An indoor slide serves as an alternative to the stairs Photo by Ashley Avila Photography

CreativeShot Photography / Christophe Testi

The homeowners were ready to renovate this basement to add more living space for the entire family. Before, the basement was used as a playroom, guest room and dark laundry room! In order to give the illusion of higher ceilings, the acoustical ceiling tiles were removed and everything was painted white. The renovated space is now used not only as extra living space, but also a room to entertain in. Photo Credit: Natan Shar of BHAMTOURS

Rachael Ormond

Mike Chajecki www.mikechajecki.com

A comfortable and contemporary family room that accommodates a family's two active teenagers and their friends as well as intimate adult gatherings. Fireplace flanked by natural grass cloth wallpaper warms the space and invites friends to open the sleek sleeper sofa and spend the night. Stephani Buchman Photography www.stephanibuchmanphotgraphy.com

Basement Media Room

This used to be a completely unfinished basement with concrete floors, cinder block walls, and exposed floor joists above. The homeowners wanted to finish the space to include a wet bar, powder room, separate play room for their daughters, bar seating for watching tv and entertaining, as well as a finished living space with a television with hidden surround sound speakers throughout the space. They also requested some unfinished spaces; one for exercise equipment, and one for HVAC, water heater, and extra storage. With those requests in mind, I designed the basement with the above required spaces, while working with the contractor on what components needed to be moved. The homeowner also loved the idea of sliding barn doors, which we were able to use as at the opening to the unfinished storage/HVAC area.

Under Stair Storage (H&M Designs)

©Finished Basement Company

A John Kraemer & Sons built home in Eagan, MN. Photography: Landmark Photography

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.

Luxury Vinyl Plank by Shaw Floors- Valore Plus, color: Malta