Fenwick Basement Build....the Servery, the Laundry Room, the Custom Bar and more

The basement is almost done and I had to stop barrelling forth in order to do some of the custom work. You can see first round of pics here. Updates on:

The Servery

This is in the Servery. I had to bump out this wall 4 inches in order to accommodate the furnace vent pipe, this allowed me to build these custom alcoves. Why three?? Why not two or four?? Three is a very popular number that has made it's way into every aspect of the world's culture from religion to design. The basic idea of the rule - information and objects that appear in three are more appealing. Think rule of thirds in photographs and paintings. Think three act plays. Think fairy tales - The Three Blind Mice, The Three Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Religious Triptychs - The Christian Holy Trinity, The Hindu Trimurti, The Three Jewels of Buddhism. Mottos - Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite. Veni, Vidi, Vici and of course, Wilde North's Design, Build, Decorate.

The recessed puck lights elevate the space and will serve to illuminate whatever the home owner chooses to display within.

In the Servery, I did not want a bank of cabinets as this is not going to be a full fledged kitchen, but a space to rinse a cup or two, and reheat food or make a microwave popcorn without having to leave what's on screen and go up a flight of stairs to the main kitchen. I suggested having only two cabinets, one at either end with and open space between them where bar stools will be placed. This makes the space multifunctional. At the far left resides a fridge and the adjacent cabinet will hide the microwave oven.

The Counter Top as well is custom. We used hardwood flooring strips that was left over from the home owner's main floor flooring project. The wood will be sanded to remove the coating, and then stained and lacquered.

The Main / TV Room

The space as it stands. The pillar visible in the first picture will be covered by a pillar kit. Pot lights line the ceiling and are spaced out to provide even illumination. The TV area is still to be worked on. I mentioned that I needed a creative solution for this space and I have a plan that I am working through. Stay tuned for more pictures on this space.

The Laundry Room

The laundry room was to be unfinished in the original plan. However the homeowner wanted no unfinished walls to remind her of the original space. The space was framed, insulated, drywalled and painted. We installed a new laundry sink. I also installed a full length cleat behind and to the right of the laundry pair. This was the support for the countertop. An extendible leg from Ikea provided the one support at the left of the pair. The corner was rounded to prevent damage to the countertop as well as to soft tissue that humans are made of. The countertop is essential in my view as this prevents stuff from falling behind the machines as well as a handy surface for folding clothes. I added the alcove as an afterthought to store laundry items. This one is purely practical. A simple wrap around shelving unit will complete the space.

The Custom Bar

And finally, what I believe will work out quite well, is the "Little Bar under the Stairs". I conceptualized this while getting a feel of the space. I wanted to do something unusual in a space that was rather challenging on account of the stairs. The wine bottle rack fills up an oft forgotten space, below which will stand a cabinet that will roll out to allow access to the crawl space beneath the stairs. Under the stairs will be shelves to hold glasses. I wish I could explain it properly, but it all resides in my head for now. A bar under the stairs....... Harry Potter would be so proud. Now that he's all growed up. If Ginny allowed him the occasional libation of course.

Stay tuned for final pictures in the upcoming weeks. This one is going to be good.

Dhiraj.