The bar is perfect for entertainment great and small.  By building the bar into the side of the free-standing stairwell, Kresge Contacting made the area into a hub of the basement.  The bar helps integrate the stairwell, beams, and ductwork - the fluted columns cleverly incorporate the steel support columns.

The owners were attracted to the open great room of this Powell home. It afforded entertaining opportunities and was spacious & inviting to guests and their children's friends. But noise traveled unhampered within the kitchen, living areas, and the second floor of the house. Nintendo and the evening news soon vied for attention, and the clients realized something had to change.

The answer was to turn the unfinished basement into an entertainment area and an everyday kids' retreat. Their wish list included a multimedia area, bar, full bath, game table, Nintendo center, and putting green. Obstacles to overcome were that pesky central stairwell that bisected the space, bare ductwork hanging from the ceilings, and those intermittent skinny steel support posts.

Kresge Contracting, Inc. used the stairwell to define the living spaces, without losing the open feeling that the clients favored. The ductwork and steel posts became architectural interest when enclosed with uniquely curved soffits and fluted wooden columns. The soffits also subtly divided the two halves of the basement - one devoted to entertainment (with the pool table and putting green) and the other devoted to relaxation (with two sitting areas, a desk, and the entertainment center).

We incorporated the bar into the central stairwell and oriented it toward the entertainment area, while the bathroom and Nintendo play station straddled the line between the two spaces. A soundproofed ceiling keeps basement noise out of the rest of the house - and noise from the rest of the house out of the basement.

Lighting was also a concern. The 1,500 sq.ft. of finished area had only two small windows, and the clients did not like the depressing artificiality of many basement lighting schemes. We solved the problem by combining a variety of lighting sources - task and general lighting - to achieve a natural look.