Conversion of a cellar into a habitable room.
Photo of a small basement in Sussex with a game room, multi-coloured walls, cork floors, no fireplace, brown floor, exposed beam and wood walls.

Client needed additional living space for their growing Family. We added a temporary/remote office space, for the stay at home professional, allowing them to watch children while staying plugged in at their careers.

Design ideas for a large transitional look-out basement in Other with beige walls, cork floors, no fireplace and brown floor.

This renovation updated all of the finishes in this home, and opened up the kitchen and living room area with a pass-through. The basement bathroom was also moved and some walls removed to create a larger family room.

Mid-sized traditional look-out basement in Minneapolis with grey walls, cork floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround and grey floor.

Cherry cabinets with English Chestnut stain
Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional fully buried basement in Milwaukee with cork floors.

Michaela Shayna
This is an example of a large modern basement in Other with grey walls, cork floors, a standard fireplace and a tile fireplace surround.

New basement finish, Wainscoting, decorative trim, tile shower and bar area. Upscale finishes all around
Large walk-out basement in St Louis with a home bar, cork floors, no fireplace, multi-coloured floor, coffered and decorative wall panelling.

Who says Utility rooms need to be boring? These homeowners needed several storage solutions and had an unfinished basement just waiting for their personal touches. First off - they needed a utility sink located near their laundry appliances. Second they needed wine storage, general storage and file storage. They found just what they were looking for with custom cabinetry by Dewils in their Fenix slab door featuring nanotechnology! A soft touch, self-healing and anti-fingerprint finish (Thermal healing of microscratches - cool!) Interior drawers keep their wine organized and easy to access. They jazzed up the white finish with Wilsonart Quartz in "Key West", colorful backsplash tile in ocean hues and knobs featuring starfish and wine grapes.

Photo of a mid-sized eclectic walk-out basement in DC Metro with orange walls, cork floors and brown floor.

Corked flooring and recessed lighting.
Mid-sized contemporary look-out basement in Philadelphia with grey walls, cork floors and brown floor.

Client needed additional living space for their growing Family. We added a temporary/remote office space, for the stay at home professional, allowing them to watch children while staying plugged in at their careers.

This 1930's Barrington Hills farmhouse was in need of some TLC when it was purchased by this southern family of five who planned to make it their new home. The renovation taken on by Advance Design Studio's designer Scott Christensen and master carpenter Justin Davis included a custom porch, custom built in cabinetry in the living room and children's bedrooms, 2 children's on-suite baths, a guest powder room, a fabulous new master bath with custom closet and makeup area, a new upstairs laundry room, a workout basement, a mud room, new flooring and custom wainscot stairs with planked walls and ceilings throughout the home. The home's original mechanicals were in dire need of updating, so HVAC, plumbing and electrical were all replaced with newer materials and equipment. A dramatic change to the exterior took place with the addition of a quaint standing seam metal roofed farmhouse porch perfect for sipping lemonade on a lazy hot summer day. In addition to the changes to the home, a guest house on the property underwent a major transformation as well. Newly outfitted with updated gas and electric, a new stacking washer/dryer space was created along with an updated bath complete with a glass enclosed shower, something the bath did not previously have. A beautiful kitchenette with ample cabinetry space, refrigeration and a sink was transformed as well to provide all the comforts of home for guests visiting at the classic cottage retreat. The biggest design challenge was to keep in line with the charm the old home possessed, all the while giving the family all the convenience and efficiency of modern functioning amenities. One of the most interesting uses of material was the porcelain "wood-looking" tile used in all the baths and most of the home's common areas. All the efficiency of porcelain tile, with the nostalgic look and feel of worn and weathered hardwood floors. The home’s casual entry has an 8" rustic antique barn wood look porcelain tile in a rich brown to create a warm and welcoming first impression. Painted distressed cabinetry in muted shades of gray/green was used in the powder room to bring out the rustic feel of the space which was accentuated with wood planked walls and ceilings. Fresh white painted shaker cabinetry was used throughout the rest of the rooms, accentuated by bright chrome fixtures and muted pastel tones to create a calm and relaxing feeling throughout the home. Custom cabinetry was designed and built by Advance Design specifically for a large 70” TV in the living room, for each of the children’s bedroom’s built in storage, custom closets, and book shelves, and for a mudroom fit with custom niches for each family member by name. The ample master bath was fitted with double vanity areas in white. A generous shower with a bench features classic white subway tiles and light blue/green glass accents, as well as a large free standing soaking tub nestled under a window with double sconces to dim while relaxing in a luxurious bath. A custom classic white bookcase for plush towels greets you as you enter the sanctuary bath. Joe Nowak

The basement can function as an entire rentable studio unit. There is a separate access door, a kitchenette, living room, bathroom, laundry and storage.

A short hallway leads to a bedroom and bathroom. Glass block allows light to be shared while providing privacy. The floor joists, steel beam and brick post were left exposed. Photo by Hart STUDIO LLC

This is an example of a small traditional look-out basement in Denver with blue walls, cork floors, no fireplace and brown floor.

The view of the space without furnishings.
Inspiration for a mid-sized midcentury walk-out basement in New York with white walls, cork floors and multi-coloured floor.

Library book shelves
Design ideas for a small midcentury look-out basement in Philadelphia with cork floors, multi-coloured floor and green walls.

Mid-sized transitional look-out basement in Ottawa with grey walls, cork floors and no fireplace.