Chicopee Basement Remodel

The Goal: A multipurpose entertainment space

Multipurpose spaces are always fun to design - it allows your creativity to flow and create ‘spaces’ within a larger room to serve many purposes. In this basement remodel, I was tasked with creating a space for: grand children to play, grown ups to socialize over a game of pool, an avid painter to create, and a family to relax and gather to watch Sunday football. This basement has gone from an unfinished space to something so bright and functional!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I love designing spaces to fit with my clients’ desires, dreams and aesthetics - which means every space will be unique to the people that inhabit it. In keeping with the flow of the upstairs we painted the walls Collingwood (Benjamin Moore) but lightened it to 50% - we wanted to keep this basement feeling light but be an extension of the rest of their home. Paired with American Hornbeam-Republic LVP flooring and large egress windows this basement is the perfect entertainment space for family and friends to unite! It is a very long room (think bowling alley!) so we broke it up into 3 areas to serve this family and still make each area feel connected to one another with open space for kids to run and play. There is a sitting area, bar area and a game’s area.

Sitting Area:

The sitting area is the space you see when you first walk into the basement. I wanted it to have a laidback but sophisticated feel and to function with kids and adults in mind. The mid-century modern couch is comfy and stylish but with removal cushion covers making it worry-free around the grand children.

With the sitting area being connected to the rest of the basement, the colour tones chosen for the project flow from one area to the next. We focused on rich blues (the armchair) and blue-greens (the table & armoire), warm greys, rust and soft beiges paired with neutral wood tones to bring a natural element to the space. The circle table (no sharp edges!) was a no brainer for me, allowing for ease of movement and adding ottomans to the space for extra seating (or a foot stool) as needed.

My clients wanted the storage and the look of builtins but without the price tag so we opted for 15” IKEA kitchen cabinets to make up the builtin media unit. This beautiful storage unit was added to provide additional storage for board games and books and other hidden items. The 9’x12’ vintage inspired Loloi rug grounds the space and contrasts well with the light flooring giving it a worldly, rich feel. For me the extras - throws, pillows & plants - give a room a cozy feel and this space gives me all the welcoming vibes!

Entertainment Area:

Let’s talk about the bar area! The bar area is in-between the sitting area and the pool table area providing the perfect bridge between the two spaces.

The same cabinets used in the media unit were chosen for the bar area but in a navy - IKEA Axstad cabinet fronts and topped with butcher block countertops bringing warmth against the darker cabinets. Further brightness was added with a simple and classic subway tile backsplash. They didn’t need a lot of storage so adding a floating shelf to display their favourite glasses and of course plants (wink) visually helped define this space and added style at the same time! A table was added for their grand children to colour, for adults to socialize or to host a rowdy board games night!

The open space at the back of the basement was designated for the pool table - giving lots of room to move around and play and host many social events!

Bathroom:

Adding a two piece bathroom to the basement made it a fully functioning social space. When family stay over or are just visiting there is no need to go upstairs! I love mixing classic elements like the lampshade sconces with more modern elements like the round matte black mirror - it helps bring unity to a space and breaks the traditional molds of design. In keeping with a simple refined look, we chose a timeless 36” white vanity with a white marble stone top and undermount sink. The beauty of vinyl flooring is that it works for every room so no need to add tile in this bathroom!

Further spaces added in this basement include a storage/furnace room, a guest bedroom and an art space for my client to paint. Because we were starting with an unfinished basement we re-routed the HVAC vents to the floor level to keep this basement warm even in on those -30C days!