Paul Burk
Large contemporary look-out basement in DC Metro with light hardwood floors and beige floor.

Inspiration for a traditional fully buried basement in Indianapolis with beige walls, beige floor and a home bar.

Here's one of our most recent projects that was completed in 2011. This client had just finished a major remodel of their house in 2008 and were about to enjoy Christmas in their new home. At the time, Seattle was buried under several inches of snow (a rarity for us) and the entire region was paralyzed for a few days waiting for the thaw. Our client decided to take advantage of this opportunity and was in his driveway sledding when a neighbor rushed down the drive yelling that his house was on fire. Unfortunately, the house was already engulfed in flames. Equally unfortunate was the snowstorm and the delay it caused the fire department getting to the site. By the time they arrived, the house and contents were a total loss of more than $2.2 million. Our role in the reconstruction of this home was two-fold. The first year of our involvement was spent working with a team of forensic contractors gutting the house, cleansing it of all particulate matter, and then helping our client negotiate his insurance settlement. Once we got over these hurdles, the design work and reconstruction started. Maintaining the existing shell, we reworked the interior room arrangement to create classic great room house with a contemporary twist. Both levels of the home were opened up to take advantage of the waterfront views and flood the interiors with natural light. On the lower level, rearrangement of the walls resulted in a tripling of the size of the family room while creating an additional sitting/game room. The upper level was arranged with living spaces bookended by the Master Bedroom at one end the kitchen at the other. The open Great Room and wrap around deck create a relaxed and sophisticated living and entertainment space that is accentuated by a high level of trim and tile detail on the interior and by custom metal railings and light fixtures on the exterior.

Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary walk-out basement in Salt Lake City with white walls, carpet, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround and beige floor.

Traditional basement remodel of media room with bar area Custom Design & Construction
Inspiration for a large traditional look-out basement in Los Angeles with beige walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround and brown floor.

Photo of a large contemporary walk-out basement in Omaha with white walls, light hardwood floors, no fireplace and beige floor.

Inspiration for a beach style basement in Orange County.

A light filled basement complete with a Home Bar and Game Room. Beyond the Pool Table and Ping Pong Table, the floor to ceiling sliding glass doors open onto an outdoor sitting patio.

An exterior entrance was added to this basement remodel where we built out a family room, bedroom, full bathroom and laundry room. A new foundation was poured and the concrete floors were stained a warm earth tone. The cool teals and blues juxtapose the warm wood and orange tones creating a lively space. Photo: Pete Eckert

A fun updated to a once dated basement. We renovated this client’s basement to be the perfect play area for their children as well as a chic gathering place for their friends and family. In order to accomplish this, we needed to ensure plenty of storage and seating. Some of the first elements we installed were large cabinets throughout the basement as well as a large banquette, perfect for hiding children’s toys as well as offering ample seating for their guests. Next, to brighten up the space in colors both children and adults would find pleasing, we added a textured blue accent wall and painted the cabinetry a pale green. Upstairs, we renovated the bathroom to be a kid-friendly space by replacing the stand-up shower with a full bath. The natural stone wall adds warmth to the space and creates a visually pleasing contrast of design. Lastly, we designed an organized and practical mudroom, creating a perfect place for the whole family to store jackets, shoes, backpacks, and purses. Designed by Chi Renovation & Design who serve Chicago and it's surrounding suburbs, with an emphasis on the North Side and North Shore. You'll find their work from the Loop through Lincoln Park, Skokie, Wilmette, and all of the way up to Lake Forest. For more about Chi Renovation & Design, click here: https://www.chirenovation.com/ To learn more about this project, click here: https://www.chirenovation.com/portfolio/lincoln-square-basement-renovation/

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.

Inspiration for a mid-sized traditional look-out basement in Detroit with grey walls, carpet and no fireplace.

Mike Chajecki www.mikechajecki.com
Inspiration for a large transitional fully buried basement in Toronto with grey walls, a ribbon fireplace, cork floors, a metal fireplace surround, brown floor and a home bar.

La vivienda dispone de una zona de estar adicional en la planta sótano. Fotografía: Jordi Anguera.
Inspiration for a mediterranean basement in Other.

Original built in bookshelves got a makeover with bright teal and white paint colors. Shiplap was added to the basement wall as a coastal accent.
This is an example of a mid-sized beach style walk-out basement in Baltimore with a game room, multi-coloured walls, ceramic floors, a corner fireplace, brown floor and panelled walls.

The homeowners had a very specific vision for their large daylight basement. To begin, Neil Kelly's team, led by Portland Design Consultant Fabian Genovesi, took down numerous walls to completely open up the space, including the ceilings, and removed carpet to expose the concrete flooring. The concrete flooring was repaired, resurfaced and sealed with cracks in tact for authenticity. Beams and ductwork were left exposed, yet refined, with additional piping to conceal electrical and gas lines. Century-old reclaimed brick was hand-picked by the homeowner for the east interior wall, encasing stained glass windows which were are also reclaimed and more than 100 years old. Aluminum bar-top seating areas in two spaces. A media center with custom cabinetry and pistons repurposed as cabinet pulls. And the star of the show, a full 4-seat wet bar with custom glass shelving, more custom cabinetry, and an integrated television-- one of 3 TVs in the space. The new one-of-a-kind basement has room for a professional 10-person poker table, pool table, 14' shuffleboard table, and plush seating.

Inspiration for a country basement in Minneapolis.

This is an example of a midcentury basement in Grand Rapids.

The only thing more depressing than a dark basement is a beige on beige basement in the Pacific Northwest. With the global pandemic raging on, my clients were looking to add extra livable space in their home with a home office and workout studio. Our goal was to make this space feel like you're connected to nature and fun social activities that were once a main part of our lives. We used color, naturescapes and soft textures to turn this basement from bland beige to fun, warm and inviting.