What Lies Beneath? A Tiki Bar Basement
See how Portland, Oregon, homeowners and their contractor turned an unfinished basement into a tiki-theme ‘dive bar’
Robert Burns
March 3, 2019
Houzz Contributor. Robert Burns has been a journalist for over 25 years, working as a designer, graphics editor, assignment editor and staff writer for publications including the Los Angeles Times and the Miami Herald.
Houzz Contributor. Robert Burns has been a journalist for over 25 years, working... More
This old bungalow on a quiet street in southeast Portland, Oregon, has a secret. Upstairs it’s a neatly kept, renovated 1910 Craftsman. Downstairs, however, hides an explosion of midcentury pop culture in the form of a basement tiki bar. Think Trader Vic’s on steroids.
Watch: See how this basement became a couple’s tiki-inspired hideaway
Basement at a Glance
Who lives here: Rhonda and Bill Reedy
Location: Portland, Oregon
Size: 814 square feet (76 square meters)
Budget: About $40,000, excluding electronics and the Reedys’ tiki-themed collection
Owners Rhonda and Bill Reedy worked with general contractor Andrew Almeter of Urban Craftsmen to create The Porthole, as they call it. “It’s not a supertraditional tiki bar,” Rhonda says. “It’s anything that amuses us.”
Rhonda says Bill was taken to Trader Vic’s in Beverly Hills when he was about 10, and that sold him on the look. “The idea was to create a home tiki bar, but not the classic bamboo and thatched hut variety — more like a cool old sea shack at the end of the wharf,” Rhonda says. The Reedys have been collecting tiki and other pop culture pieces for over 15 years.
Find a general contractor on Houzz
Basement at a Glance
Who lives here: Rhonda and Bill Reedy
Location: Portland, Oregon
Size: 814 square feet (76 square meters)
Budget: About $40,000, excluding electronics and the Reedys’ tiki-themed collection
Owners Rhonda and Bill Reedy worked with general contractor Andrew Almeter of Urban Craftsmen to create The Porthole, as they call it. “It’s not a supertraditional tiki bar,” Rhonda says. “It’s anything that amuses us.”
Rhonda says Bill was taken to Trader Vic’s in Beverly Hills when he was about 10, and that sold him on the look. “The idea was to create a home tiki bar, but not the classic bamboo and thatched hut variety — more like a cool old sea shack at the end of the wharf,” Rhonda says. The Reedys have been collecting tiki and other pop culture pieces for over 15 years.
Find a general contractor on Houzz
It not only houses their extensive collections, including tikis, a Mr. T plastic bank, Japanese glass fishing floats and midcentury ceramics, but it’s also their subterranean hideaway. “It’s our little personal escape hatch,” Rhonda says. “We’re down there almost every night. And we’ve had a few neighborhood gatherings there.”
Find game room and bar decor in the Houzz Shop
Find game room and bar decor in the Houzz Shop
Almeter played dual roles as general contractor and carpenter. “He built the bar, the bench, the cabinet that houses the electronics, and the shelving,” Rhonda says. The bar top is recycled Douglas fir, and the front is other salvaged wood.
The couple browsed Houzz photos to get ideas for the tiki bar. “That was really the easiest way to show people what we had in mind,” Rhonda says.
Raise Your Glass to Home Bars in All Shapes and Sizes
The couple browsed Houzz photos to get ideas for the tiki bar. “That was really the easiest way to show people what we had in mind,” Rhonda says.
Raise Your Glass to Home Bars in All Shapes and Sizes
The Reedys find their vintage items at brick-and-mortar shops in Portland and on websites like Tiki Farm, Munktiki and eBay, and mix them with new pieces.
Watch: Meet the owners and learn more about their tiki hideaway on Houzz TV
Watch: Meet the owners and learn more about their tiki hideaway on Houzz TV
This mini bar area, inspired by a photo on Houzz, is another custom element by Almeter.
Before: When the couple relocated from California to Portland in 2013 and moved into the home, the basement was unfinished. It left them free to create the exact look they wanted.
After: A custom-built bench is lined with pillows made from bark cloth. The same fabric was used for the curtains.
10 Tips for Renovating Your Basement
10 Tips for Renovating Your Basement
The basement is as much nautical as tiki, according to Rhonda. “It almost feels like the hull of a ship or the old tavern at the end of the wharf,” she says.
The lime-green retro-looking refrigerator is from Italian company Smeg. The painting behind the refrigerator was a gift from a friend. Rhonda painted over it with “those goofy colors,” as she describes them.
Storage cabinets line one wall of the basement. The large wooden tiki is from TikiMaster.com.
From left: Munktiki stacker mug, Hawaiian coconut souvenir, Munktiki anatomical head, Harvey’s of Lake Tahoe vintage mug, souvenir coconut purse (on top of mug), Orchids of Hawaii pineapple mug.
The blue figures are vintage Psycho Ceramics by Kreiss. A Mr. T bank is at the far left.
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They are adorable! Love the space and all the treasures.
Arghhh.... and I thought my basement was good enough. Now a new challenge.
Woah that's a Lotta stuff. Hope they don't move anytime soon! But that's the fun of collecting, seeing your collection altogether in one place!