Inspiration for a large transitional walk-out basement in Atlanta with white walls, light hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a concrete fireplace surround and brown floor.

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.

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

Design ideas for a modern walk-out basement in Other.

Design ideas for an expansive contemporary walk-out basement in Kansas City with beige walls, medium hardwood floors and brown floor.

Nelson Salivia
Photo of a mid-sized industrial walk-out basement in Atlanta with white walls, vinyl floors and no fireplace.

The wood-clad lower level recreational space provides a casual chic departure from the upper levels, complete with built-in bunk beds, a banquette and requisite bar.

This is an example of a large modern walk-out basement in Denver with grey walls, carpet and panelled walls.

This is an example of a walk-out basement in Omaha with a game room.

Great under the stairs space idea
This is an example of a mid-sized transitional walk-out basement in DC Metro with vinyl floors, no fireplace and brown floor.

A blank slate and open minds are a perfect recipe for creative design ideas. The homeowner's brother is a custom cabinet maker who brought our ideas to life and then Landmark Remodeling installed them and facilitated the rest of our vision. We had a lot of wants and wishes, and were to successfully do them all, including a gym, fireplace, hidden kid's room, hobby closet, and designer touches.

Inspiration for an expansive walk-out basement in Chicago with a home bar, beige walls and carpet.

Chic. Moody. Sexy. These are just a few of the words that come to mind when I think about the W Hotel in downtown Bellevue, WA. When my client came to me with this as inspiration for her Basement makeover, I couldn’t wait to get started on the transformation. Everything from the poured concrete floors to mimic Carrera marble, to the remodeled bar area, and the custom designed billiard table to match the custom furnishings is just so luxe! Tourmaline velvet, embossed leather, and lacquered walls adds texture and depth to this multi-functional living space.

This is an example of a large transitional walk-out basement in Cincinnati.

This walkout basement was in need of minimizing all of the medium oak tones and the flooring was the biggest factor in achieving that. Reminiscent Porcelain tile in Reclaimed Gray from DalTile with gray, brown and even a hint of blue tones in it was the starting point. The fireplace was the next to go with it's slightly raised hearth and bulking oak mantle. It was dropped to the floor and incorporated into a custom built wall to wall cabinet which allowed for 2, not 1, TV's to be mounted on the wall!! The cabinet color is Sherwin Williams Slate Tile; my new favorite color. The original red toned countertops also had to go. The were replaced with a matte finished black and white granite and I opted against a tile backsplash for the waterfall edge from the high counter to the low and it turned out amazing thanks to my skilled granite installers. Finally the support posted were wrapped in a stacked stone to match the TV wall.

Custom cabinetry is built into this bay window area to create the perfect spot for the budding artist in the family. The basement remodel was designed and built by Meadowlark Design Build in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Photography by Sean Carter.

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.

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.

Design ideas for a mid-sized midcentury walk-out basement in Toronto with white walls, vinyl floors, brown floor and panelled walls.