Houzz Tour: Swank Style for a Fully Stocked Basement
Tucking into plush seating or the steam shower, curling up with wine or a movie, these homeowners can do it in utmost comfort
Joel and Shauna May considered moving their growing family to a bigger home, but after seeing 3-D renderings of their basement renovation by Brad McCallum, owner of Urban Abode, they knew they would be very happy staying put. The couple had a lot of demands for their 900-square-foot space, which presented plenty of design challenges.
"What's important to note about Joel and Shauna is that they are both passionate people, and they are some of the most hospitable people you will ever meet," says McCallum. "They wanted big and bold ideas for their space, areas that they could use to get together with friends, to house their growing wine collection and to just relax, curl up and watch a movie. What they didn't want was ordinary."
Their dream basement now includes a full exercise space, media room, wet bar area, wine cellar and bathroom with large steam room.
Basement at a Glance
Who hangs out here: Joel and Shauna May and their son
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Size: 900 square feet
Year completed: 2012
"What's important to note about Joel and Shauna is that they are both passionate people, and they are some of the most hospitable people you will ever meet," says McCallum. "They wanted big and bold ideas for their space, areas that they could use to get together with friends, to house their growing wine collection and to just relax, curl up and watch a movie. What they didn't want was ordinary."
Their dream basement now includes a full exercise space, media room, wet bar area, wine cellar and bathroom with large steam room.
Basement at a Glance
Who hangs out here: Joel and Shauna May and their son
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Size: 900 square feet
Year completed: 2012
"The couple are joyful people who love to spend time with friends and share everything they have," McCallum says.
McCallum opened the stairwell to the basement as much as possible. "The addition of the stair railing makes the space feel less like a dingy basement and much more like a third story to their home," he says. Wrought iron spindles and special molding give the stairwell a stylish presence.
A peek through the glass shows one of the cleverest uses of space in this basement: McCallum tucked the impressive wine cellar underneath the stairs.
A peek through the glass shows one of the cleverest uses of space in this basement: McCallum tucked the impressive wine cellar underneath the stairs.
"What I admire most about Joel and Shauna is their passion and bold sense of style. Few people have the courage to decorate with such striking purple wallpaper and rich velvet furniture," McCallum says. "The finished space truly plays to their personalities."
The clients wanted a home theater but not a dedicated theater room. They also wanted to be able to lounge around with friends and family. This media and fireplace wall includes a 7.1 surround sound system and 70-inch LED TV, so the space can transform into a cushy theater on movie night.
Fireplace: L42 gas model, Montigo
Fireplace: L42 gas model, Montigo
McCallum created a dark custom stain for the built-in maple media cabinets to help camouflage the TV. The element the clients did want to stand out was the fireplace, which is surrounded with a white ledgestone marble-style tile and contrasts with the dark cabinetry.
Tip: When mounting a TV over a fireplace, think about your neck! McCallum kept the proprotions of the fireplace pleasing while making sure it was low enough so he could mount the TV at a comfortable viewing level over it.
Tip: When mounting a TV over a fireplace, think about your neck! McCallum kept the proprotions of the fireplace pleasing while making sure it was low enough so he could mount the TV at a comfortable viewing level over it.
"The lower cabinets were used to hide components for the home theater, while the upper open cabinets were made to display vases, photos and other collectibles that they have," says McCallum. The display shelf design also includes lighting to show off their favorite objects.
Another component the clients wanted was a wet bar where they could perch and hang out, not something just shoved up against a wall. "They wanted a lounge feel, so we took our inspiration from some of the great downtown nightspots around Calgary," McCallum says.
Tile: 12- by 24-inch Cavestone porcelain, Julian Tile; pendant lights: Robinson Lighting and Bath
Tile: 12- by 24-inch Cavestone porcelain, Julian Tile; pendant lights: Robinson Lighting and Bath
The countertops are Brazilian Arabescato marble; the backsplash tile is a combination of marble and molten glass. Patterned translucent glass on the cabinet doors reflects the light.
Cabinet door glass: UC-011, Urban Glassworks; backsplash tile: Evolution Night Fall in a pattern of random strips
Cabinet door glass: UC-011, Urban Glassworks; backsplash tile: Evolution Night Fall in a pattern of random strips
This basement has many typical utilitarian functions that created design challenges, including low-hanging HVAC ducts and teleposts in odd places. "This two-pillared shelf unit was designed and built by us to hide the teleposts in the basement," McCallum says. "Normally these are just hidden in walls, but if we had done this it would have created a closed-in space, and we didn't want to compromise the open concept."
The exercise room is beyond the translucent glass French doors.
The exercise room is beyond the translucent glass French doors.
"As the designer, my marching orders for the bath were to design something that I thought would look awesome, fit their style and work in the space. That is far more vague than you could ever imagine!" McCallum says.
So he turned to Houzz for bathroom design inspiration, then created an original custom bath in which he repeated materials like the floor tile, dark-stained maple cabinetry and Brazilian Arabescato marble countertops used on the wet bar. This created continuity throughout the entire basement.
One of the most important items on the couple's wish list was a steam shower. It was to fit up to four people, be easy to clean and provide some music to sing along to. Large tiles keep the cleaning easy, and waterproof Kohler speakers keep the tunes pumping.
The fixtures include a Hansgrohe rain can showerhead, body jets, a shower wand and a Thermasol steam generator.
Accent tile: Ames Tile & Stone
Accent tile: Ames Tile & Stone
Joel ditched an unfulfilling career in finance years ago and took a chance, joining his friends in a coffee roasting company, Fratello's Roasters. "The appreciation he developed for great-tasting coffee developed into a deeper appreciation for wines and spirits," McCallum says. Thus, the couple is building an impressive wine collection and needed a wine cellar to preserve, store and display it.
The biggest challenge the wine cellar design presented was that there didn't seem to be any room for it. "After looking through hundreds of other wine cellar images on Houzz, I gathered my inspiration from a variety of images and looked to the space beneath their stairs," McCallum says. "It was never going to be large, but we wanted it to be impressive."
The cellar holds nearly 300 bottles. It is properly built with spray-foam insulation, a koolR cooling unit made specifically for wine cellars and fully custom-designed and -built cabinetry.
The priority for the wine cellar was proper storage, with great-looking display coming in a close second. "The angles of the wine bottles, the lighting that is used and the styles of storage all have a bearing on the functionality, and for Joel and Shauna, getting this right was very important," McCallum says.
McCallum had a blast working for this family. "They allowed us to pitch them some of our most exciting designs ever, and it gave us a chance to build an incredible space," he says. "Now that they've been enjoying the space for the last few months, their friends have affectionately been calling it The Purple Lounge. While they are both very busy, they always make the time to slow down and relax with friends whenever they get the chance."
McCallum had a blast working for this family. "They allowed us to pitch them some of our most exciting designs ever, and it gave us a chance to build an incredible space," he says. "Now that they've been enjoying the space for the last few months, their friends have affectionately been calling it The Purple Lounge. While they are both very busy, they always make the time to slow down and relax with friends whenever they get the chance."