If your basement is merely utilitarian — or looks straight out of “That ’70s Show” — you’re probably not maximizing its function, value or appeal — or, for that matter, your potential for fun! Check out these awesome basements for inspiration on features you might want to consider for your own remodeling plan to go beyond the purely practical.
2. Brewpub
Rochman Design-Build converted the unfinished basement of a new Ann Arbor, Michigan, home into this home pub and commercial-grade craft brewing space, with a viewing window between them.
The basement bar — which has speakeasy-inspired design elements — illustrates the impact of leaning in to a moody, low-light space.
3. Wine Cellar
Wine, fluctuating temperatures and sunshine don’t mix, so cool basements are good spots for building a wine cellar (though you’ll still probably need to control the temperature and humidity for optimal storage).
This wine cellar is in a St. Louis walk-out basement remodeled by Nest Kitchen, Bath & Home Design. It sits behind a navy blue bar and home lounge that are equally sumptuous-looking.
4. Screening Room
A screening room complete with comfy couches or overstuffed recliners is another feature that benefits from a naturally low-light room like a basement.
This movie theater is in a sprawling hilltop Silicon Valley estate designed by Swatt | Miers Architects and built by Paragon Custom Builders.
5. Concessions
Don’t forget the popcorn! In this Illinois basement by Amy Storm that’s built for entertaining, a snack area complete with a popcorn machine re-creates the theater experience.
6. Sports Center
If you’re more into watching the big game than hosting an Oscars party, check out this northern Virginia finished basement by Metro Building and Remodeling. Its main seating area has three large-screen TVs for watching multiple games (or for playing video games) simultaneously — and there’s a fourth behind the bar.
7. Bowling Alley
To really bowl over your guests, install a bowling alley in your basement. BPC Architecture + Interior Design did just that for the owners of this huge coastal New England home and even included storage space for bowling shoes.
8. Pool
More affordable than a bowling alley but no less fun is a pool table. Take a cue from Nicole Forina Home, which designed this Chatham, New Jersey, basement, and coordinate your walls and ceiling with the pool table’s felt.
9. Pingpong
Akin to a pool table but much lighter (and, in some cases, even foldable and on wheels) is the pingpong table. In this Minnesota basement by Rehkamp Larson Architects and Martha Dayton Design, the table coordinates with a bright blue Smeg minifridge in the adjacent kitchenette.
10. Air Hockey
While we’re on the table-game train, here’s a fun pair — a pool table and an air hockey table — in a Leesburg, Virginia, basement transformed by DuVäl Design.
11. Foosball
This exuberant basement rec room by Kimberley Kay Interiors in Manhattan Beach, California, pairs a foosball table with a pingpong table and a full bar, all bathed in fluorescent pink light.
12. Poker Room
Vermont-based Peregrine Design Build turned an empty basement into a wood-paneled, speakeasy-style space it dubs “The Gentleman’s Club.” In addition to a pool table, wine room, movie theater and sauna, the club has a dedicated poker room with retractable doors. Note the decorative pressed-metal ceiling tiles.
13. Arcade
A lineup of retro arcade games (Donkey Kong! Frogger!) fills the basement of a vacation cabin designed by Devon Grace Interiors on the southeast shore of Lake Michigan. A disco ball sends sparkles across the dark-painted drop ceiling and walls.
14. Sports Court
Enfort Homes left it all on the court when building the basement of this Kirkland, Washington, house. There’s a pool table, bar, theater, gym, sauna and more, but the indoor basketball court, with its multiple-height hoops, padded walls and viewing area, makes it truly baller.
15. Golf Simulator
Searches for “basement golf simulator” were up a whopping 1,905%. Long Island, New York-based Annette Jaffe Interiors included this standout example in a renovated Manhassat home’s lower level. In addition to the simulator, the space has a pool table, dartboard, wine room and home bar (complete with a keg).
16. Home Gym
Copper Sky Design + Remodel excavated a crawlspace to create this 1,250-square-foot finished basement under an Atlanta house. Among its many features is a home gym and this exercise and weight room, which is wrapped in custom murals and has a reclaimed maple gym floor that retains the basketball paint lines from the original court.
17. Pool
This sleek lap pool, which features natural limestone walls, is in the basement gymnasium of a lakeside mansion — allowing for year-round swimming despite its Minnesota location. (There’s an outdoor pool too.) Designed by architect Charles R. Stinson and built by Streeter Custom Builder, the home has a series of light wells that help brighten the subterranean level.
18. Hot and Cold Plunges
In Newport Beach, California, the basement of a lavish, modern waterfront home completed by Solanna Design & Development has a full spa that includes these hot and cold tubs surrounded by walls of shiny mosaic tile. A glass ceiling lets in light and separates the room from the courtyard above.
19. Sauna
Another luxurious Minnesota home — this one by Swanson Homes — has a lower level with plenty of bells and whistles, including this sauna featuring a stunning salt accent wall.
20. Music Room
You’ve heard of garage bands, but how about basement bands? This multipurpose Illinois basement by M House Development is all set up for band practice with a corner that can be completely closed off with sliding glass doors.
21. Recording Booth
Musicians who’d like to make it out of the basement or garage someday must dream of having a recording booth like this professional-looking setup, which is in a Detroit basement remodeled by Cowdin Design + Build.
22. Woodworking Shop
Pathway Design & Construction upgraded the basement of a Seattle couple’s carriage house with a hydronic heating system in the floor and two zones for their hobbies: a band practice area for him and, on the other side of the interior window, this less-polished woodworking shop for her.
23. Craft Room
This punchy pink craft room set up for scrapbooking is in the lower level of a Mason, Ohio, home by Hensley Custom Building Group. The rest of the basement has a wet bar, a large-screen TV with theater seating and a game room.
24. Library
In San Francisco’s Noe Valley, the basement-level remodel that resulted in this space began with a full demolition and excavation of the old foundation and basement. The newly constructed basement has 9-foot ceilings, a radiant-heat system, a bathroom, a laundry, a fitness area, two offices and this library-like lounge area lined with bookshelves custom-built by the project’s general contractor, Joinery Structures.
25. Car Display
Designed by Drewett Works and built by Cullum Homes, this model home in a Scottsdale, Arizona, golf community has a golf simulator in its basement entertainment zone. But the feature that really puts the basement over the top is a glass-enclosed collector-car showroom.
26. Playhouse
Speaking of toys, in Chevy Chase, Maryland, GrOH! Playrooms created this activity-filled basement for a toddler, turning an old luggage closet into a two-story New York City row home and leaving plenty of open space for creative play.
27. Jungle Gym
For three siblings in Greenwich, Connecticut, Smart Playrooms redesigned a basement with a
Lego and art room and this “ninja zone.” The kids can swing into a foam pit, climb up ropes and a climbing wall and traverse the room on monkey bars, among other challenges.
28. Secret Room
When Illinois designer Lauren Collander transformed her unfinished basement into a space that both adults and kids could enjoy, she added a speakeasy hidden behind this set of bookshelf doors. (There’s one in the house pictured with the slide as well.)
But a basement secret room could be anything you want — an office space, a storage area, a karaoke box — the sky’s the limit!
29. Slide
The saying “getting there is half the fun” is true in this Boulder, Colorado, house designed by Proud House Studio, thanks to a slide that transports kids to the activity-filled lower level.
30. Elevator
Navigating stairs (not to mention a slide) can be a physical challenge for many people for many reasons. An elevator — like the one in this contemporary five-story home by Hamilton-Gray Design in La Jolla, California — can make a basement more accessible.
If your basement is merely utilitarian — or looks straight out of “That ’70s Show” — you’re probably not maximizing its function, value or appeal — or, for that matter, your potential for fun! Check out these awesome basements for inspiration on features you might want to consider for your own remodeling plan to go beyond the purely practical. (cited)
1. Home Bar
Raise your hand (or your glass) if you or your parents had a basement wet bar back in the ’70s, complete with wood paneling and shag carpeting. Well, that American classic is back in a big way, albeit with modern finishes — like those incorporated by Case Architects & Remodelers in this basement remodel in Herndon, Virginia.
This bright space appears to be a walk-out or daylight basement, meaning it has either a door or window to the outside. If your basement is windowless, it might still be possible to make it a legal living space — but you’ll need to add one or more egress windows or doors by excavating a rigid-walled well on the home’s exterior.