When we first moved into our century home, the basement was in rough shape. (I shared photos and details about the renovation of the main basement living space here.) In this post, I want to share the renovation we completed in the other areas of the basement. Keep reading below for an overview of our basement bar renovation and bathroom addition.
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Overview
The original bar took up a lot of space and included a ‘front bar,’ ‘back bar,’ and under bar sink area. It was in really rough shape. The countertops were hunter green laminate and the shelving was very dated. It was a very large space. We ultimately decided to reduce the footprint of the bar to allow us to add a half bath. There weren’t any bathrooms on the basement level and we planned to do a lot of movie watching in this space, so it made sense for us.
The first step, like in the rest of the basement, was demolition. We had a team come in and tear out everything; even the back wall which butted up to the sump pump room. A lot of prep work had to be done in this space. First, plumbing had to be added for the new half bath. The existing bar plumbing also had to be moved to accommodate our new design. The floor also had to be leveled.
Once these tasks were completed, our contractor, Woodworks Design, was able to build the walls to frame out the bar and bathroom spaces. As with the main part of the basement, we largely left the ceilings untouched other than to paint the exposed pipes to match the ceiling color. We added a bathroom vent fan with a light and some recessed lights above the bathroom and bar sinks. Our designer chose recessed lighting due to the already low ceilings in the space.
The bathroom design
The design of the bathroom ended up being based on the ‘Best Friend’ dog wallpaper that was suggested by our designer. We were generally reluctant to use wallpaper because it is very polarizing, but felt that it was a fun touch to put in a small space. With the wallpaper in mind, we chose to add paneling to the bottom-half of the walls. We felt that this helped to make the wallpaper a bit less overwhelming. We used the trim color from the rest of the house for the bathroom trim and paneling.
From there, our designer chose complimentary floor tile and finishes from Pottery Barn (including the mirror, towel rack, toilet paper holder, and vanity hardware). Our designer also worked with our contractor to design a custom vanity to fit the exact dimensions and style of the bathroom.
Information on bathroom finishes
- The trim paint color is SW 7011 Natural Choice
- The Best Friend dog wallpaper in black and white is by Thibaut
- The NTEKLIN1224 Tektile 12″x24″ Rectangle Floor Tile in matte grey is from MSI
- The vanity was custom made by Woodworks Design
- The Frances Bathroom Hardware including the towel ring and toilet paper holder is from Pottery Barn
- The bronze Kensington Pivot mirror is from Pottery Barn
- The bronze Boulevard Knobs on the vanity are from Pottery Barn
The bar design
Our designer came up with a really fun concept for the bar. First, she recommended that we paint the cabinets a dark navy blue. This is a color that we have pops of all around our house. Our contractor created custom cabinets designed exactly for the space. From there, our designer picked out cool hexagon tile, open walnut shelving, grey stone countertops, and fun cabinet hardware from Restoration Hardware.
We decorated this space with matching decanters (see how I labeled them here), a set of vintage low ball glasses (an estate sale find), a bowl for popcorn, and a bar tool set. We keep our air popper in one of the drawers and frequently make popcorn for movie nights. Although the bar color is a bit unconventional, we felt that it brought a bit of color and interest to an otherwise very neutral room.
Information on bar finishes
- The custom cabinets are painted SW 2739 Charcoal Blue
- The Alight faucet in matte black is from Moen
- The hexagonal ceramic tile in texture silver sea used for the back splash is from Marca Corona’s 1741 line
- The floating walnut shelves were custom made
- The 6” Bronze Helmsley Pulls on the cabinets are from Restoration Hardware
- The white popcorn bowl from Anthropologie is no longer available but I found a similar ones here and here
- The leather bar tool set from Williams and Sonoma is no longer available but I found similar ones here and here
We are so happy with how these spaces turned out. I feel like they both add character without being too out of place in our 100-year-old home. These spaces serve our needs well and are great for entertaining. What do you think of these spaces? Have you done any major renovations in your home?
I am so glad you visited us at Jack and Bax. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter (sign up available either on the right sidebar or at the bottom of the page). And please follow me on Instagram and Facebook so that you don’t miss any of my upcoming projects!
