We started with a blank slate on this basement project where our only obstacles were exposed steel support columns, existing plumbing risers from the concrete slab, and dropped soffits concealing ductwork on the ceiling. It had the advantage of tall ceilings, an existing egress window, and a sliding door leading to a newly constructed patio. This family of five loves the beach and frequents summer beach resorts in the Northeast. Bringing that aesthetic home to enjoy all year long was the inspiration for the décor, as well as creating a family-friendly space for entertaining. Wish list items included room for a billiard table, wet bar, game table, family room, guest bedroom, full bathroom, space for a treadmill and closed storage. The existing structural elements helped to define how best to organize the basement. For instance, we knew we wanted to connect the bar area and billiards table with the patio in order to create an indoor/outdoor entertaining space. It made sense to use the egress window for the guest bedroom for both safety and natural light. The bedroom also would be adjacent to the plumbing risers for easy access to the new bathroom. Since the primary focus of the family room would be for TV viewing, natural light did not need to filter into that space. We made sure to hide the columns inside of newly constructed walls and dropped additional soffits where needed to make the ceiling mechanicals feel less random. In addition to the beach vibe, the homeowner has valuable sports memorabilia that was to be prominently displayed including two seats from the original Yankee stadium. For a coastal feel, shiplap is used on two walls of the family room area. In the bathroom shiplap is used again in a more creative way using wood grain white porcelain tile as the horizontal shiplap “wood”. We connected the tile horizontally with vertical white grout joints and mimicked the horizontal shadow line with dark grey grout. At first glance it looks like we wrapped the shower with real wood shiplap. Materials including a blue and white patterned floor, blue penny tiles and a natural wood vanity checked the list for that seaside feel. A large reclaimed wood door on an exposed sliding barn track separates the family room from the game room where reclaimed beams are punctuated with cable lighting. Cabinetry and a beverage refrigerator are tucked behind the rolling bar cabinet (that doubles as a Blackjack table!). A TV and upright video arcade machine round-out the entertainment in the room. Bar stools, two rotating club chairs, and large square poufs along with the Yankee Stadium seats provide fun places to sit while having a drink, watching billiards or a game on the TV. Signed baseballs can be found behind the bar, adjacent to the billiard table, and on specially designed display shelves next to the poker table in the family room. Thoughtful touches like the surfboards, signage, photographs and accessories make a visitor feel like they are on vacation at a well-appointed beach resort without being cliché.

Basement reno,
Mid-sized country fully buried basement in Minneapolis with a home bar, white walls, carpet, grey floor, wood and panelled walls.

The main room in the newly finished 1978 suburban home basement remodel is this large rec room that provides a home for the oversize tv as well as a performing arts stage, with footlights, for the two little girls of the house. At left of the stage was a small basement window that was cut down to allow full egress window which lets in much more daylight.

The new basement rec room featuring the TV mounted on the orginal exposed brick chimney
Photo of a small country look-out basement in Chicago with grey walls, vinyl floors and brown floor.

A closer look at the spacious sectional with a mid-century influenced cocktail table and colorful pillow accents. This picture shows the bar area directly behind the sectional, the open staircase and the floating shelving adjacent to a second separate seating area. The warm gray background, black quartz countertop and the white woodwork provide the perfect accents to create an open, light and inviting basement space.

The basement is designed for the men of the house, utilizing a cooler colour palette and offer a masculine experience. It is completed with a bar, recreation room, and a large seating area.

This is an example of a large country walk-out basement in Minneapolis with white walls, medium hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a metal fireplace surround and brown floor.

Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional fully buried basement in Wilmington with grey walls, beige floor and vinyl floors.

A dark and dingy basement is now the most popular area of this family’s home. The new basement enhances and expands their living area, giving them a relaxing space for watching movies together and a separate, swanky bar area for watching sports games. The design creatively uses reclaimed barnwood throughout the space, including ceiling beams, the staircase, the face of the bar, the TV wall in the seating area, open shelving and a sliding barn door. The client wanted a masculine bar area for hosting friends/family. It’s the perfect space for watching games and serving drinks. The bar area features hickory cabinets with a granite stain, quartz countertops and an undermount sink. There is plenty of cabinet storage, floating shelves for displaying bottles/glassware, a wine shelf and beverage cooler. The most notable feature of the bar is the color changing LED strip lighting under the shelves. The lights illuminate the bottles on the shelves and the cream city brick wall. The lighting makes the space feel upscale and creates a great atmosphere when the homeowners are entertaining. We sourced all the barnwood from the same torn down barn to make sure all the wood matched. We custom milled the wood for the stairs, newel posts, railings, ceiling beams, bar face, wood accent wall behind the TV, floating bar shelves and sliding barn door. Our team designed, constructed and installed the sliding barn door that separated the finished space from the laundry/storage area. The staircase leading to the basement now matches the style of the other staircase in the house, with white risers and wood treads. Lighting is an important component of this space, as this basement is dark with no windows or natural light. Recessed lights throughout the room are on dimmers and can be adjusted accordingly. The living room is lit with an overhead light fixture and there are pendant lights over the bar.

Bob Greenspan Photography
Design ideas for a mid-sized country walk-out basement in Kansas City with concrete floors, a wood stove and brown floor.

Our client was looking for a light, bright basement in her 1940's home. She wanted a space to retreat on hot summer days as well as a multi-purpose space for working out, guests to sleep and watch movies with friends. The basement had never been finished and was previously a dark and dingy space to do laundry or to store items. The contractor cut out much of the existing slab to lower the basement by 5" in the entertainment area so that it felt more comfortable. We wanted to make sure that light from the small window and ceiling lighting would travel throughout the space via frosted glass doors, open stairway, light toned floors and enameled wood work. Photography by Spacecrafting Photography Inc.

Design ideas for a large transitional fully buried basement in Other with beige walls, light hardwood floors, no fireplace, beige floor and a game room.

Brave Custom Woodworking Solutions
Photo of a mid-sized contemporary look-out basement in DC Metro with blue walls, carpet and brown floor.

Inspiration for an expansive country walk-out basement in Indianapolis with white walls, carpet and grey floor.

This is an example of a mid-sized traditional look-out basement in DC Metro.

Alpha Wellness Sensations is a global leader in sauna manufacturing, indoor and outdoor design for traditional saunas, infrared cabins, steam baths, salt caves and tanning beds. Our company runs its own research offices and production plant in order to provide a wide range of innovative and individually designed wellness solutions.

©2016 Daniel Feldkamp, Visual Edge Imaging Studios
Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional fully buried basement in Other with beige walls, porcelain floors and brown floor.

Photo: Mars Photo and Design © 2017 Houzz. Underneath the basement stairs is the perfect spot for a custom designed and built bed that has lots of storage. The unique stair railing was custom built and adds interest in the basement remodel done by Meadowlark Design + Build.

Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional walk-out basement in DC Metro with grey walls and dark hardwood floors.