Semifinished Basement Remade Into a Chic Family Lounge
The transformed space features a black-and-white palette, a stunning bar countertop and a wine bottle display
These Naperville, Illinois, homeowners and their two teenagers wanted to transform their semifinished basement into a space where they would all enjoy spending time. Interior designer Christie Kenny planned it to include a wine bar, lounge, fireside seating area and game room. She plucked its black, white and charcoal tones from a new Cambria countertop slab in the bar area to create a glamorous palette with high contrast. The result is an industrial chic lounge vibe. With their saves to ideabooks, Houzz readers made it one of the most popular basements of 2021.
After: Kenny rearranged the bar-kitchenette layout to incorporate a large island. While the previous peninsula had been bar-height, the designer made the island counter-height. This created a nice transition between the bar and the lounge area.
One of the room’s big splurges was the stunning Cambria Luxury Series countertop on the island. “This is a total showstopper,” Kenny says. “We saved a large portion of the budget for this stone.” She balanced costs with reasonably priced backsplash tile and some inexpensive lighting choices. The perimeter counters are white quartz.
Countertop: Bentley, Cambria
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One of the room’s big splurges was the stunning Cambria Luxury Series countertop on the island. “This is a total showstopper,” Kenny says. “We saved a large portion of the budget for this stone.” She balanced costs with reasonably priced backsplash tile and some inexpensive lighting choices. The perimeter counters are white quartz.
Countertop: Bentley, Cambria
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Before: There wasn’t anything special about the look of the basement before.
After: “My client had a great vision for the space,” Kenny says. “She said: ‘I see glass here. I just don’t know how.’ ” The designer did know how, and she created a beautiful wall of wine racks behind a clear glass enclosure that catches the eye. “This is a museum-like display,” Kenny says. “It’s luxurious, like a Chanel store. You walk in here and feel like you’ve arrived.”
The flooring is luxury vinyl tile that looks like white oak. “I used my all-time favorite black paint, Iron Ore by Sherwin-Williams,” Kenny says. “And the white paint is Sherwin-Williams’ Pure White. It is a soft white with the slightest hint of gray.”
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The flooring is luxury vinyl tile that looks like white oak. “I used my all-time favorite black paint, Iron Ore by Sherwin-Williams,” Kenny says. “And the white paint is Sherwin-Williams’ Pure White. It is a soft white with the slightest hint of gray.”
Browse wine racks in the Houzz Shop
The bar area includes a beverage fridge, kitchen sink, dishwasher and, in the island, a microwave. “They love to make popcorn so the microwave was a must-have down here,” Kenny says. The homeowners had recently replaced the faucet and it was still in excellent condition, so she was able to reuse it with the new larger sink.
The backsplash is an iridescent picket tile composed in a honeycomb pattern. Kenny added two wood shelves on the wall. “They add a little bit of rustic style, and we needed something to tie in with the flooring,” she says. “Because the floors really stood out, we needed an element that would bring wood up onto the wall.” The result is a balance of industrial and rustic.
The backsplash is an iridescent picket tile composed in a honeycomb pattern. Kenny added two wood shelves on the wall. “They add a little bit of rustic style, and we needed something to tie in with the flooring,” she says. “Because the floors really stood out, we needed an element that would bring wood up onto the wall.” The result is a balance of industrial and rustic.
Kenny also mixed metal finishes throughout the space. “We can get so caught up with matching everything that it starts to look generic. Mixing metals doesn’t tie you down and lends a timeless look,” she says.
To keep the ceilings feeling high, Kenny retained the exposed rafters, pipes and ductwork for an industrial look and painted them black. The bottoms of the rafters are 9 feet high and the top height of the ceiling is 10 feet, 4 inches. Having ceilings this high in a subterranean space is a game changer and made it worth forgoing a finished drywall ceiling. “It also saved money for the budget,” Kenny says.
The high ceilings also allowed for pleasingly proportioned wainscoting with high contrast. The black-and-white combination on the walls adds to the chic lounge vibe down here. And the TV blends right into the black wall.
To keep the ceilings feeling high, Kenny retained the exposed rafters, pipes and ductwork for an industrial look and painted them black. The bottoms of the rafters are 9 feet high and the top height of the ceiling is 10 feet, 4 inches. Having ceilings this high in a subterranean space is a game changer and made it worth forgoing a finished drywall ceiling. “It also saved money for the budget,” Kenny says.
The high ceilings also allowed for pleasingly proportioned wainscoting with high contrast. The black-and-white combination on the walls adds to the chic lounge vibe down here. And the TV blends right into the black wall.
“The family wanted different areas to gather and sit for conversations throughout the space,” Kenny says. Just past the bar, the sectional sofa faces the large TV. The rug, coffee table and sofa all work with the bar’s black, white and charcoal palette. The coffee table base and other side tables add some warm gold.
Find the right sectional sofa for your space
Find the right sectional sofa for your space
“The homeowner had really great taste and it felt like she was a part of our team,” Kenny says. “She already had the antiqued mirrors and she even hung them on the wall herself. And she styled all the accessories — every one of those things really live here.”
At the other end of the room is an electric fireplace. This was another existing element in the basement that Kenny was able to reuse. She moved it to the end of the lounge area, creating a focal point.
Kenny created an intimate spot for fireside chats with two chairs. She chose swivel chairs so they can face the other way and the users can become part of a larger conversation.
The fireplace surround is painted pine boards. The client found a local craftsperson to make two barn doors on either side of this area. The one on the left leads to a large game room, and the one on the right leads to a mechanical room. “There were so many horizontal lines in the space,” Kenny says. “The diagonal lines on the doors mix things up and keep the style from leaning too farmhouse. The fireplace surround also keeps things more modern.”
The fabric shade on the pendant light adds an interesting shape overhead. Two candle sconces flank the fireplace.
The fabric shade on the pendant light adds an interesting shape overhead. Two candle sconces flank the fireplace.
The whole family is thrilled with its new basement and loves spending time in the glam-yet-comfortable space.
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More on Houzz
Read more basement stories
Browse photos of basements
Browse vinyl flooring in the Houzz Shop
Hire a local general contractor
Basement of the Week
Who lives here: A couple and their two teenagers
Location: Naperville, Illinois
Size: 1,400 square feet (130 square meters)
Designer: Christie Kenny
Before: The existing basement was large but only semifinished. The family wanted a more inviting space where it could spend extended amounts of time and entertain guests. The two windows partially look out to window wells but let in some natural light. They were in great condition and didn’t need replacing, which was a nice budget-saver.
Kenny’s design process included an extensive questionnaire, complete with images, to determine her clients’ likes and dislikes. “This helps us with color and texture choices,” she says. “And we could see that they loved a lot of black and white, including black cabinetry.” She used Houzz images for inspiration and used Houzz Pro software to keep the project organized and running smoothly.
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