this sunny sanctuary is perfect for morning coffee!
Small minimalist light wood floor and brown floor sunroom photo in San Francisco with a standard ceiling

Chris and Sofia of Arlington Heights knew when they purchased their home that they would finish the basement. They needed a space for the kids to hang out, for family and friends to stay, and to have a better space for hosting holidays and parties. The dark unfinished space went mostly unused for three years, but once their kids reached the ideal age for use of a well-built basement, they moved ahead with their plan. “The old basement was dark and cold, and the kids came down and played, but they didn’t like it. The new space is like a whole other house, so we have this space for family game nights and for watching games or Super Bowl parties,” Chris said. The couple found Advance Design Studio through a friend who had their entire home renovated by the remodeling company. After the initial meeting and visiting the showroom, Chris and Sofia were positive that Advance Design was the company that could best turn their unfinished basement into a family friendly space for everyone to enjoy. “We really liked the showroom, we liked being able to choose all of those finishes and meet with them in one place,” Chris said. A Custom Space for a Family with Multiple Needs The project began with a fireplace focal point complete with an amazing entertainment wall, a fantastic full kitchen complete with every amenity, and a brand new full bath. The new basement truly has a space for everyone. If the kids want to watch a movie and hang out on the couch they can, if family wants to play games and have a pizza party on the large island they can, and if guests want to stay over night on the pull-out sofa they can enjoy the entire private “suite” complete with a full bath. It is the true definition of a multifunctional basement. The stunning, full kitchen is the highlight of this now bright and airy basement. You walk down the stairs and are immediately impressed with the detailed metal tile work on the ceiling, bringing to mind the classic feel of a comfortable old pub. Cherry Merlot cabinets provide a rich contrast against the soft neutral walls and the contrasting copper tin ceiling tile and backsplash. Rich Santa Cecelia granite countertops pair nicely with timeless stonework on the outer walls. The island is large enough to provide a more than adequate entertaining space, and provides plenty of both seating and storage. The well-appointed kitchen houses a regular size refrigerator, a full size oven for pizza parties and cookie baking anytime, a microwave oven as well as complete sink and trash set up. One could easily do without a home kitchen forever in this generously designed secondary space! The fireplace and buffet wall seating area is the ideal place to watch movies or sporting events. The coordinating stonework on the fireplace flows throughout the basement, and a burnt orange accent wall brings color and warmth to otherwise ordinary basement space. The Elite Merlot media buffet compliments the kitchen as well as provides storage and a unique functional display option, giving this part of the basement a sophisticated, yet functional feel. The full bath is complete with a unique furniture style cherry DuraSupreme vanity and matching custom designed mirror. The weathered look to the cabinets and mirror give the bathroom some earthy texture as does the stone floor in the walk-in shower. Soft blue makes the space a spa-like mini retreat, and the handsome wall to wall tile and granite speak luxury at every corner. Advance Design added clever custom storage spaces to take advantage of otherwise wasted corners. They built a custom mudroom for the kids to house their sports equipment and a handy built in bench area with basket pull outs for a custom home gym. “They were able to custom fit this second mudroom with the lockers and the bench, they were able to custom build that, so the kids could store all of their equipment down here for the sports that they are in,” Chris said. They Got The Amazing Space They Had Envisioned for Years! The basement Chris and Sofia had envisioned had come to life in a few short months of planning, design and construction, just a perfect fit in the summer months. Advance Design Studio was able to design and build a custom, multifunctional space that the whole family can enjoy. “I would recommend Advance Design because of the showroom, because of the cleanliness on the jobsite and the professionalism, combined with Christine’s design side as well as Todd’s builder’s side - it’s nice to have it all together,” reminisced Chris after the project was complete.

Example of a small transitional u-shaped laminate floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen design in Boston with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartz countertops, gray backsplash, subway tile backsplash, black appliances, an island and multicolored countertops

A dark and dingy basement is now the most popular area of this family’s home. The new basement enhances and expands their living area, giving them a relaxing space for watching movies together and a separate, swanky bar area for watching sports games. The design creatively uses reclaimed barnwood throughout the space, including ceiling beams, the staircase, the face of the bar, the TV wall in the seating area, open shelving and a sliding barn door. The client wanted a masculine bar area for hosting friends/family. It’s the perfect space for watching games and serving drinks. The bar area features hickory cabinets with a granite stain, quartz countertops and an undermount sink. There is plenty of cabinet storage, floating shelves for displaying bottles/glassware, a wine shelf and beverage cooler. The most notable feature of the bar is the color changing LED strip lighting under the shelves. The lights illuminate the bottles on the shelves and the cream city brick wall. The lighting makes the space feel upscale and creates a great atmosphere when the homeowners are entertaining. We sourced all the barnwood from the same torn down barn to make sure all the wood matched. We custom milled the wood for the stairs, newel posts, railings, ceiling beams, bar face, wood accent wall behind the TV, floating bar shelves and sliding barn door. Our team designed, constructed and installed the sliding barn door that separated the finished space from the laundry/storage area. The staircase leading to the basement now matches the style of the other staircase in the house, with white risers and wood treads. Lighting is an important component of this space, as this basement is dark with no windows or natural light. Recessed lights throughout the room are on dimmers and can be adjusted accordingly. The living room is lit with an overhead light fixture and there are pendant lights over the bar.

Andy Frame Photography
Inspiration for a tropical hallway remodel in Miami

Andy Frame Photography
Bathroom - tropical bathroom idea in Miami

A small Japanese-style garden adds excitement to this woodsy backyard.
Inspiration for a small asian shade backyard landscaping in Manchester.

The duo's primary consideration during the design phase was to create a fully-functioning family home. "We are always thinking about our kids", Novogratz explains. "They needed a place to run around in the city, so putting the gym in was a pretty obvious solution. It may be out of the ordinary, but it is better than having your children skateboarding through the kitchen!" The couple's oldest son, Wolfgang, is a champion basketball player. While the court provides him with a place to hone his skills, it doubles as an entertaining space. "We knew we needed to use the space efficiently so it could work for everything", says the designer. From watching movies on a retractable screen, to hosting a 40-guest Thanksgiving dinner, the gym has proved itself as a good move. It has even been a haunted house! Adrienne DeRosa Photography

Timeless design, impeccable aesthetics and superb functionality merge in the T-Top Cumaru outdoor TV lift cabinet. Solid, sustainable Cumaru wood Optional 360 swivel and casters to watch from any point in your backyard, pool or decking Also available in chic Greyed Espresso US made TV lift system comes with a 10-year warranty included Fits 49, 55 and 65 inch TV’s Custom sizing available The Classic Outside Design Our standout T-Top hidden island outdoor TV lift cabinet is a stunning, practical addition to any backyard, deck or pool area. Position it by your hot tub, near the pool, close to the grill or by your patio and discover limitless new ways to love your backyard and elevate your exterior space to new levels of luxury. Add in our optional 360 degree swivel and you can customize your viewing angle on demand, ensuring you never miss a minute of what’s on, whether you’re swimming laps or grilling steaks for the big game. Your Unit – Your Choice With sustainable Cumaru wood cabinetry and best-in-class mechanics, our T-Top outside backyard TV lift cabinet gives you countless new reasons to leave the house and enjoy your beautiful outdoor space. What’s more, this design can be customized to suit specific spaces and larger TVs. https://www.cabinet-tronix.com/tv-lift-cabinets/t-top-solid-cumaru-wood-outdoor/

New beach house in Watch Hill, RI Michael Ocean, Photos courtesy of Gustave White Sotheby's International Realty. Allison Caccoma Interiors
Large beach style gray three-story wood house exterior photo in Providence with a gambrel roof and a shingle roof

Inspiration for a coastal exterior home remodel in Providence

Westerly, RI
Example of a mid-sized beach style walk-out carpeted basement design in Providence with green walls

Spacecrafting
Example of a mid-sized trendy open concept light wood floor family room design in Minneapolis with gray walls, a standard fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

By taking down a wall to the living room and converting the back hallway to a pantry inclusive of the kitchen space, we created a gathering-friendly more functional space for this family that loves to entertain. Auburn stained quarter sawn oak cabinets by Executive Cabinetry, quartz counters by Q by MSI.

http://mollywinnphotography.com
Inspiration for a mid-sized farmhouse medium tone wood floor kitchen remodel in Austin with a farmhouse sink, concrete countertops, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

This stunning kitchen features cabinetry by CWP with 2 1/2" Waterfall Alleanza Quartz counters at the seated island.
Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional u-shaped medium tone wood floor enclosed kitchen remodel in Boston with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, mosaic tile backsplash, paneled appliances, an island and white countertops

Small transitional u-shaped laminate floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen photo in Boston with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartz countertops, gray backsplash, subway tile backsplash, black appliances, an island and multicolored countertops

This craftsman model home, won 2017 Showcase Home of the Year in Chattanooga, TN
Family room - farmhouse open concept light wood floor and brown floor family room idea in Other with gray walls, a standard fireplace and a wood fireplace surround

Theater seating in tan leather adds a nice contrast to the dark color scheme. To isolate sound from the theater, back boxes were used for the speakers and special drywall was chosen. Photo Credit: Kevin Kelley, Gramophone