Interior Design

Category: Basment

  • The Top 10 Basements of 2026

    A basement is a bonus space for many homeowners. And what better use for extra room than something fun and entertaining? If you’re looking for ways to create a lively basement. You’ll find ideas for watching movies with the family, playing table tennis or pool, hosting a Scrabble match or even teeing off for a round of virtual golf.

     

    10. Textural Treat

    Wavy 3D wall panels add texture near an indoor pool in this luxe Toronto basement by Design Therapy. An eclectic mix of fabrics punches up a low-slung sectional sofa, while a circular coffee table picks up on the movement in the wall panels.

    9. Movie Night Meetup

    A projector and a large screen make this Boston-area basement the ultimate spot for family movie night. Pingpong and a foosball tables make it ideal for game night too. Jan Gleysteen Architects also worked in a kitchen and bar near the staircase.

    8. Laid-Back Lodge

    This beautiful lower level of a large Minnesota river lodge built by John Kraemer & Sons features a spacious open area with tight-weave carpet that supports a wealth of fun table games. Rich wood beams and other wood details give the space strong rustic style.

    7. Golfer’s Getaway

    In this Denver-area basement by Thomas Sattler Homes, the homeowners can virtually play 18 holes of golf. When they’re done, they can mosey over to a well-appointed bar for a cocktail or an Arnold Palmer.

    6. Light-and-Dark Lounge

    Veining in the quartz bar top inspired a dramatic color palette in this Naperville, Illinois, basement. Interior designer Christie Kenny pulled out charcoal and white to create sharp contrast and a cool lounge vibe. The long room contains three hangout areas: a seating area near a fireplace, a TV lounge and a kitchen.

    5. Welcoming Warmth

    One of the biggest basement design conundrums is whether to keep rafters, wires, pipes and ducts exposed or sacrifice ceiling height to cover them up. Design-build firm J.S. Brown & Co. kept the ceiling exposed in this Worthington, Ohio, basement and mitigated the raw look with a warm slatted-wood TV surround and a rich brown leather sectional, creating a welcoming living area.

    4. Fresh Feature Wall

    In this St. Michael, Minnesota, basement by construction2style, gray shiplap makes a large TV recede from view when not in use. Light wood floating shelves and media cabinets draw the eye away from the black rectangle too. A tall console table doubles as a bar, with stools for extra seating.

    3. Layered Lair

    Interior designer Erica Peale used a similar strategy with this Arlington, Virginia, basement media wall, done in a dark gray-blue. Layers of textures, including shiplap, jute, wood, leather, wool and chenille, cozy up the space and create a rich materials palette.

    2. Scrabble Space

    This Milwaukee basement by Deep River Partners includes a media room and an exercise room, but this spot for Scrabble in the middle of a gaming area drew a lot of attention. With its large Scrabble wall board and Scrabble tile-inspired pillows, this happy place gets a high score.

    1. Family Fun

    The Denver space, designed by Ejay Interiors, has a stylish conversation area, a beverage bar, a cozy reading nook under the stairs and a pingpong table.

  • The 10 Most Popular Basements of 2026

    Basement renovations pose a specific set of challenges — low ceilings, a lack of natural light, egress requirements, utility storage, awkward ductwork and more. But Houzz designers and builders have met these challenges head-on, and the results are beyond the wildest of basement dreams. Here’s a countdown of the 10 most-saved basement photos of 2019. See if any of these popular designs can inspire your home plans.

     

     

    10. Contemporary Yet Cozy

    In this San Diego basement, the architects at Oasis Architecture & Design took advantage of the space beneath the stairs, transforming it into a C-shaped reading nook. The abstract mural’s horizontal lines emphasize length rather than height. And the pool cue rack integrated into the TV wall had many Houzzers taking notes as they saved this photo to their ideabooks.

     

    9. Beachy and Breezy

    A deep window well allowed for full-size windows in this basement in Alexandria, Virginia. Architect Laura Campbell played off the increase in natural light, infusing the room with a light, beachy style. Using tans and creams, rather than white, tones down coastal crispness for something warmer.

     

    8. Industrial Chic

    Platinum Design Build gave this Atlanta basement chic industrial style with exposed brick walls, caged light fixtures and accents of metal and wood. And painting the rafters allowed the designers to keep the ceiling as high as possible while sprucing up its look.

    7. Marked by Stunning Millwork

    Well-planned built-ins and other feats of carpentry make this Chicago-area basement a stunner. Bookshelves, cabinet doors with grilles, deep drawers for storage and handsome columns are just a few of the special custom touches designed and crafted by the team of Two Hands Interiors and De Groot Construction.

    6. Refined Rustic

    Cool gray-blues paired with wood textures give this Chicago basement a refined rustic-meets-industrial look. Reclaimed wood walls and furnishings of leather and hide bring in rustic elements while metallic finishes add shine. Beautiful upholstery elevates the entire space.

    5. Cozy Cabin Style

    Cushy leather sofas, plaid pillows, wood barn doors and a reclaimed wood accent wall give cozy cabin style to this Minneapolis basement by Mark D. Williams Custom Homes. Box beams on the ceiling make sense of the challenges posed by soffits and ductwork (a common issue in basement spaces). And well-planned built-ins keep media equipment, games and books organized.

    4. Rock ’n’ Roll Entertainment Space

    A Boston-area couple was craving a place to entertain friends on casual nights, complete with a pool table, a bar with wine storage and a home theater. So interior designer Kelly McGuill lightened up their existing red walls with white paint and redesigned the space. The new bar area contains a tall wine fridge and floor-to-ceiling wine racks. McGuill plucked the photographs of musicians from the homeowners’ art collection. “The basement is a real rock ’n’ roll space,” McGuill told Houzz.

    3. A Bright Underground Space

    A TV lounge, office space, a full kitchen and a full remodel of the existing 1970s bathroom were all on this Toronto couple’s basement remodel wish list. The creative team at Level Studio gave them a clean contemporary space, inspired by midcentury modern design and warmed by organic textures and colors. The accent wall, sculptural shelves and the green sofa were all a big hit with Houzz users.

    2. A Spot for a Soak

    This Chevy Chase, Maryland, basement has a workout space, so when planning a renovation for the adjacent bathroom, designer Jennifer Gilmer suggested a teak Japanese bathtub for post-workout soaks. The family wholeheartedly agreed, and the style of the tub inspired the rest of the basement bathroom’s design. This includes the teak shower floor and shelving as well as wavy 3D wall tiles. The result is a Japanese Zen-inspired respite.

     
    1. A Sports Fan’s Dream

    Sports were No. 1 when it came to designing this Northern Virginia rec room. It has three large-screen TVs for watching games or playing video games simultaneously. And for the non-spectators, there’s tabletop shuffleboard and lots of places to play board games or cards. The room is also set up for some put-the-TVs-on-mute conversation. And for serving beverages — off to the right, Metro Building and Remodeling built a bar complete with a sink, wine fridge, beer fridge, ice maker and dishwasher.

    Another element that can be tricky in a basement is flooring. The flooring seen here and in many of the other spaces in this roundup is a great option — it looks like hardwood flooring but is actually basement-friendly, low-maintenance, easy-to-install luxury vinyl tile.