Basement
This Montreal Basement Gets Revamped Into A Dream Lounge
Photography, Maxime Desbiens.
Basement
This Montreal Basement Gets Revamped Into A Dream Lounge
Lavished in rich materials and enveloping hues, a revamped basement becomes equally inviting for the whole family.
Many a basement rec room has screened Hannah Montana. Fewer have been inspired by Hannah. When this Montreal homeowner hired designer Kimberly Watt to create a hangout in her unfinished basement for her kids (ages 14, 12 and 10), she wanted it to have youthful edge but also be timeless enough to age well. Along with other inspirational imagery, Kimberly’s vision board for the project featured dark denim, blue suede sneakers...and a dose of Miley Cyrus’s chic L.A. pad. Kimberly’s ideas resonated with the homeowner and they launched the year-long reno. They dug down to add 10 inches in height, put up walls to carve the 750 square feet into a lounge, laundry room, bathroom and mudroom, and layered in sleek furniture, smart storage and stylish accents
Warm greetings
Photography, Maxime Desbiens. DESIGN, Kimberly Watt Design. RUNNER, Ruggable. SCONCES, MIRROR, Wayfair. OTTOMAN, Élément de Base.
The mudroom at the foot of the red oak stairs acts as a hallway leading to the lounge and laundry room. Designer Kimberly Watt laid out its floor plan and cabinets around the home’s existing mechanicals to maximize square footage while avoiding the cost of moving equipment. Dyed black and varnished, the new, heated concrete floors are durable and eye catching. A runner by Iris Apfel and a curvy upholstered ottoman inject more colour. No one in the family was forgotten in this reno: a wee door lets Petey the Cat access his litter under the stairs.
Splash of colour
Photography, Maxime Desbiens. TILE, Italnord. CABINETRY, Cuisines Polyèdre. CABINET SURFACING, Sublime Collection. FAUCET, PMF Plumbing Supplies. ACCESSORIES, HomeSense.
Photography, Maxime Desbiens.
Alongside the pretty, arched doorway into the laundry room, each child has their own cubby (part of the mudroom’s large new storage units) for stashing school bags, outerwear and gear. Inside the laundry room, Kimberly made a splash by contrasting midnight blue cabinetry with glittery backsplash tiles the colour of tropical seas. Dark quartz counters won’t stain, and display shelves above allow for hits of decoration and keep counters uncluttered. A foldout drying rack is built in on the rear wall.
Photography, Maxime Desbiens.
“The key to a successful design with dark colours is to add reflective materials and decorative objects to create movement and light.”
Room for all
Photography, Maxime Desbiens. SOFA CONSTRUCTION, Élément de Base. RUG, PILLOWS, Renwil. ACCESSORIES, HomeSense.
Kimberly custom-designed the lounge’s double-sided sofa (shown opposite, bottom) so it can easily be reconfigured to form a king-size bed – a boon for kids’ sleepovers and visiting family alike. The unique sofa also neatly divides the space into two distinct zones: a movie, TV and gaming area (foreground), with the roomy chaise facing a wall-mounted screen, and a reading zone centred on the bar area and new electric fireplace (the homeowner also uses this area for working out).
Mood indigo
Photography, Maxime Desbiens. COUNTERTOPS, Technistone. BACKSPLASH TILES, Italnord. FIREPLACE, MIRROR, Wayfair. PORTRAIT, Yellow Korner. PAINTING, CB2.
To give the lounge captivating ambience, Kimberly wrapped it in denim-inspired blue greys. “When I go bold with a dark colour, I pull the thread right through, using dark finishes on most surfaces to make a space feel cozy, moody and cohesive,” she says. In the two bar nooks, mosaic-tile backsplashes and glassware on the floating shelves add hits of sparkle, and quartz countertops and white accessories introduce lightness to balance the blue. A portrait of Rihanna is a playful addition.
Switch hitter
Photography, Maxime Desbiens. TABLE, CB2. CHANDELIER, Union Lighting & Decor. VASES, Home-Sense. PHOTOGRAPH, Perigold.
The room’s marble-topped table wears many hats. It hosts homework, puzzles and pizza parties for the kids, holds hors d’oeuvres when Mom entertains, and is cleared off entirely for Ping-Pong matches – a net clamps onto the table and the stools tuck tidily underneath. A cheery photograph depicting a cliff diver ties in with other turquoise and terracotta accents Kimberly has dotted throughout the basement. Using interior glass doors lets light flow between spaces.
Clean sweep
Photography, Maxime Desbiens. TILE, Italnord. FAUCET, PMF Plumbing Supplies. MIRROR, Wayfair. SCONCES, CB2. VASES, HomeSense. RUG, Ruggable.
Inspired by Turkish hammams, the bright bathroom features a spacious shower with a built-in bench and multiple shower heads for leisurely bathing. Bright white tilework, inky cabinetry and gold accents have the crisp elegance of a tuxedo, while a graffiti-patterned rug introduces a youthful energy. Arched mirrors here and in the mudroom and living room weave this classic motif through the whole basement. “These are very squared-off spaces, so I softened them up with a few rounded edges,” Kimberly says.
Photography, Maxime Desbiens.
“The bathroom is elegant, so it ties into the rest of the space, but it also has a touch of cool factor with the graffiti-design rug.”
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