5 Basement Renovations Designed for Entertaining

It’s easy for a cellar to develop into a home’s catch-all, much like the garage. Tucked down a small flight of stairs, everything that is pitched to the cellar is out of sight and out of thoughts. But in these four houses, the customers took this often-unused space to great use. From an indoor hockey rink, to an elegant bar and wine cellar, to special play spaces for kids, these designs put the traditional thought of a basement rec room to the test.

Cara Woodhouse Interiors LLC

1. A place for kids and adults on Long Island. Designer Melanie Morris of Feathered Nest Interiors designed this cellar as a relaxing setting for both the kids and the adults in this family. The homeowners have three young boys, and they wanted to design a cellar play area that would hold up to their antics and be fun for Mom and Dad to hang outside in.

“We designed the huge couch — otherwise known as’The Pit’ — where everyone in the family could lounge, and even nap together,” states Morris. She and her staff discovered three big bean bag chairs and sprinkled them in front of the two TVs on opposing walls — one for gambling, and one for TV.

Cara Woodhouse Interiors LLC

Morris and team split this cellar to many designated spaces. The boys like to play hockey, so they had a custom rubber flooring made to resemble a hockey rink, and had it installed in one portion of the cellar. Morris also had columns around the space cushioned and upholstered therefore the boys wouldn’t hurt themselves while still goofing around.

Cara Woodhouse Interiors LLC

Two large closets shop the kids’ endless toys and games. The cubbies add a decorative touch, and also have low enough distances for even the youngest child to put away his goodies. Morris and her staff thought the design of the basement through carefully, and even added a little bathroom so that the kids wouldn’t have to run up and down the stairs while playing in their new play area.

2. A new room for entertaining in Portland, Oregon. Designer Garrison Hullinger transformed a completed but blank basement area into a eclectic and vibrant location for his customers to relax and entertain. The cellar is just under 500 feet, but its flexible floor plan enabled Hullinger to split the square footage to various activity areas.

Plumbing was added to the wet bar, which Hullinger designed for easy entertaining. Chic light fixtures were strategically placed around the space, and pops of red and gold were added to offset the otherwise impartial pallette. “I wanted the space to appear to be a complicated but casual area, where you didn’t have to be concerned about putting your feet up or spilling a drink on the rug,” states Hullinger.

A cheerful yellow sectional was nestled into the corner, developing a perfect lounge for relaxing and viewing movies. The windows over the television don’t open, but are lit with natural lighting in the home office on the other side of the wall.

Portland has a long rainy season, therefore Hullinger took extra care to make sure that the basement stays warm and dry. A vapor barrier was installed around the foundation, a garden cistern was placed in to draw water away from the house, and a large trench was dug under the basement and full of clay, asphalt, and river rock.

Urban Cape

3. Sleek and innovative in London. The owners of the house in South London’s Battersea district wanted to turn their basement into a glamourous new area for entertaining, as well as a play area for their kids. They hired London-based design firm Urban Cape, who made a dramatic and sophisticated design that is lasting, versatile and fun.

The cellar of the house is huge — plenty of space for a custom bar, media unit, and a wine place. For the bar, direct designer Sarah Radhanauth installed darkish brown leather doors handcrafted in South Africa. The leather is embossed with a gleaming crocodile print.

Urban Cape

Radhanauth and her staff broke up the space into multiple regions designated for different activities. This helps make the large space feel balanced and warm.

The leather doors on the bar slide close to seal off the bar during the day while the kids are using the press centre.

Urban Cape

Radhanauth used durable, timeless leather for the surfaces of the media centre as well. Slabs of shadowy Emperador marble in Spain were installed on both the press centre and the bar, contrasting the warm walnut paneling.

Urban Cape

A temperature-controlled wine area sits in the trunk near the cellar stairs — a perfect place for catching an extra bottle in a celebration.

Shoshana Gosselin

4. A colorful family space in Pennsylvania. The owners of the home in Breinigsville, Penn. wished to remodel their unfinished basement into a room where they could entertain family and friends , and let their kids have a distinctive play area of the very own. Above all else, they wanted to renovate the area so that it wouldn’t feel like a dim and damp cellar. Designer Shoshana Gosselin split this spacious 930-square-foot space into zones. “We didn’t want any walls separating every zone since the cellar could shrink in size, so we worked with an open floor plan,” says Gosselin. “That is also a fantastic way to think if you are unsure of how you may use the cellar in a few years.”

The kids’ play area, tucked away towards the back of the cellar, is slightly hidden from guests but still has plenty of room to put away toys and games. Built-in shelving along a wall takes up minimal floor area, leaving more space for the kids to perform. A bright green paint from Sherwin Williams helps keep this room bright and light.

Shoshana Gosselin

Gosselin installed a stainless steel bar area with counter area around the corner where the customers could host guests and mix drinks. The brown-and-green mosaic backsplash is a perfect complement to the space’s dark chocolate laminate flooring.

Shoshana Gosselin

A sitting area with a TV is nestled next to a small and flexible dining room area. Gosselin mixed in chic and glamorous accessories and light to help incorporate the space with the rest of the house. “Whenever you’re looking for basement furniture, be certain that you measure doors and get areas so that it will match the stairs,” says Gosselin.

Eisner Design LLC

5. Open and bright in New York. Joseph Eisner and his group at Eisner Design transformed a bare-bones basement into this spacious, light, and multi-purpose space. The family in Westchester, New York, wanted the room to incorporate room for a home office, a fitness center, a bar/lounge, a guest bedroom, and a large play area.

The design was more about taking away elements than simply adding them. A large glazed wall with sliding glass doors is situated to the right of their home gym. In the first construction, this was a large foundation wall, which Eisner and his staff removed to open the space up.

Eisner Design LLC

The large play area has a long desk made from double laminate where the kids can work and draw on crafts. The bar and lounge area is visible just beyond this area. The bar itself was created with Eco-Terr, an aggregate built of all recycled materials.

Eisner Design LLC

Playful block storage units were custom designed and painted in bright colors to (hopefully) encourage the kids to put their toys away. Everything in this cellar — the materials, goods, and finishes — were selected for their low- or zero-VOC and high recycled material.

More:
Below Ground Beauty: Making the Most of Basement Space
Beat the Heat: Escape to the Basement
Cool, Contemporary Wine Storage

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