Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary fully buried basement in Columbus with white walls, vinyl floors, brown floor and wood walls.

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Inspiration for a large transitional walk-out basement in Boston with a game room, blue walls, vinyl floors, brown floor and wallpaper.

Mid-sized contemporary walk-out basement in Minneapolis with beige walls and brown floor.

Photo of a mid-sized transitional walk-out basement in Seattle with grey walls, laminate floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround and brown floor.

I designed and assisted the homeowners with the materials, and finish choices for this project while working at Corvallis Custom Kitchens and Baths. Our client (and my former professor at OSU) wanted to have her basement finished. CCKB had competed a basement guest suite a few years prior and now it was time to finish the remaining space. She wanted an organized area with lots of storage for her fabrics and sewing supplies, as well as a large area to set up a table for cutting fabric and laying out patterns. The basement also needed to house all of their camping and seasonal gear, as well as a workshop area for her husband. The basement needed to have flooring that was not going to be damaged during the winters when the basement can become moist from rainfall. Out clients chose to have the cement floor painted with an epoxy material that would be easy to clean and impervious to water. An update to the laundry area included replacing the window and re-routing the piping. Additional shelving was added for more storage. Finally a walk-in closet was created to house our homeowners incredible vintage clothing collection away from any moisture. LED lighting was installed in the ceiling and used for the scones. Our drywall team did an amazing job boxing in and finishing the ceiling which had numerous obstacles hanging from it and kept the ceiling to a height that was comfortable for all who come into the basement. Our client is thrilled with the final project and has been enjoying her new sewing area.

Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary look-out basement in Milwaukee with medium hardwood floors, grey walls, no fireplace and brown floor.

Small contemporary fully buried basement in Detroit with a home bar, black walls, vinyl floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, brown floor and wallpaper.

Photo of a large traditional look-out basement in Kansas City with a home bar, green walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a tile fireplace surround, brown floor and decorative wall panelling.

Photography Credit: Jody Robinson, Photo Designs by Jody
This is an example of a transitional basement in Philadelphia with blue walls, medium hardwood floors and brown floor.

This Transitional Basement Features a wet bar with full size refrigerator, guest suite with full bath, and home gym area. The homeowners wanted a coastal feel for their space and bathroom since it will be right off of their pool.

This is an example of a mid-sized industrial fully buried basement in Philadelphia with white walls, laminate floors, a standard fireplace, a wood fireplace surround, brown floor and exposed beam.

Photo of a mid-sized transitional look-out basement in Portland with a home bar, laminate floors, a ribbon fireplace, a tile fireplace surround, brown floor and coffered.

Custom storage and office area at base of lower level staircase
Large transitional walk-out basement in Minneapolis with grey walls, vinyl floors and brown floor.

Large finished basement in Pennington, NJ. This unfinished space was transformed into a bright, multi-purpose area which includes laundry room, additional pantry storage, multiple closets and expansive living spaces. Sherwin Williams Rhinestone Gray paint, white trim throughout, and COREtec flooring provides beauty and durability.

Rodwin Architecture & Skycastle Homes Location: Boulder, Colorado, USA Interior design, space planning and architectural details converge thoughtfully in this transformative project. A 15-year old, 9,000 sf. home with generic interior finishes and odd layout needed bold, modern, fun and highly functional transformation for a large bustling family. To redefine the soul of this home, texture and light were given primary consideration. Elegant contemporary finishes, a warm color palette and dramatic lighting defined modern style throughout. A cascading chandelier by Stone Lighting in the entry makes a strong entry statement. Walls were removed to allow the kitchen/great/dining room to become a vibrant social center. A minimalist design approach is the perfect backdrop for the diverse art collection. Yet, the home is still highly functional for the entire family. We added windows, fireplaces, water features, and extended the home out to an expansive patio and yard. The cavernous beige basement became an entertaining mecca, with a glowing modern wine-room, full bar, media room, arcade, billiards room and professional gym. Bathrooms were all designed with personality and craftsmanship, featuring unique tiles, floating wood vanities and striking lighting. This project was a 50/50 collaboration between Rodwin Architecture and Kimball Modern

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.

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This is an example of a large transitional walk-out basement in Boston with a game room, blue walls, vinyl floors, brown floor and wallpaper.

A modern take on a finished basement - Perfect for entertaining family and friends with a child play area so the adults can have some time to themselves. ? Enjoy your own private workout space by entering through a tasteful glass door.

The side of the staircase was a natural place to create a built-in TV and entertainment center with adjustable shelving and lots of storage. This space is bright and welcoming, and the open floor plan allows for easy entertaining. Welcome to this sports lover’s paradise in West Chester, PA! We started with the completely blank palette of an unfinished basement and created space for everyone in the family by adding a main television watching space, a play area, a bar area, a full bathroom and an exercise room. The floor is COREtek engineered hardwood, which is waterproof and durable, and great for basements and floors that might take a beating. Combining wood, steel, tin and brick, this modern farmhouse looking basement is chic and ready to host family and friends to watch sporting events! Rudloff Custom Builders has won Best of Houzz for Customer Service in 2014, 2015 2016, 2017 and 2019. We also were voted Best of Design in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 which only 2% of professionals receive. Rudloff Custom Builders has been featured on Houzz in their Kitchen of the Week, What to Know About Using Reclaimed Wood in the Kitchen as well as included in their Bathroom WorkBook article. We are a full service, certified remodeling company that covers all of the Philadelphia suburban area. This business, like most others, developed from a friendship of young entrepreneurs who wanted to make a difference in their clients’ lives, one household at a time. This relationship between partners is much more than a friendship. Edward and Stephen Rudloff are brothers who have renovated and built custom homes together paying close attention to detail. They are carpenters by trade and understand concept and execution. Rudloff Custom Builders will provide services for you with the highest level of professionalism, quality, detail, punctuality and craftsmanship, every step of the way along our journey together. Specializing in residential construction allows us to connect with our clients early in the design phase to ensure that every detail is captured as you imagined. One stop shopping is essentially what you will receive with Rudloff Custom Builders from design of your project to the construction of your dreams, executed by on-site project managers and skilled craftsmen. Our concept: envision our client’s ideas and make them a reality. Our mission: CREATING LIFETIME RELATIONSHIPS BUILT ON TRUST AND INTEGRITY. Photo Credit: Linda McManus Images