This Transitional Basement Features a wet bar with full size refrigerator, guest suite with full bath, and home gym area. The homeowners wanted a coastal feel for their space and bathroom since it will be right off of their pool.

Finished Basement Salon

The layering of textures and materials in this spot makes my heart sing.

Custom made Banquette: Built in our in-house cabinet shop, with storage drawers below the seat. Our client wanted to finish the basement of his home where he and his wife could enjoy the company of friends and family and spend time at a beautiful fully stocked bar and wine cellar, play billiards or card games, or watch a movie in the home theater. The cabinets, wine cellar racks, banquette, barnwood reclaimed columns, and home theater cabinetry were designed and built in our in-house custom cabinet shop. Our company also supplied and installed the home theater equipment.

This lower level kitchenette/wet bar was designed with Mid Continent Cabinetry’s Vista line. A shaker Yorkshire door style was chosen in HDF (High Density Fiberboard) finished in a trendy Brizo Blue paint color. Vista Cabinetry is full access, frameless cabinetry built for more usable storage space. The mix of soft, gold tone hardware accents, bold paint color and lots of decorative touches combine to create a wonderful, custom cabinetry look filled with tons of character.

Phoenix Photographic

Jon Huelskamp Landmark

The support columns were integrated into the half wall bar. Dark wood was used to offset the stark white columns and dark granite countertop on one side of the wall. Comfortable, stylish bar stools with wooden backs and leather seats were set up along the half wall bar, making convenient seating for either watching the TV, having a drink with friends, or working on your laptop. The seating matches the dark wood of the wall, making it feel like one piece. Line of glass panels provide plenty of natural lighting as well as a gorgeous view into the back yard, which you can access through one of the sliding doors. Recessed lighting and smart hanging light fixtures were also added to make up the difference in lighting on rainy/cloudy days and for evening gatherings/activities. Gorgeous dark wood flooring was installed to match the dark wood of the half-wall bar and other accents in the room. The walls and ceiling match the support columns with a stark white, helping to keep the space bright – which is especially helpful when using the space for work purposes.

Great under the stairs space idea

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.

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.

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.