Make no mistake about it: Today’s home elevates the once-lowly basement — or lower level — to a space of importance and function. It’s a gathering place for adults and kids, sometimes stylish, often trendy, and always surprising, especially when creative homeowners use the lower level as a blank canvas for their recreational, entertainment and leisure fantasies.
Once dismissed as a dusty and dark parking place for storage boxes and bins or a no-frills laundry area, the lower level has climbed to rock-star status with ensemble features like highly accessorized bars and kitchens, state-of-the-art home theatres, hotel-worthy guest rooms, wine cellars and rooms equipped for prized collections and tastings. playrooms with panache and sport courts outfitted for action. Savvy homeowners know that the lower level doesn’t just add to their home’s overall livability, it also contributes to its value. And the rule when designing a level in your home that often becomes the primary living room? You guessed it — there are no rules!
Bars/Kitchens
The most common centerpiece homeowners choose when transforming basements into lower levels is the bar/kitchen combo — a solution for entertaining and kids’ after-school snacks and an area of the home that has something for everyone in the family.
Sometimes the bar/kitchen serves as a secondary kitchen, offering extra cooking space for large parties or holidays, or it’s a chic and chill adult-only oasis to sip cocktails with friends or perhaps a pre-teen haven to hang out with friends for a pizza. From bar countertops, cabinetry, backsplashes and lighting fixtures to finishes and furnishings, today’s lower level emerges as a home’s stylish, central focal point.
Home Theaters
Lower-level cinemas equipped with the latest in technology. big-screen TVs and comfy, theater-worthy seating options continue to trend upward in popularity. But the ultimate in fun family flick nights don’t stop with movie magic — decorate with throws, pillows, poufs and framed vintage movie posters to surround your family and guests with authentic ambiance. All that’s required for the perfect cozy at-home movie experience are big bowls of buttery popcorn, concession-style snacks and cold sodas.
Living Room Areas
Most basements afford more square-footage than main-level rooms, so including an extra living room in a lower level design makes sense. Often located off the bar/kitchen, this defined space can function with a family-friendly dual purpose: a sophisticated conversation area for adults and, when outfitted with oversized baskets of toys and books, a kids’ play area, too.
Playrooms/Sport Courts
Further illustrating that a basement represents a bonus room full of design possibilities and not an afterthought, some homeowners seek to take advantage of the extra space in creative ways. The home’s lower level gets an unexpected workout with a bright and imaginative playroom that can double as an at-home or virtual classroom and a dedicated indoor sport court that challenges every family member to perfect their free-throw.
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