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

©Finished Basement Company
Design ideas for a large transitional fully buried basement in Chicago with white walls, vinyl floors, no fireplace and brown floor.

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.

Photo of a transitional basement in Calgary.

This older couple residing in a golf course community wanted to expand their living space and finish up their unfinished basement for entertainment purposes and more. Their wish list included: exercise room, full scale movie theater, fireplace area, guest bedroom, full size master bath suite style, full bar area, entertainment and pool table area, and tray ceiling. After major concrete breaking and running ground plumbing, we used a dead corner of basement near staircase to tuck in bar area. A dual entrance bathroom from guest bedroom and main entertainment area was placed on far wall to create a large uninterrupted main floor area. A custom barn door for closet gives extra floor space to guest bedroom. New movie theater room with multi-level seating, sound panel walls, two rows of recliner seating, 120-inch screen, state of art A/V system, custom pattern carpeting, surround sound & in-speakers, custom molding and trim with fluted columns, custom mahogany theater doors. The bar area includes copper panel ceiling and rope lighting inside tray area, wrapped around cherry cabinets and dark granite top, plenty of stools and decorated with glass backsplash and listed glass cabinets. The main seating area includes a linear fireplace, covered with floor to ceiling ledger stone and an embedded television above it. The new exercise room with two French doors, full mirror walls, a couple storage closets, and rubber floors provide a fully equipped home gym. The unused space under staircase now includes a hidden bookcase for storage and A/V equipment. New bathroom includes fully equipped body sprays, large corner shower, double vanities, and lots of other amenities. Carefully selected trim work, crown molding, tray ceiling, wainscoting, wide plank engineered flooring, matching stairs, and railing, makes this basement remodel the jewel of this community.

Inspiration for a large fully buried basement in Philadelphia with vinyl floors, no fireplace, brown floor and exposed beam.

Design ideas for an expansive modern look-out basement in Los Angeles with white walls, light hardwood floors, beige floor, recessed and wallpaper.

The basement provides a more secluded and private space to gather and entertain. Photography (c) Jeffrey Totaro, 2021
This is an example of a large modern basement in Philadelphia with white walls, light hardwood floors and coffered.

The foundation footings were clad in drywall to provide extra seating and a place for more storage
Inspiration for a small transitional basement in Denver with blue walls.

Photo of an expansive contemporary basement in Calgary.

A movie while you workout.
This is an example of a small traditional fully buried basement in Denver with white walls.

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.

Madison Taylor
Inspiration for a contemporary fully buried basement in Toronto with grey walls, carpet, no fireplace and multi-coloured floor.

One of the biggest challenges for a basement renovation will be light. In this home, we were able to re-frame the exposed exterior walls for bigger windows. This adds light and also a great view of the Indian Hills golf course!

This custom basement offers an industrial sports bar vibe with contemporary elements. The wet bar features open shelving, a brick backsplash, wood accents and custom LED lighting throughout. The theater space features a coffered ceiling with LED lighting and plenty of game room space. The basement comes complete with a in-home gym and a custom wine cellar.

Large traditional look-out basement in Cincinnati with beige walls, carpet, beige floor and decorative wall panelling.

Inspiration for 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.

From concept to reality, this project was an amazing transformation. With a blank canvas and 9′ high ceilings, we were given flexibility to build out some great spaces, adding color with this beautiful wallpaper and oversized steel barn doors.

Cozy basement, grey sectional sofa, large art work, antiqued mirror, modern lighting, bookcase.
Inspiration for a large modern look-out basement in Philadelphia with grey walls, vinyl floors, grey floor and wallpaper.