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In Design:
Basement Family Retreat
This basement offered us a wonderful blank slate. It was clean, well built, and the windows were perfect! And our down to earth clients had a simple list: a Family Room to fit their young family, a Bedroom for the grandparents, a beautiful bathroom, with lots of storage area still accessible. So we got to work creating an interesting space that offered all of these functions.
In The Beginning
Many of our projects start this way. Large empty spaces with no features and no future. This basement, like many before it, was a storage facility. A home for things to think about later.
It also posed challenges of beam and post placement.
All things to consider in the layout and design.
Seems Easy Enough
Some spaces lend themselves to being laid out easily, and some spaces you have to keep working and working until you get it right. This basement floor plan landed somewhere in the middle with the main layout lending itself naturally towards the stairs to the main floor, but rough-ins for the bathroom and an existing bedroom being a fair distance from these spaces.
The Look
We wanted to create an open Family Room that still felt differentiated from the rest of the basement. We also had a pesky post that needed to be incorporated somehow. So we designed a symmetrical pilaster on the other side of the space, creating a grand entrance to the Family Area, all while hiding a structural post that normally would have stuck out like a sore thumb.
The client also asked for a fireplace feature, so in keeping with the more modern look we opted for floating shelves instead of traditional built ins on either side. This wall creates an interesting focal point for the room and continues the clean lines of the overall design.
Nailed It!
The main floor of the home featured clean lines and a more contemporary aesthetic, so we wanted to create the same look in the lower level. We repeated the same of type of flooring throughout the space, and also used the same paint colours that the homeowners have on the main floor.
Small But Big
Bathrooms add so much value to a family and a space. This bathroom features more modern plumbing fixtures and lighting to carry the look further. For a spa like feel in the bathroom we used a classic travertine tile on the floor and in the shower, making the bath seem larger in scale.
Almost There
Balance, symmetry, and a modern aesthetic were the main objectives for this space. Through meticulous planning with the homeowner and an attention to detail we created a space that has a lovely flow and feel to it. The calming neutral colours and more modern materials invoke a natural environment that feels classic but contemporary all at once.
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