Before And After Basement Loft Like Lower Level

AFTER: Adding steel beams allowed for an expansive open space; exposed ceiling joists and shiplap walls, all coated bright white, plus a dozen ceiling lights create a fresh, airy feeling. The polished concrete floor reflects light—and saved money. Painting an exposed duct pink and echoing the color in whimsical wall art amped up the fun factor.TV media cabinet: Blu Dot But turning the 591-square-foot living space into an airy, free-flowing hangout meant significant structural work. Contractor Patrick Richardson had to install three steel beams supported by new posts along one wall to span what’s now a fully open family room. To funnel daylight from adjacent spaces with windows, Humphrey removed a door and added glass where he could. But the giant HVAC duct couldn’t budge. His solution? Paint it a fun color. Or as he puts it, “If you’re going to have this industrial exposed duct, it might as well be pink, right?” It proved just the kind of unique design element that this young family craved. BEFORE: The basement was a dimly lit maze of finished and unfinished spaces. Exposed joists visually raise the ceiling without having to dig out the floor. A trio of steel beams supported by posts along the back wall allow for one large open space. Three furnished zones cater to various activities. A dining nook and a vintage-style fridge nearby host snack time—and some work-at-home sessions. A custom metal-and-plywood Ping-Pong table and a large leather sectional facing the TV offer different kinds of fun for all ages. Paint: Simply White (walls, ceiling) and Sweet Taffy (duct), Benjamin Moore; Custom dining table and Ping-Pong table: Nathan Dinihanian, Dinihanian Design Build; Sectional sofa: Rejuvenation; Coffee table: Blu Dot; Refrigerator: SMEG; Rolling bookcase: Schoolhouse; Too Much and Not Enough artwork: Chairish; Vintage rugs: Kat and Maouche Shown: Exposed wiring snakes through the ceiling. “There are holes in the joists and chippy stuff, but I like how beat-up the ceiling looks,” says Humphrey. “It offsets the newness of everything else.”Lighting, stools: Schoolhouse; Banquette gingham fabric: Pindler Shown left: Vertical shiplap on all the walls helps make the ceilings seem higher. Bands of black and white penny tile on the bathroom floor are another visual trick, making the small space seem larger.Vanity, sink, faucet: Rejuvenation; Tile: Ann Sacks Shown right: The laundry room kept its existing washer and dryer, but got new shiplap paneling, cabinets, countertops, a sink, a vintage rug—and a heady dose of that pink paint.Clock, and laundry cabinet hardware: Schoolhouse; Faucet: Kohler; Quartz countertops: Caesarstone The home gym adjacent to the basement gathering space is one of two walk-out areas on the lower level; the other is the laundry. To maximize the natural light in the gym, Humphrey inserted large storefront windows and doors. (The flat-screen in the family room shows what they look like from outside the house.) Glass and aluminum storefront door system: Kawneer The adjacent home gym got an overhaul, too, with white shiplap walls and a white ceiling with exposed joists. Humphrey skipped the pink accents here, and instead brought the outside in by designing plant shelves that have exposed plywood edges and turnbuckle hanging hardware. Shown left: “We didn’t want to spend a ton of money on materials—it’s a basement bathroom!” Humphrey says. Stripes of penny-round tiles on the floor—and up the shower curb and onto the shower floor—and simple white squares on the shower walls lend a lot of style for not a lot of cash.Shower fittings: Rejuvenation Shown right: A high-energy photo and colorful textiles enliven what might otherwise be a lackluster pass-by space between the laundry and bathroom.Wendy Laurel photograph: Eventide Collective; Bench: Design Within Reach; Vintage rug: Kat and Maouche

Floor Plans

BEFORE

Partition walls left the windowless area in the center of the basement feeling dark and cramped.

AFTER

Adding three steel beams with support posts along a wall enabled a 591-square-foot open family space. Removing a door channels light from the adjacent laundry.