Northshore Home magazine highlights the best in architectural design, new construction and renovations, interiors, and landscape design.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1206063
36 WINTER 2020 vignettes nshoremag.com/nshorehome/ W HEN A PROFESSIONAL COUPLE APPROACHED interior designer Barbara Elza Hirsch of Elza B. Design about finishing their home's lowest level, they were looking for a comfortable, inviting family room space. What they got was a multipurpose retreat for both adults and kids that accommodates relaxing but is also perfect for games, movies, wine tastings, parties, and more. "It was the only unfinished part of the house when we bought it," explains the homeowner. "When people think of basements, they think of something dark and uninviting with a low ceiling. But our lot slopes back towards wetlands, and our basement has 10 feet of clearance and four windows. It opens up to the back- yard with a slider and gets a lot of light. In some ways, it feels more like a ground floor," she elaborates. Having owned a historic 1890s carriage house previ- ously, the owners were not new to home improvement projects. But for this challenging area, and already busy with a second grader and kindergartner, they decided that an interior designer's guidance would be invalu- Pops of pink enliven the space. able in terms of ensuring a cohesive style and providing problem solving along the way. "My goal was to make it really colorful and warm," says Hirsch, who tackled not only the space planning but also the lighting, flooring, tile, cabinetry, and paint color selections. She started with a neutral base: Sherwin-Williams' "Repose Gray" on the walls and dark gray 12- by 24-inch porcelain tiles for the floor. ("They have a little sparkle in them," she notes of the tiles.) Dark grey wool carpet with a chunky loop pile on the stairs prefaces the soothing palette. To start, the L-shaped level was bare bones, with just a completed half bath and cement slab. Within the L, Hirsch was able to carve out three distinct destinations: HIGH-LOW DESIGN THIS BASEMENT TRANSFORMATION PROVES THAT HIGH STYLE CAN APPLY TO LOW SPACES. By Jennifer Sperry Photographs by Jared Kuzia