Basement lounge with gray sofa, marble-top bar island, dark cabinets and framed posters - Mom's Design Build

Blissful Basement

LAKEVILLE, MN

Completed 2023

These clients came to us with a wish list for their unfinished basement. They wanted us to look at an original layout from their builder to see if we could create a more customized layout for their family. They wanted something that could grow along with their two young boys, a place where they can have friends over to hang out and play video games or cuddle up and read on a soft sofa. They also wanted this space to be flexible for adults. They wanted to entertain friends and family in big and small groups, have game nights and host the holidays, and keep their cool shuffleboard!

These clients cared greatly about having the kids with them while entertaining and having the ability to use the space as a family. We decided to include three televisions since the husband loves technology. Now their kids can play a video game with their air pods in while the parents are watching a movie or a football/basketball game.

TA-DA!

Behind the Design

Design Notes

Before

An unfinished basement and a builder’s stock floor plan that didn’t fit the family living above it — two young boys, a shuffleboard table they refused to lose, and parents who wanted everyone in the same room.

The Idea

Flip the whole layout. Moving the bar to the opposite side made room for a larger island, and moving the fireplace into the entertainment area put every screen, flame, and sofa where the family actually gathers. Three televisions mean the boys can game while the grown-ups watch the match.

After

Their old concert posters hang spotlit in a custom niche with a stone drink ledge beside the shuffleboard. Honed marble herringbone backs the open shelving, reeded wood textures the TV wall, and the lighting layers down from game night to movie dark.

The Brief

—A basement that grows with two young boys
—Room to host friends and family, big groups and small
—Space for game nights, holidays — and the shuffleboard stays
—Flexible enough for kids and adults at once

Materials & Craft

Honed marble herringbone backsplash
Large-format vertical fireplace tile
Reeded wood TV wall
Patterned tile flooring
Stone drink ledge

The flip

The bar swapped sides of the basement entirely — buying a larger island, a bigger fridge for overflow, closed storage below and open shelves above for the good glassware.

The poster wall

Pre-marriage concert posters became the design’s soul: a dedicated niche with a stone drink ledge and dimmable spotlights, right beside the shuffleboard.

Three screens, one room

Kids game with their AirPods in while parents watch the film — togetherness by way of smart zoning rather than separate rooms.

Light for every hour

Layered lighting from sconces to backsplash glow — and deliberately no pendants over the island, because two boys throw a football down the long way of this basement.

The hard part

Reworking a builder’s pre-drawn layout into a custom one — relocating the fireplace across the room, integrating it into the entertainment wall with vertical large-format tile, and keeping a bold pattern moment in every space without letting the whole read busy.