basement is a new build, and the concrete floors are sealed, the stairs are painted a deep gray, and the ceiling is left exposed. There’s a clean white bank of cabinets with a countertop, adding storage and a place to fold. This technically unfinished space is inviting as well as practical. Additional cabinetry can be used for a variety of things, like storing dry goods, linens or out-of-season clothing.
Outfit a Laundry Room For many of us, basement laundry means a dark and dank place to toss the clothes in, pull them out and quickly run back upstairs. But this doesn’t have to be the way we choose to live. A little effort can convert an ugly space to one where you’ll want to spend time. 1. Get creative with paint and decor. This basement laundry is left nearly entirely unfinished, but with some creativity it’s become a clean and bright corner nonetheless. The exposed ceiling joists are painted a deep charcoal, the concrete floor is a fun red, and wood shelving and furniture add interest and utility. A throw rug warms up the floor, and what appears to be reclaimed wood boards frame off a private bath.
This space is actually a converted garage, but it’s not difficult to imagine it as a basement. This space, too, follows our formula for a comfortable basement living space. Left mostly unfinished, the concrete block walls and the floors are painted, and there is a focal point around the TV. Again, soft furniture and a large rug anchor the living area, and low-cost plywood is used to divide zones.
Establish a focal point. Go ahead and furnish your unfinished below-grade space as cozily as you would your upstairs finished rooms. A great way to do this is to furnish around a focal point. Here, the designer created a focal point of a bar and a shelving area with space for a TV, books and games. Graphic rugs and large, soft furniture and lighting bring warmth and life to the space. Note that this basement is, like the other examples, mostly unfinished. The ceilings are open, the concrete block wall is painted, and it appears the concrete floor is as well. Finally, the owner chose white wall paint. This room shows how this simple formula for a basement can form the backdrop for a cozy living space. The finished decorative and soft furnishing elements add the comforts that make the space feel homey.
Here’s a look at a fully buried, partially finished basement that uses the white paint trick to illuminate the space. This basement-turned-apartment is complete with kitchen, living, bedroom and bathroom zones. The white walls and open, white-painted ceiling make it bright and livable even when not much natural light breaks through.
This basement obviously gets a lot of natural light, thanks to the fact that it is a walk-out basement-style space. But a great way to provide the illusion of light and to add ceiling height is to paint everything white. With this room’s exposed ceilings and walls painted a crisp white, it’s hard to tell where the walls end and the ceilings begin.
Another unexpected and low-cost alternative wall material is an engineered lumber such as oriented strand board (OSB), typically used for subfloors or sheathing in construction. This unconventional choice is a creative, less expensive way to cover concrete walls and divide living zones. The key to using a material like this is to apply it to a large area (as shown in this photo) so that it’s clear that using it was an intentional design choice.
Ditch the drywall. A shot of this basement from a different angle shows that in the living area, the concrete foundation walls and floor of this 1920s house have been given a clean coat of paint. Paint is quite often the quickest and least expensive way to freshen and update a room. Another tip is to drywall only some areas of the room, as this photo shows for the wall where the bike is mounted. A limited use of drywall can demarcate spaces, add interest and keep costs down. In this remodel, a cool partition of corrugated metal offers an interesting alternative to more traditional walls.
The staircase was designed to take up as little space as possible while still complying with building regulations in terms of tread depth and riser height. “I wanted the space underneath to be useful, so there are two hidden doors that conceal the underfloor heating controls and the electrical fuse box,” Dadswell says. The simple powder-coated steel balustrade ties in with the windows and doors.
For the walls, Dadswell chose handmade Moroccan tiles from Mosaic del Sur that have a patchwork effect due to the variation of each tile. “They reflect the light beautifully but are quite difficult to lay,” she says. “I found the vintage shell pendant in a local antiques warehouse at the beginning of the build,” she adds. “It somehow survived nine months of being moved from rental house to building site — although I did spend a few hours reattaching shells once it was finally hung.” Kitchen cabinet paint: Mole’s Breath, Farrow & Ball
The cross-braced ceiling beams had been covered with a foot-thick layer of cork by a previous owner. “It was to keep the space really cold, as it had been used as an ice cream factory,” Dadswell says. “I wanted the space to feel light, so I decided to paint all of the ceilings throughout in a soft off-white.”
Stairs tiled
5. Add a touch of whimsy with numbers. Painting your stairs using numbered stencils is an easy way to give your stairs a cheeky twist. Without the numbered steps, this staircase would definitely feel less playful and interesting. You can choose to line up your numbers on either side of your stairs or down the middle. Be sure to measure as you stencil each step to ensure the numbers line up. I recommend that you start from the top and work your way down to avoid any potential mishaps with wet paint.
Try a color trio. For a more dramatic effect, play with color. This bold color combination of black, white and green paint makes this staircase a statement feature. You will notice the color trio is also carried up to the wall with the use of green picture frames and black-and-white photography. The vibrant Kelly green is also repeated throughout the residence with decor accents like a bold green porter’s chair in the entry and green trellis-patterned drapery in the living room. When considering a color trio for your staircase, think about how the colors will work with the connecting rooms. This will keep it from feeling like an afterthought.
Here’s another take on the painted runner. This staircase, in a home in the United Kingdom, also has white sides, but the center is painted a soft gray, and this runner is much wider. This is a more subtle effect and works with the gentle color scheme of this white, gray and wood staircase and landing area. The approach also fits the style of this elegant home with a neutral palette.
4. Paint a runner. This staircase in a London home features a wood strip down the center of the staircase, with white painted on both sides of the staircase as well as the bottom riser. The paint job creates an effect of a natural wood runner making its way down the stairs. It’s a clever idea that has some humor to it — since runners are typically made from textiles, a wood stair runner would be an unexpected feature indeed.
Here’s another version of the same principle but with a staircase that has a contemporary design. The staircase’s treads and stringers are painted black, while the handrail stays natural wood. Here, the effect is that both the stairs and the handrail stand out.
3. Leave the handrail unpainted. What this staircase lacks in color it makes up for in style. The all-white treads, risers and stringer, or outside wall of the staircase, work with the white balusters to make a dramatic backdrop that lets the wooden handrail stand out. It’s a clever approach, since the handrail is a real-life version of the material depicted in the wallpaper: the woods. Wallpaper: Woods, Cole & Son
2. Make a rainbow on your risers. Or you can paint just the risers. This staircase adds a colorful, fun design feature to a room that is contemporary, streamlined and mostly white. (Another rainbow touch shows up on the London patio’s outdoor sofa.) If you decide to create a rainbow effect in your home, I recommend that you keep all your colors within the same tint (level of lightness) or shade (level of darkness or richness) to ensure a cohesive look. And make sure all the paints you use have the same finish.
Here’s another look at the same staircase, viewed from the top. The two colors of blue make a beautiful alternating pattern that is an attractive design feature.
1. Color the stair treads. This staircase leads to a fourth-story game room for kids, and the two colors of blue on the stair treads create a fun path to follow. By painting just the treads and leaving the risers white, the effect is colorful but not busy.
Cheerful hand-painted patterns, also by Leonesio, adorn the staircase, which leads to the second-floor bedrooms.
In the bathrooms, where materials such as concrete and tadelakt (a waterproof plaster that’s permeable to air) were used, it was important to install lighting that would both flatter the user and expose the beautiful shades of the materials. Here, Schievink’s favorite color brightens the gray concrete and gives the bathroom a cheerful feel — yet another benefit of bright colors.
Bathroom
Was the choice of orange in any way affected by his nationality? “Well, as you know, orange is the Dutch national color, named after the royal family, the House of Orange-Nassau,” Schievink says. “But the use of striking colors has been common among Dutch designers for more than 10 years. Just check out a designer like Edward van Vliet and you can spot the Dutch heritage in my design.”
To warm up such a big space with its rough, concrete texture, Schievink used soft textiles in reds and oranges. “It is good to match concrete flooring with luxurious materials such as velvet or silk, which distinctly contrast with the cold floor,” he says. “Then add a lot of cushions, as well as hides from reindeer and other animals.” Schievink used proven techniques to divide the large, open room. “The easiest one is what we see here: using carpets. They create different islands in the room and one immediately feels that this section is the living room. I adore using room dividers and folding screens. They are trendy at the moment, and you can find them at any auction. For the kitchen area, I used the long table as a marker and placed it in the same direction as the work areas.”
The interior, with its bare concrete walls and open floor plan, wasn’t the easiest to decorate, but Schievink has never let that kind of challenge get in the way.
Drive-In The vintage Coca-Cola machine is a piece she’d kept for more than 20 years and adds to the authentic feel of the concession stand. The barrel houses a custom popcorn stand; when they are popping, they place the wheelbarrow underneath to catch the popcorn. When it’s done, they wheel it out into the theater so that everyone can dig in. A cabinetmaker created the candy display cabinet, which Stier-Johnson had outfitted with glass. Behind the counter there is a mini kitchen. She found the Chevrolet sign at a local antique mall, along with the horseshoe welcome sign and the other taillight sign just outside of the concession stand area. The red refrigerator plays off the colors of the Coca-Cola machine and the Chevrolet sign.
Drive-In Weber Design Group, Inc. Save Email Another barn detail Stier-Johnson wanted to incorporate was a hayloft, so she had the builders add a shelf here for real bales of hay. The welcome sign is made of horseshoes. To give the theater even more of a drive-in feel, she designed a concession stand for snacks.
Drive-In Of course, the most striking element in the room is the turquoise Chevy pickup replica. Originally, Stier-Johnson had wanted to use a real rusted vintage truck that she owned, but she realized it was too rusty for comfort. So, instead, her builder found a man who builds cars for NASCAR, who built the pickup from the molds of an original truck and added a real salvaged part or two. She selected a 1968 Chevrolet C10 stepside pickup truck. “I love turquoise, and I used it all over the rest of the house, so the color choice was a no-brainer,” she says. The taillights are incorporated into the audiovisual system and can be kept on when wanted. Behind the back windshield is a faux dashboard and steering wheel painted on the wall. One more detail worth noting: the North Carolina replica license plate that says “VIA WI.” This represents the family’s move from Wisconsin to North Carolina. Moviegoers can flip down the tailgate, lie down in the back of the truck and stare up at the starry outdoor patio lights overhead. To the right of the truck, there’s a “pizza bar” for laying out casual meals. The light overhead is a repurposed old truck radiator. Next to that, Stier-Johnson de...
Drive-In You would expect audiovisual experts to be involved in the creation of a home theater. But a man who builds cars for NASCAR, a craftsman who can turn a barrel and a wheelbarrow into a popcorn machine, and a muralist and a barn supplier who crafts horse stall doors? Not so much. But they all played starring roles in this home theater’s design. Homeowner Tracie Stier-Johnson had a vision for her family’s lower level. “I wanted it to have the feeling of a barn, but also feel like we were outside at a drive-in under the stars,” she says. Elements such as starry lighting, a vintage Coca-Cola machine and even hay helped her achieve the look.
Rustic refinement. This industrial-style basement in Denver has a few windows for natural light, but it still provides a comfortable media room for the family. It also includes a wall of reclaimed wood, which seems to be a popular design material in many basements these days.
Kitchen or kitchenette. If you really want to attract people to your basement, a kitchen is likely to do the trick. You may have a large kitchen upstairs and just want to add a kitchenette in the basement so the kids can make a snack. Or you may want to forgo an upstairs kitchen altogether and add your full-time one downstairs. This blue-and-brass kitchen in Utah has all the allure of any kitchen that’s located a floor above.
Just like a movie theater with stadium seating, adding a bar counter and bar stools behind a sofa or sectional allows those farther from the screen a clear view from their elevated perch. This basement also features a custom reclaimed wall unit for the flat-screen TV that cleverly hides all wires and electronics in the cabinets underneath.
Stone walls, reclaimed wood. Banquettes are a fun way to gather friends and family around the table, whether for dining or playing a board game. This Minnesota basement features reclaimed wood floors salvaged from an 1890s grain mill and post and beams recovered from a 1900s barn.
Here, one of the homeowners plays the banjo in his new music studio. Harriman installed halogen flush-mount ceiling lights rather than LED cans in here for soundproofing reasons (more sound can escape upstairs with can lights). The ceiling is soundproofed with recycled denim insulation. A warm neutral area rug, an orange sofa, music posters and all the instruments make the space inviting. The shiplap on the back wall ties the room to the rest of the basement. Now the family has room for their favorite activities and for entertaining their friends. Assistance with layout architecture: Track Architecture
This playroom area is located beyond the island (you can see it in the first photo.) The girls wanted a spot where they could put on performances. “We wanted to give them that but create something versatile that could grow with them, rather than installing a raised stage they might want to get rid of later,” Harriman says. She installed a rod that spans the width of the room for the theater curtain. The girls also use gymnastic mats and a balance beam in here, while their little brother has room to spread out his train and other toys. A thick wall allows for display and storage niches along the right side of the room. On both sides of the room are 4-foot-wide pocket doors. The one on the left leads to the sewing and craft studio; the one on the right leads to the music studio. “We installed wide doors so that the separate spaces could feel open to one another when they wanted, but that they can close off when they want privacy,” the designer says.
One of the homeowners wanted to be able to see the TV from her sewing room, so Harriman installed a wall of windows that look out to it. The room is also wired with speakers for when she wants to hear it. “The custom stand-up table on casters was a key component,” Harriman says. “They can use it as a cutting table, pull it out from the wall when they want to work around all sides of it, and use it for gift wrapping.” The wall is outfitted with dowels and pegs for threads, fabrics, wrapping paper and other supplies. Desks and shelving: Ikea
Across the room from the wet bar is the TV lounge, which is cozy but can still fit the whole family. Harriman wrapped this area in a removable wallpaper to anchor it within the larger space. The flooring resembles wood but is luxury vinyl tile. “It’s super durable and nonporous, so it’s a great choice for basements,” Harriman says. Flooring: Karndean Designflooring
Looking in this direction, you can get a peek into the guest bedroom. There is also a full bathroom at this end. The availability of an egress window (one that meets requirements for exiting in an emergency) made the bedroom location a no-brainer. The designer repeated the reclaimed hemlock of the island top on the open shelves over the sink. Two-tone cabinetry anchors the wet bar, while brass hardware and a quartz counter bring glint to the mix. A combination of LED can lights, undercabinet lighting and sconces keeps the subterranean space light and bright.
Harriman opened up the side of the stairwell and installed steel spindles down the staircase to repeat the industrial look. The spindles also make the stairwell feel more open, rather than a dark, closed-off descent down into a basement. The stairwell wall is covered in shiplap, and if you look closely, you can see the small door that leads to a secret fort underneath. Transitional Home Bar by Buildwell The kegerator tap is a custom brass-and-walnut hexagon, and the grate is plumbed to drain any spills. PVC-pipe cubbies built into the wall house wine bottles.
A sewing-craft room, music studio, performance space-playroom, keg refrigerator, TV lounge and even a secret hideout under the stairs — there’s something for everyone in this family of five’s newly finished basement. There’s also plenty of room for them to hang out together and entertain their friends.
Near the bar sits a pool table, extra seating and a foosball table in an alcove to the right.
A hidden door allowed the owner to have a little fun with the design, Lecuyer says, even though the passage leads only to a hot-water heater.
Steel I-beams provide structural support near a reclaimed-wood-clad bar area, which features its own TV and refrigerator. Hand-sawn wood beams above the bar, Edison bulb-style pendant lights and a rolled steel backsplash continue the industrial-meets-rustic theme.
The reclaimed-wood feature wall has hidden compartments for gaming equipment, remote controls and audiovisual wires.
The reclaimed-wood feature wall has hidden compartments for gaming equipment, remote controls and audiovisual wires.
They worked with Reclaimed DesignWorks in Charleston, South Carolina, to get the flooring, which was pulled out of several old mills. It is composed of nine species in planks of various widths and lengths. The chevron pattern on the wainscoting and ceiling was inspired by pubs the couple loved. “Mary had a carpenter who did an amazing job installing everything,” Lori says. The wood is rough-sawn pine stained to match the wood on the bar. The lighting is reclaimed and refurbished. The sconces throughout the basement came from Preservation Station in Nashville, Tennessee. The pendants in the family room came from GenuineAntiqueLighting.net in Boston. The fireplace surround is architectural salvage; the couple found it at the Sleepy Poet Antique Mall. Rustic Staircase by New Old, LLC New Old, LLC Save Email “We have a collection of antique portraits of our ancestors in our bedroom, so we copied the idea with portraits that spoke to us on our antiquing adventures,” Lori says. The crystal chandeliers and sconces came from The Plaza hotel in New York City, acquired via Olde Good Things. Ludemann and her team worked hard to make the stair runners look “well trodden,” as if many patron...
A cozy seating area is oriented around a new fireplace; there’s a TV just out of view to the right. Ludemann added a new chimney to accommodate the cozy wood stove the couple wanted. They worked with Reclaimed DesignWorks in Charleston, South Carolina, to get the flooring, which was pulled out of several old mills. It is composed of nine species in planks of various widths and lengths.
During their research, the couple met two Irish brothers who own several Irish pubs in the U.S. They came over to look around the basement and share their ideas for the layout. “While they were here, they told us about ‘snugs’ and thought this spot would be the perfect spot for one,” she says. A snug is a private little room within a pub where those who don’t want to be pestered — or seen drinking in a pub — would hang out.
Hobby area
This Aspen ski chalet designed the Pearson Design Group is covered head to toe with a variety of rustic woods to create a stylish setting that’s sure to evoke warmth and comfort even in the coldest of winters.
The designer placed the bar niche where the original apartment’s kitchenette was. “It already had plumbing, but it was the perfect spot for it anyway because of the way it’s recessed,” she says.
The door to the left leads to the bathroom. The stairs are capped in coordinating Ikea butcher block.
The counter-height table was another splurge. Contractor Scott Macdonald fabricated it from a piece of live-edge pine and a custom metal base. The barn door artfully conceals the utility room.
Create a Breeze A powerful ceiling fan keeps the air moving in this Chicago-area basement gym by Meyer Design. And its style suits the industrial look of the space.
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