Project Description
Priorities
• Transform the basement into a space that serves as an escape from the clients’ busy work lives
Solutions
To change the space’s interior, contractor Mike Madden began with the exterior. An outdoor garden pavilion with a teak slat ceiling brings the outdoors in and creates a lower-level getaway for the homeowners. The openness of the space, with its large folding doors, and the continuation of the teak slats from the interior’s ceiling to the outside strengthens the connection between the indoors and out. Inside the basement, a folding wall allows the homeowner to expand or enclose the space; storage compartments seamlessly line a teak wall under the mahogany stair; a side wall hides a television, sound system, and additional storage. Behind a movable panel of frosted glass, a new bathroom includes sleek plumbing fixtures and a mirror that runs nearly the entire length of one wall. Lighting in the basement is a combination of LED and fluorescent, and there is radiant heat in the slab.
Judges’ Comments
The judges described the sleek design and seamless storage options of the space as “functional art.” They also praised the design’s ability to connect the indoors to the outside.
Products Used
Bathroom plumbing fixtures: Dombrach, Toto, Hansgrohe
Bathroom cabinets: custom by Potomac Woodwork
Countertops: custom Corian by Counter Collective
Entry doors: custom by Potomac Woodwork
Fireplace or wood stove: Linear fireplaces
Hardware: Omnia
HVAC: Carrier
Interior doors: Potomac Woodwork
Lighting fixtures: Eagle Light LED and Illuminations
Paints/stains: Benjamin Moore
Windows: Nanawall
Click to see the 17 other winners in the 2014
Remodeling Design Awards.
From the architect
This Owners of this residence decided that the best place to create a get-away vacation space was in the privacy of their own home. Their idea was to make their lower level a relaxing escape from their busy everyday lives. The new space consists of a media/family room, bathroom, and laundry room. KUBE's concept was to create a refined "wooden box" with a teak media wall, concealing all TV and stereo equipment, and a sculpted mahogany staircase. Each piece of cabinetry unfolds to reveal hidden storage. Radiant heat is concealed in the floor slab, and all lighting is indirect. The wall to the bathroom is floor-to-ceiling frameless glass, with adjacent glass stair treads. A teak slatted ceiling with LED lighting above creates the illusion of sun overhead. The teak continues to the exterior, where it provides shade within a minimal stainless steel pavilion.