This 50’s diner inspired familyroom was lots of fun to develop. We worked with a designer and some of our favourite local Edmonton vendors to source the materials for this job and in the end, we were able to make the vision of a 50’s diner in their basement, a reality for this homeowner.
This space started out as basically a blank canvas – it was a large, finished room with a gas fireplace. There was a significant amount of work involved to bring this job together, often times the biggest costs and time involved aren’t in the things you see, it’s what you don’t! We had to run plumbing over to the wet bar area, install a sump pit, custom build and install the gas fireplace, and we also had to modify and rerun electrical to accommodate the kitchen area and televisions.
When we started bringing this vision to life, we had to balance some of the really important design elements, like the black and white tile which was so popular during that time period, with what is practical. Ceramic tile in a basement familyroom, although beautiful and durable, would have been freezing cold. So, we went with a 12×12 vinyl tile for this job which has the same look as ceramic tile but is much warmer and comfortable to walk on.
We also built some extra cabinetry in a gloss white finish along these walls to give the homeowners lots of storage options.
Nothing says 50’s diner like glossy red cabinets and appliances! We custom built these in our Edmonton shop and added some chrome hardware to complete the look. There is ample storage, wine rack, and the countertop is edged in stainless steel.
One feature of this basement that we’re really proud of, is how we hid the sump pump! Any guesses? It is under the gas fireplace! This basement had a history of water issues, so we really wanted to make sure we addressed that so there are no more issues going forward, and one of these solutions was to install a sump pit. We dug the pit, installed the sump pump and then custom built the fireplace around the sump pump, complete with a door for maintenance access.
