Before and After: 3 Basements Transformed by Design
These fresh spaces are made for enjoying family time, relaxing with friends and even brewing beer
Basement renovations have unique challenges that upstairs spaces don’t. Basements tend to have low ceilings, a lack of windows and items like ductwork and structural posts that need to be incorporated into the design. Some even start out as crawl spaces with dirt floors and no access from inside the home. In these three basements, design pros conquered all these challenges to create fresh and inviting spaces. Take a look to see if they inspire ideas for your own basement project.
After: While the house is traditional, the homeowners wanted to do something more modern in the basement. They shared Houzz ideabooks to give Levendusky an idea of the style they wanted. Before, the space didn’t have a staircase that connected to the main floor. The new staircase sets the tone with its gridded millwork and modern steel railing. The family also loves colorful artwork, and the basement gave them more wall space to show off some of their favorite pieces.
The ability to stand up to the wear and tear of kids and a dog was important. All the upholstery fabrics are commercially rated, and the carpeting is nylon with short loops for wearability.
Paint: Puritan Gray (accent wall) and Gray Owl (main wall), Benjamin Moore
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The ability to stand up to the wear and tear of kids and a dog was important. All the upholstery fabrics are commercially rated, and the carpeting is nylon with short loops for wearability.
Paint: Puritan Gray (accent wall) and Gray Owl (main wall), Benjamin Moore
Find an interior designer on Houzz
Levendusky had the kids in mind when she designed this daybed area under the stairs. It’s the perfect fort-like space to cozy up and read a book or take a nap.
Shop for pillows and throws
Shop for pillows and throws
The basement’s new full bathroom includes a walk-in shower and the infrared sauna. Levendusky used large-format, vein-cut marble tiles on the shower surround, accented by a marble mosaic chevron tile in the niche. “I love to use large-scale tiles in a shower,” she says. “It cuts down on grout lines, so it makes a shower much easier to clean.”
Learn more about this basement renovation
Learn more about this basement renovation
Nature-Inspired Style in Toronto
Basement at a Glance
Who lives here: A young family
Location: Toronto
Size: 1,000 square feet (93 square meters)
Designers: Luca Campacci and Vinh Le of Level Studio
Before: This young family’s existing basement was half-finished. The floors and half the walls were concrete and the ceilings were unfinished. It already had a bathroom, but its style was stuck in the 1970s. There were also awkward bulkheads and structural posts and beams. The owners hired designers Luca Campacci and Vinh Le to incorporate a TV lounge, kitchen, dining room, office and bathroom.
Basement at a Glance
Who lives here: A young family
Location: Toronto
Size: 1,000 square feet (93 square meters)
Designers: Luca Campacci and Vinh Le of Level Studio
Before: This young family’s existing basement was half-finished. The floors and half the walls were concrete and the ceilings were unfinished. It already had a bathroom, but its style was stuck in the 1970s. There were also awkward bulkheads and structural posts and beams. The owners hired designers Luca Campacci and Vinh Le to incorporate a TV lounge, kitchen, dining room, office and bathroom.
After: The homeowners were drawn to warm contemporary style inspired by midcentury modern design. And the designers knew that using natural materials and colors would breathe life into the subterranean space. The moss green sofa, wood furniture, stacked-ledgestone fireplace wall and marble coffee table top add organic elements to the design.
Browse sectional sofas in the Houzz Shop
Browse sectional sofas in the Houzz Shop
Campacci and Le also knew that brightening the space and making the ceilings feel higher was a priority. The lighting scheme includes pot lights, table lamps, pendant lights, sconces and a chandelier. White walls and ceilings bounce the ample artificial light around. And an open floor plan makes the space feel expansive and takes the focus off the lower ceilings.
In the kitchen, the designers provided contrast to the white surfaces with rich walnut cabinetry. But they left the walls open for tile and shelving rather than weighing them down with upper cabinets.
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In the kitchen, the designers provided contrast to the white surfaces with rich walnut cabinetry. But they left the walls open for tile and shelving rather than weighing them down with upper cabinets.
Hire a local tile professional
The designers continued the nature-inspired style and the walnut in the basement’s bathroom.
“The moment we saw this wallpaper, we knew instantly it would make the bathroom stand out without being too different from the rest of the basement,” Campacci says. “It’s green, it’s playful and it’s unexpected. The homeowners told us it wows their guests.”
Learn more about this basement renovation
“The moment we saw this wallpaper, we knew instantly it would make the bathroom stand out without being too different from the rest of the basement,” Campacci says. “It’s green, it’s playful and it’s unexpected. The homeowners told us it wows their guests.”
Learn more about this basement renovation
At-Home Brewery in Michigan
Basement at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of four
Location: Hamburg Township, Michigan
Size: 3,500 square feet (325 square meters)
Designer: Kitty Golding of Kitty & Co.
Before: These homeowners wanted to brew craft beer in their basement and serve it to guests in a pub-like setting. Interior designer Kitty Golding also included a family room, eating area, a teen hangout area, two guest bedrooms, a remodeled bathroom and a storage area.
New to home remodeling? Click here to learn the basics
Basement at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of four
Location: Hamburg Township, Michigan
Size: 3,500 square feet (325 square meters)
Designer: Kitty Golding of Kitty & Co.
Before: These homeowners wanted to brew craft beer in their basement and serve it to guests in a pub-like setting. Interior designer Kitty Golding also included a family room, eating area, a teen hangout area, two guest bedrooms, a remodeled bathroom and a storage area.
New to home remodeling? Click here to learn the basics
After: The experience had the designer taking a crash course in home brewing. “Since this was the first real home-brewing bar we had designed, we spent a bit of time doing research [and] talking with the clients,” Golding says. “The venting was probably the biggest concern of the homeowners, so we made sure we had the right hood before designing everything else.”
Behind the bar, the vent hovers over charcoal tiles and copper and stainless steel open-flame brew kettles. On the bar itself, a mix of wood and corrugated metal provides a vintage industrial look that plays off the brewing equipment.
Behind the bar, the vent hovers over charcoal tiles and copper and stainless steel open-flame brew kettles. On the bar itself, a mix of wood and corrugated metal provides a vintage industrial look that plays off the brewing equipment.
Open to the bar area, the living and eating areas continue the vintage industrial vibe. Furniture, shelving and a sliding barn door with interesting hardware add to the pub feel.
Ceiling decisions are key in basement design. Here, adding a drop ceiling would have made the room feel compressed. Instead, Golding had the ceiling and ductwork painted black. This makes them recede visually and maximizes the ceiling height.
Learn more about this basement
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Ceiling decisions are key in basement design. Here, adding a drop ceiling would have made the room feel compressed. Instead, Golding had the ceiling and ductwork painted black. This makes them recede visually and maximizes the ceiling height.
Learn more about this basement
More on Houzz
Browse more basement photos
Read more basement stories
Hire local design and remodeling pros
Basement at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple, their two children and their dog
Location: Denver
Size: 1,000 square feet (93 square meters)
Designer: Erin Levendusky
of Ejay Interiors
Contractor: Darlington Renovation
Before: The homeowners, a couple with two young children, tasked designer Erin Levendusky with creating a flexible space where the kids would enjoy hanging out and where parties could flow downstairs. They also wanted it to be an inviting spot to watch football games and play pingpong. Another must-have was an infrared sauna.
The old crawl space had a dirt floor and ceilings that were only 3 to 6 feet high. The team dug down to create a space with 9-foot ceilings.