Rustic Refined Basement

 An area that’s comfortable for two high-schoolers and their college-age sibling to hang out in yet polished enough to mesh with the 4,300-square-foot Brecksville colonial’s interiors: That’s what the homeowners requested in finishing their basement. 

“When they had adults over, they didn’t want it to look like a playland,” says Interior Design Studio owner Katie Heinz.   

She responded by transforming a portion into a secondary living space finished in rustic-yet-refined transitional decor complete with interesting architectural details and finishes. She describes the spot that’s way too tricked out to be called a rec room.

Wine display: The couple needed more storage than two wine refrigerators under the bar could provide. “We wanted something unique, an art piece,” Heinz adds. She hung four 72-by-20-inch sycamore planks, each outfitted with metal hardware to hold eight bottles, on one bar wall.

Wall panels: Heinz added interest to one long seating-area wall by installing a trio of stacked-travertine-ledgestone panels framed by reclaimed wooden barn siding. She hung a flat-screen TV in the center panel, wrought-iron sconces in two narrow panels flanking it. Inspiration came from the trim she’d seen in old movie theaters. “I just didn’t want to slap a TV in the middle of this wall,” she says.

Linear fireplace: The basement wasn’t constructed with the intention of adding a fireplace. Heinz compensated by putting an electric unit in a lounge-area wall. Although this one doesn’t provide heat, it was an easy way to add the ambiance of a fireplace. “There’s not a lot of framing that has to be done,” she says. “You just need a plug and a switch.”

Bar: She topped the refined rustic feature in kiln-dried live-edge sycamore treated and sealed to stand up to spills, then faced it in quarter-inch-thick chocolate-brown leather tile. “[The tile] was chosen for durability,” Heinz says. “But it has a great appearance and finished look.”