Following three decades of living in their new home, this Georgia family had an upgrade: The toddlers had grown into lively kiddos, and they all wanted for more room for family fun and fun.

They contacted builder John Willis Homes to revive the house, and he brought in Jeff Thomas to plan the space and design the inside. The natural beauty of the home’s yard instantly inspired Thomas to create a design which connected with the outside, literally and stylistically.

Basement at a Glance
Who lives here: A few with a 5-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son
Location: Atlanta
Size: About 2,000 square feet

John Willis Homes

The center of the new fantasy basement is a cozy living room and fully equipped bar; the room now opens out to the lawn. New steel beams added structural support, which makes the wide-open space potential.

“The first time I saw the home, I was struck by how amazing their backyard was,” Thomas says. “It really inspired me to present them with a resort-style design for the space that brought the outdoors in and mixed the spaces.”

John Willis Homes

The basement living room outside is extended by A terrace. Thomas thought carefully about how to link the two spaces with substances too. He used the same rock that’s on the outside of the home through the basement, on the bar, around a fireplace and also in a wall of built-ins.

Folding glass doorways: NanaWall

John Willis Homes

Pool table: Treviso in Espresso, Brunswick Billiards

John Willis Homes

The room is filled with fun activities for adults and kids; Thomas planned room for a shuffleboard game and a pool table.

John Willis Homes

A massive wine cellar was a big-ticket thing on the couple’s wish list. The room retains 1,000 bottles in an assortment of racks which break up the room with horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines.

Glass doors offer you a view of the wine cellar from the primary living area. Thomas chose black walnut timber accents and rock to match the landscape and complement the substances in the remaining portion of the basement. “The terrace floor has been used in the wine cellar to place the continuity of their exterior and interior finishes,” Thomas says.

John Willis Homes

“We added an additional natural finish of wood on the walls,” he states. “We then used crisp, clean paint finishes and furnishings for comparison.”

The media room is a cozy, enclosed space, improved by ceiling runner beams. The family loves many movie nights in front of the projection display.

John Willis Homes

Georgia’s mild climate allows the family to enjoy the new outdoor space nearly year-round. Thus far they’ve used their new basement and terrace to sponsor birthday and game-day parties, al fresco dinners, backyard cocktail parties and wine tastings — not to mention enjoying it for everyday movie viewing and relaxing in the backyard.

Have a fantastic basement redo? We’d really like to see a picture!

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