Second Wind : Basement Media Room

I've recently had a couple of requests from client's to create cozy media rooms.

For movie lovers, the perfect setup is critical to enhance the movie watching experience.

But it's also a space where people are entertaining more often in a casual environment and want to accommodate larger groups on occasion (the overflow party room, as it were).

This particular client is a young professional that recently purchased a newly built town home and is on a tight budget to furnish the entire space. Most of the funds will go to the main floor living and dining spaces. The media room will be set up in the above-ground basement in a relatively small space about 13'x13'. So, I have my work cut out for me!

It has a nice wood floor, wooden staircase and a bathroom finished in black tiles with a light brown zebra wood cabinet. I'm going to work within this palette to create a cohesive space and keep it contemporary.

He wants a modern rustic vibe in this space, so I will be sticking with a black and white palette with hits of reclaimed wood, some metals, and blue/grey accents.

This is the casual feeling we are going for.

I also have to work with the existing black leather theater seating -

not my favourite, but the client spent a lot of money on a sofa that looks something like this

In this basement like most, the ceilings are lower than the rest of the home. We have about 7 1/2 feet in the middle, with less under the bulkheads around the perimeter of the room.

There are some design tricks that help give the illusion of height and I'll be using them all.

Firstly,we'll be doing a birch forest effect on the walls in a grey and white look with a stencil.

We are doing a stencil instead of wallpaper because the client may be moving in 1-2 years and we don't want to turn off any potential buyers with the prospect of having to remove wallpaper if they don't like it (something to consider if you are redecorating with selling in mind).

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On the floors, we'll place a large area rug in sisal or wool to warm up the space. Something with texture but no pattern, in a neutral grey/taupe. Maybe a dark border.

For furnishings, I will bring in a reclaimed wood tables.

The glass top on this coffee table helps the piece feel a bit lighter and more airy in the space.

I love the texture on this side table (below) with chopped wood pieces.

we may be able to squeeze in one or two extra chairs in the plan

The classic Ikea Poang armchair fits the budget and
is comfortable enough for TV watching yet compact and streamlined for this small space.
This medium brown finish with grey fabric works well with the vibe of this room.

A large sliding patio door will be covered in a rich cobalt blue velvet drape from floor to ceiling to create that vertical line that helps make the room feel taller.

Not only will it add a lovely hit of colour to the room, but the fabric will absorb sound, which is good for the accoustics in a media room. The lined fabric will also provide added warmth while blocking out any light while movie watching.

There is a small nook in one corner of the room that has just enough space for a Bar Area.

I like using a cabinet with doors (or drawers) for extra storage of bottles, bar gadgets, napkins, candles, or munchies. I will style the top with a tray of glasses, an ice bucket and a few bar essentials. Above will be some open shelves or a large mirror.