Lower Level of home on Lake Minnetonka Nautical call with white shiplap and blue accents for finishes. This photo highlights the built-ins that flank the fireplace.

Finished Basement in Colts Neck, New Jersey.

The boot room, painted with half height gloss green walls for practicality and impact.

This full basement renovation included adding a mudroom area, media room, a bedroom, a full bathroom, a game room, a kitchen, a gym and a beautiful custom wine cellar. Our clients are a family that is growing, and with a new baby, they wanted a comfortable place for family to stay when they visited, as well as space to spend time themselves. They also wanted an area that was easy to access from the pool for entertaining, grabbing snacks and using a new full pool bath.We never treat a basement as a second-class area of the house. Wood beams, customized details, moldings, built-ins, beadboard and wainscoting give the lower level main-floor style. There’s just as much custom millwork as you’d see in the formal spaces upstairs. We’re especially proud of the wine cellar, the media built-ins, the customized details on the island, the custom cubbies in the mudroom and the relaxing flow throughout the entire space.

This basement remodeling project consisted of creating a kitchen which has Waypoint 650F door style cabinets in Painted Harbor on the perimeter and 650F door style cabinets in Cherry Slate on the island with Cambria Skara Brae quartz on the countertop. A bathroom was created and installed a Waypoint DT24F door style vanity cabinet in Duraform Drift with Carrara Black quartz countertops. In the shower, Wow Liso Ice subway tile was installed with custom shower door. On the floor is Elode grey deco tile. A movie room and popcorn/snack area was created using Waypoint 650F door style in Cherry Slate with Madera wood countertops.

This basement remodeling project consisted of creating a kitchen which has Waypoint 650F door style cabinets in Painted Harbor on the perimeter and 650F door style cabinets in Cherry Slate on the island with Cambria Skara Brae quartz on the countertop. A bathroom was created and installed a Waypoint DT24F door style vanity cabinet in Duraform Drift with Carrara Black quartz countertops. In the shower, Wow Liso Ice subway tile was installed with custom shower door. On the floor is Elode grey deco tile. A movie room and popcorn/snack area was created using Waypoint 650F door style in Cherry Slate with Madera wood countertops.

This 1933 Wauwatosa basement was dark, dingy and lacked functionality. The basement was unfinished with concrete walls and floors. A small office was enclosed but the rest of the space was open and cluttered. The homeowners wanted a warm, organized space for their family. A recent job change meant they needed a dedicated home office. They also wanted a place where their kids could hang out with friends. Their wish list for this basement remodel included: a home office where the couple could both work, a full bathroom, a cozy living room and a dedicated storage room. This basement renovation resulted in a warm and bright space that is used by the whole family. Highlights of this basement: - Home Office: A new office gives the couple a dedicated space for work. There’s plenty of desk space, storage cabinets, under-shelf lighting and storage for their home library. - Living Room: An old office area was expanded into a cozy living room. It’s the perfect place for their kids to hang out when they host friends and family. - Laundry Room: The new laundry room is a total upgrade. It now includes fun laminate flooring, storage cabinets and counter space for folding laundry. - Full Bathroom: A new bathroom gives the family an additional shower in the home. Highlights of the bathroom include a navy vanity, quartz counters, brass finishes, a Dreamline shower door and Kohler Choreograph wall panels. - Staircase: We spruced up the staircase leading down to the lower level with patterned vinyl flooring and a matching trim color. - Storage: We gave them a separate storage space, with custom shelving for organizing their camping gear, sports equipment and holiday decorations. CUSTOMER REVIEW “We had been talking about remodeling our basement for a long time, but decided to make it happen when my husband was offered a job working remotely. It felt like the right time for us to have a real home office where we could separate our work lives from our home lives. We wanted the area to feel open, light-filled, and modern – not an easy task for a previously dark and cold basement! One of our favorite parts was when our designer took us on a 3D computer design tour of our basement. I remember thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, this could be our basement!?!’ It was so fun to see how our designer was able to take our wish list and ideas from my Pinterest board, and turn it into a practical design. We were sold after seeing the design, and were pleasantly surprised to see that Kowalske was less costly than another estimate.” – Stephanie, homeowner

Modern Kitchenette/Wetbar

Our clients had significant damage to their finished basement from a city sewer line break at the street. Once mitigation and sanitation were complete, we worked with our clients to maximized the space by relocating the powder room and wet bar cabinetry and opening up the main living area. The basement now functions as a much wished for exercise area and hang out lounge. The wood shelves, concrete floors and barn door give the basement a modern feel. We are proud to continue to give this client a great renovation experience.

As seen on CBS's Jet Life, designed by Kenia Lama Marta Deptula, and Ashley Berdan, the designers teamed up with the NY Jets to design a fancave makeover for one lucky fan!

Studio apartment in Capitol Hill's neighborhood of Washington DC.