I don’t know how to reply to a comment but im thinking of scrapping the shelving for cabinets just imagining my kids throwing a ball and knocking everything down lol. i think we need the storage. hopinh hoping we have enough counter space i think it will he 15-20 in on either side of the sink

IMO a MW for popcorn and fridge for drinks and a sink for water are all great in a basement entertaining space and even more so as the kids get older.

Unless you plan to wash dishes in the basement bathroom sink (or haul them upstairs), I don’t think you’ll be sorry if you put a sink in down there. Easier to do now than later.

Have you considered filling in the space between the columns? The tv could be mounted there, so the seating would shift to the back/left wall (may be able to have extra “straight-on” seating for tv/movie viewing. And the storage/wet bar area would be more accessible. Curious as to what is on the other side of the living room space? May make sense to build some depth in the wall for reasons beyond the living room area.

Folllowing

Thanks for the idea, Susan! On the other side of the wall is a play area for the kids. We have a wooden slide my husband built and other toys that used to be all over the living room will reside in that space. Hoping to use the storage close for better organized toy storage (it was previously misc storage). The space is somewhat small and the ceilings are low, around 7' and I thought about walling off the play area, but I was worried there would be too many walls and the space would feel to cramped. I thought the TV placement would be the most accessible for everyone in the general play/living area while still differentiating the two spaces. I'm really stuck on what to put around the TV since the walls are slanted like a bay.

Our kitchen/bar may be more than you wish but here is a recent video that includes a ”Tour” of the space for ideas. We obtained cabinets from IKEA and they have worked well.

https://youtu.be/3FqMEqaf0-I

I see…TFS…I think the layout you have is the best. I was trying to hide the columns. Two chairs flanking the media cabinet would work and round out the seating in that space.

I thought about adding a half wall between two of the columns, like the one in the picture, but wasn't sure which or if it would make the space feel smaller.

We actually have two family rooms in our basement with a kitchenette in both. I know it sounds crazy and I questioned the need for two, but the rooms were finished 20 years apart (the second after an addition). Bottom line, we use both! The second family room was finished with our teenagers specifically in mind. The kitchenette gets used!! We use both beverage fridges and the cupboards are great storage for games and extra dishes or holiday ceramics. Still a little crazy to have two. Lol

Well, now I don't feel so bad. Ha! I'm glad they are used. My husband grew up with a ktichenette in his basement and says that he does not recall using it at all, which is why he thinks we should only cabinets. I really feel like once the kids turn into teens, it will be used regularly. And I would love to have it for entertaining. I think I will just go for it.

Sofa in der Küche! Ideen! Pr - YouTube

Solche Tisch macht deine Küche modern , Idee ! - Youtube

I’ll ditto the advice you’ve received. Definitely add the smaller sink and at least a small refrig. We had two boys, and our stairs also landed partway thru the space, about a 1/3, 2/3 split. One side was used for the pool table and the other the handout space when they were teenagers. Our house was, thankfully, the hangout house, and we actually ended up with a full refrig there, even tho we already had an extra refrigerator. Those boys and their friends could eat! I’d also second the suggestion for more counter space. A microwave and place to lay out platters and baskets will come in handy down the line. Good luck with your room. I’m sure your children will enjoy the play space!

I agree with the above advice as well. We finished our basement a few years ago. At that time, our kids were in high school and wanted to change from the colored foam pads/white cement walls from when they were younger (all sports!) to something nice they could use for sleepovers, video games, and just hanging out.

We are not really "bar" people so we put in a nice "kitchenette" with full frig, dishwasher, sink, and built in microwave (and portable burner if ever needed). We also put in a full bathroom w/ shower (it was plumbed already). It has been amazing to have...

• First, for the kids when they have their friends over.
• Second, for guests. It's like their own apartment.
• Third, with the pandemic and working from home, my husband works down there and has everything he needs. I then can be in the office on the main floor. And daughter in the dining room (aka her "office" :)).

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We also did the half wall to connect a pole to the adjacent wall, and topped with the same quartz we used for the counter and threshold in bathroom. Love this as it's like an extra shelf for our Echo dot, etc.

Here are a couple pictures - please note this is from a basketball team party, thus the ring of chairs for the team/coaches :). In this one, you will see the half wall on the left. This is before we had anything up... Note also the bay here with the TV and electric fireplace underneath.

Here is the kitchenette area - frig is on the left so easily accessible to all. Microwave is built in to the right of the DW (which is the right of the sink :). Preparing for HS grad party here, excuse the mess. The area to the left would be our video game area. The directly from camera angle is the big TV area. Wrapped around to the other side is the bathroom. All open. Workout/storage behind stairs. Still working on what to put on walls!

Good luck!

I’d love the sink, beverage fridge, and counter space. Microwave a bonus (maybe just on the countertop if you’re trying to save money.

Small apartment to big appartment , Ideas ! - YouTube

Couldn’t wait to tear out the wet bar and frig in the basement rec room. Pre teens and Teenagers and their friends don’t care about grabbing a new soda from the frig every time they forget where they put it, no one washes the dishes or cleans up any spills, or restocks the frig. It is just a pain unless you are vigilant.

I would definitely add a kitchenette in a basement living/entertainment area, with some real kitchen cabinetry with doors, a single sink, a good trash receptacle, a smallish refrigerator and perhaps a small dishwasher….unless you will be using paper plates and cups down there.

We have one in our downstairs that leads directly out our backyard. We use ours quite frequently as part of bbq entertaining as well as my son entertaining his friends from time to time (all in about 3x a month). We love it for those reasons. We have a full size wine refrigerator with regular refrig/freezer drawers, bar sink, convectional microwave and a warming drawer. No dishwasher, although we thought about it. We tend to use disposable plates in our backyard and downstairs. Sink is mainly used to wash hands or wash wine glasses.

@rureadyinla so pretty! Could I ask where you purchased your wall shelves?

Children grow up. The hard part is deciding how you want to make it work for now but to where you don’t have to do major changes in a few years. I like the wet bar version. Keep middle shelves but shorten the side cabinets to give more counter space and you can add under cabinet lighting. Add plugs in backsplash for additional appliances when needed (like a crockpot)

Second @tideschild on the electricity. Appliances can consume high amperage so we have two dedicated circuits - 1 on the bar itself and another on the back bar. Over time a variety of appliances have been used without ever tripping a breaker.

@Lisa Salvatore.... unfortunately, the shelves (and cabinets) were custom by a local "mom and pop" business in the los angeles metro area.

Posting an update! Here is the finished producty. Thanks for everyone’s feedback!!!

Looks great!

Beautiful!

@Lisa Salvatore This looks great! We are planning a similar kitchenette in our basement. Did you incorporate trash in your cabinetry? That seems to be a debate point over here. Thanks!