Basement Ideas and Designs
What type of home is suitable for a basement conversion?
A basement conversion is particularly suitable for urban homes on small plots and can offer the perfect solution for extending a terraced or semi-detached urban home. Whilst it is typically more costly to convert a basement than to complete a loft conversion or extension, for those that have already completed these renovations or where even more space is required, extending below ground can be the best option. The best candidates are homes with an existing cellar and it is just a case of deepening or expanding the existing space. If you don't have a cellar, a retro-fit basement can be created but a project of this magnitude will require additional time and money.
What room should I turn my basement or cellar into?
The proximity of the basement conversion to the living areas and internal infrastructure of the house make it ideal for additional living, recreational and utility rooms. It can also lend itself well to creating an entirely separate, self-contained annexe or apartment. If you’re just extending your house for some extra space to play with, the basement ideas you could have are the stuff of dreams: home gyms, snooker rooms, wine cellars, home bars and indoor swimming pools are among the most exciting uses.
How should I tackle a cellar or basement conversion?
The best thing to do is contact a professional to assess how feasible it will be to have a basement conversion or excavation in your home. There’s no point looking at lots of basement ideas if it would actually be structurally impossible to install a basement room. You should also check what permissions and consents you will need before beginning a project like this – a basement conversion can be very disruptive for you and neighbours so you need to make sure you are legally allowed to go ahead with the conversion first. Your chosen contractors will then need to underpin foundations for support, completely waterproof the basement and build in the internal walls. Then, all the finishing touches, staircases, flooring and electrics will need to be completed. Remember to consider internal balconies or mezzanines, as well as light wells and perhaps sunken terraces outside of the basement to introduce as much light as possible.
Start browsing through the photos on Houzz to get some basement ideas and inspiration. You can start saving your favourite photos to ideabooks and then contact professionals that have worked on projects you like.
Whether you want inspiration for planning a basement renovation or are building a designer basement from scratch, Houzz has 93,744 images from the best designers, decorators, and architects in the country, including Walker Home Design and Kitchen Architecture. Look through basement photos in different colours and styles and when you find a basement design that inspires you, save it to an Ideabook or contact the Pro who made it happen to see what kind of design ideas they have for your home. Explore the beautiful basement ideas photo gallery and find out exactly why Houzz is the best experience for home renovation and design.
Kitchen Architecture - bulthaup b3 furniture in cashmere soft-touch lacquer and sand-beige aluminium wall panels.
Design ideas for a contemporary basement in London with white walls.
Texture and scale of sofa. Table is stones. One in driftwood would be great. - robertdent30
Small contemporary fully buried basement in London with grey walls and no fireplace.
Uses all available space without feeling cluttered - tracey_austyn
Cheville plank smoked and finished in a metallic oil. The metallic finish reflects the light, so you see different tones at different times of the day, or depending on how the light is hitting it.
The client specified Versailles tile in the reception room, planks in the basement, and clad the staircase in the same wood with a matching nosing. Everything matched perfectly, we offer any design in any colour at Cheville.
Each block is hand finished in a hard wax oil.
Compatible with under floor heating.
Blocks are engineered, tongue and grooved on all 4 sides, supplied pre-finished.
Cheville also finished the bespoke staircase in a matching colour.
Good integration of TV and bookcases. - nickcole1953
An under garden basement. This photo shows the main party space - integrated bunk beds and club-style banquette seating. Designed for kids and adults to enjoy!
Everything about the colors and arrangement and furniture - cuddlesandco_interior
Petr Krejci
Design ideas for a contemporary basement in London with white walls and multi-coloured floors.
Shelves and frames on wall maybe Day room - webuser_876894569
Photo of a medium sized farmhouse fully buried basement in Other with travertine flooring, beige floors and a wood burning stove.
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This is an example of a contemporary basement in Surrey.
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Jordi Barreras
Photo of a large modern fully buried basement in London with white walls, light hardwood flooring and no fireplace.
A basement conversion in Fulham at Broomhouse Road is particularly successful in creating a light and spacious contemporary interior. This has been achieved through the use of a limited and high quality palette of colours and materials allied to the maximization of natural light through a variety of sources throughout the project.
As is the case with the majority of basement extensions in Fulham, the Ground floor at the garden side has had a side return and rear extension added to create a large kitchen dining space. Whereas in several other projects we have located the stair to the basement in an open plan configuration, at Broomhouse Road the stair follows the existing run of stair flights.
Basement Conversion Fulham: A Light Filled Basement
A key feature of the new basement is the internal corridor into which the stair connects. Whilst the stair follows the run of stair flights in the house the effect at basement level is to arrive in a large open light filled space. This is achieved by simply recessing the wall below the stair flight a further 300mm and finishing it in wood veneer, in order to make the edge of the stair seem to float and feel lighter and effect a still wider corridor width. Secondly a very simple palette of light colours issued and this is contrasted with a warm wood cladding to the partition below the stair.
Basement Conversion Fulham: Visual and Physical Connections
A particular success of this Fulham basement extension in Broomhouse Road has been the introduction at Ground Floor of a second route from the front Reception room to the rear Kitchen and Dining room. This follows a similar design feature at another basement project in Fulham at Ellerby street (basement extension in Fulham). Located at the Party Wall side the route enables views to be had from the front Reception room through to the Garden beyond. We have explored similar approaches in several other Fulham basement conversions, and in this instance this secondary link is a space filled with books and art and has a value more than the connection it provides. We have in other basement conversions in Fulham and other boroughs, located the stair down to the basement off this link, or else located glass panels in the floor to light the basement below and rooflights over the top.
Fulham Wrap Around Extension
At ground floor the kitchen has been enlarged with the addition of a wrap around extension. It is in the design of the ceiling and roof over these extensions that much is added to the quality of the interior. The varied profile and the numerous rooflights ensure that the edges of the room are alive with sunlight and views out. The run of rooflights over the side extension align with the link between reception and dining and help take the eye through the space and provide a sense of a long view towards the garden beyond. Shape Architecture has designed and built many wrap around extensions in Fulham and in developing the design using 3D computer graphics have been able to explore the movement of light into the space through rooflights and the sense of space created to our Clients before the design is fixed.
The wood and glass combination looks so swanky - hazel_heron
Chris Murphy, ViewMedia
Inspiration for a contemporary look-out basement in London with white walls and white floors.
living room - mygreatjeemail
Photography by Elina Pasok
This is an example of a retro basement in London.
Moroccan tray - purplenutmeg
This clever, space-making, drawer-based storage system makes use of that lost Bermuda triangle beneath the average staircase. An MDF base, delicately spray-coated with an off white finish brings a pure, classy look to dirty problem. The pull-out shelving provides a hidden home for unsightly objects like outdoor footwear and cleaning products.
Handles all at same level - mals17
Jacob Snavely
Inspiration for an expansive traditional fully buried basement in New York with grey walls, dark hardwood flooring and a ribbon fireplace.
Darker colours for media unit/wall - catherinetony_oneill
Joe Tighe
Inspiration for a large traditional look-out basement in Chicago with blue walls and no fireplace.
Design ideas for a large classic fully buried basement in New York with beige walls, laminate floors, no fireplace and grey floors.
Column and bar idea - candytrigg
BTW Images
This is an example of a classic basement in DC Metro.
Design ideas for a large classic basement in Salt Lake City with light hardwood flooring, no fireplace and brown floors.
basement - noel_kasembe