Dream House Alphabet: B

B is for Basement

A beautiful finished basement is a must when I buy my dream home. For me, the basement has always been the entertainment space, and it’s all about casual fun. Here, you can load up the on games (think poker and pool tables), and kick back and relax. At my house growing up, the basement was the kid zone. The best part of the basement is that because it’s separated from the rest of the home, you can simply shut the door and entertain you guests on the main floor when the kids make a mess.

On an episode of “Sarah 101” designer Sarah Richardson does a particularly good job of creating a beautiful multifunctional basement.

Here you can be a bit more adventurous with colour, as long as you remember that natural light in the basement is often a minimum. Sarah uses a neutral pallet with pops of daring but tastefully chosen reds. The curtained off nook seen in the picture above separates the childrens’ play area from the adult entertainment space. Such a neat idea since the curtains can be pulled across to hide the mess or be used for putting on plays!

A close up on the kids area. Sarah uses kitchen cabinetry throughout the basement for storage, since it can be easily customized to accommodate low and awkward ceiling heights (caused by bulkheads). Ps. How cute is that turtle stool?!

 Perhaps my favourite idea is using full length drapes on those tiny little windows that are the trademark of any basement. It helps make the space seem more main floor, gives the illusion of larger windows, and is another opportunity to add texture, pattern, colour, and personality!

See more photos of the basement here!

What would your 'B' be?!
xox
Tiffany Leigh