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Beat the Heat: Escape to the Basement
When It's Too Hot or Rainy, Bring the Party Downstairs
My husband and I live in a 1950 ranch-style home a few miles west of Madison, Wisconsin. When I'm not working, I like to do projects around my house, get out in my solo canoe or go camping, read design and psychology blogs and work on mixed media art.
My husband and I live in a 1950 ranch-style home a few miles west of Madison,... More »
Dripping skies and biting bugs are a quick way to put a halt to your backyard festivities, and extreme temperatures don't lend much of a favor, either. Rather than listen to your friends complain about one of these various ailments, bring them indoors for a party underground. A well planned basement is a quick fix for any outdoor nuisances that creep up and will alleviate the frustrations of having 20 people hover around your kitchen. Sweep everyone downstairs and brush your party woes aside — the basement is the place to be.
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by Ugljesa Kekovic
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| Create a cozy lounge. Scatter chairs along with some long couches and you have yourself enough seating for a large group. An arrangement like this gives people enough space for individual conversations as well as enough room to chill out and relax. |
| This lounge area feels cozy and welcoming with the help of warm, earthy colors. We have been drilled with the rule to avoid dark colors when there is a lack of natural light, but I say just go with the flow and rather than fight it. With sufficient lighting, a basement is the perfect area to use colors from the darker end of the spectrum. |
Trade in your bocce ball court. If your invitation was addressed "yard games and shish kebabs," a pool table can be a quick substitute for your rained-out bocce ball competition. Traditionally, pool tables have been felted in jade green or wine red but are now available in a wide variety of colors.
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| A tabletop that's black or white is a good fit for a basement, as it doesn't feel as stuffy as those jade and wine colors I mentioned. |
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| Embrace the natural light. Typically, the word "basement" can bring forth a few feelings of hesitation. Backed by thoughts of a dark or musty storage area, many folks who are enjoy basking in the sun don't really think of a basement as a fun place to spend the day. Prove them wrong through the use of basement windows or walkouts. |
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| This space might not be a basement, we can gather inspiration from it. Use mirrors to bounce any beams of natural light and paint the floor a light color in an attempt to reflect the sunlight that you have. |
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by Design West
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| Exchange gardening for fishkeeping. Since keeping aquatic life is nowhere near as big of a hobby is gardening, your friends will gravitate towards a large tank and admire your efforts. The other cool part is that you'll have something to do all winter. |
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| A fish tank also can substitute for a fireplace when it comes to creating a mesmerizing atmosphere. |
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| Avoid the rain, keep the fire. A campfire is one of the biggest draws of a warm summer evening. Keep the vibe going strong through the arrival of rain by having your fireplace ready to go. |
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| A marble wall keeps the space feeling cool enough to carry out the thought of an indoor fire. Crank the a/c if anybody questions you once it's lit, as many people don't put "fireplace" and "90-degree weather" in the same sentence. |
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| Swap the backyard bistro for an indoor bar. A basement bar is the perfect place to enjoy a favorite summer cocktail. Of course, you'll probably need more seating than this if you have more than one friend, but you get the idea. |
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If space constraints put a damper on your thoughts of a full-fledged bar, something like this can make the same impact. And if you are really short on space, you can always recess your bar space into a wall or small closet.
More: Browse photos of basement designs
More: Browse photos of basement designs
Comments
Pangaea Interior Design, Portland, OR Nice ideas here and they sure beat the heck out of sitting in the garage on a hot day!
23 months ago · Like
lkaa How about design ideas for a normal, regular type basement that majority of homeowners have?
23 months ago · Like
CAROLE MEYER Love the ideas above. Our lower level (aka basement) has almost no natural light....but I like the cozy feel of the darker colors......see photos below. Carole www.carolemeyerart.com 
23 months ago · Like
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printer We refer to our master bedroom as the bunker. Downstairs off the garage hall you will find our master walk in shower room, sauna, laundry, and master bedroom with fireplace. Very cozy in the winter, pleasant in the summer. We often laugh that our shower serves as a decontamination chamber as it was once a bomb shelter when the house was built in 1959. They don't built houses like they did back when.
23 months ago · Like
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Bill Berger Good ideas but wish you had shown real basements.
23 months ago · Like
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Kathleen Gibbons Step out of the ordinary.. neat...
23 months ago · Like
Ideabook published on June 22, 2011.
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