Basement of the Week: Games, Guests and Ship-Shape Storage in Toronto

Interior designer Karen Sealy has spent a lot of time on boats, which served her well when it came time to finish the basement of her small Toronto bungalow. She approached the space like it was a ship's cabin, integrating entertaining and relaxing spaces with much-needed storage, while remaining mindful of every square inch. (She even has a couple of wine chillers tucked underneath the Ping-Pong table.) A game room is a place where she can let loose, and an elegant laundry room keeps doing the wash from feeling like a chore.

Sealy's basement was unfinished when she bought the home. The garage was under the house, so she integrated that space into the rest of the basement to secure more living area.

The former garage is now a brightly colored game room. Playing off the brilliant blue Ping-Pong table, Sealy added a bright green racing stripe that travels up the wall and across the ceiling. "A game room should be fun and filled with energy," she says.


"I love multipurpose solutions," Sealy says. For example, she replaced the legs of the Ping-Pong table with Ikea Expedit shelves and two wine refrigerators. The table is hinged, so she can flip up the top and stash her luggage in the central area underneath.

A custom Lite-Brite plays up the blue and green accent colors.


The room has a vibrant color palette and relaxed style. Sealy grounded it with gray and augmented that with blue and green accent colors. Metal shelf brackets play off the shiny finish on the bar stools.

In addition to Ping-Pong and board games, Sealy and her friends also enjoy rocking some karaoke in here.


A simple MDF shelf was treated to a metallic finish; it provides a perch for Ping-Pong spectators and their beverages.


On the opposite side of the room, a long ottoman (just out of view on the left side of the end table) and a few chairs provide additional seating for gatherings.


Rather than fighting the room's low (7-foot, 4-inch) ceilings and the awkwardly long, narrow shape of the lounge, Sealy went with them. She had an oversize sectional custom built right into the space.

"Every single person who visits this room says, 'You are never going to get me out of here!'" Sealy exclaims. "This is a room that just hugs you; you just want to jump on the huge sofa, snuggle into the pillows and watch movies."

The art pieces are backlit 1960s slides that a former boyfriend's father shot in Times Square, put on sheets of Duratrans and mounted on light boxes. Sealy had lighting installed behind them to light up very specific portions of each image.


When the custom bolsters are removed, the sofa rivals a king-size bed in size, letting the room serve as a guest room. (There is a teak wet room down here as well.) The seats lift up to provide more storage space underneath.

"The fabric is like a faux brushed suede," Sealy says. "I didn't want to worry about spilling red wine or extra-buttery popcorn on it."

Adding to the movie-viewing experience is surround sound. Sealy has her entire home wired with speakers for all sorts of media.


Sealy is a sailor, and approached the small room like she would a sailboat's cabin. The sofa's arm has built-in storage for magazines and books, and a drawer for remotes.


In keeping with the sailboat theme, the drawer pulls are simple nautical brass.


An extensive system of mahogany built-ins resembles a teak unit on a sailing vessel.


Sealy needed the built-in cabinets around her desk to be 30 inches deep, to use them for storing out-of-season clothing like bulky winter coats. To get the scale of the desk right, she nestled it between the cabinets and placed cubbies with sliding doors along the rear. One side of the cabinets stores clothing; the other side stores board games and linens for the sectional sofa.


A builder's-grade register simply would not have done in the middle of all of this beautiful wood. This unique wooden grille has nautical flair.


Because her laundry room is open to the staircase — and thus the main entrance to the basement — it needed to be pleasing to look at. "If you're going to have an open laundry room, make sure you are going to be able to keep it neat," Sealy advises. Having a place to store everything is a big help. An elegant Carrara marble countertop over the machines inspires her to take care of folding on the spot.


The laundry room mixes very elegant, polished elements, like the Carrara marble counter and an intricate Moroccan glass backsplash, with rustic pieces, like wooden shelves and woven baskets. The tile was a splurge at about $120 per square foot, but Sealy squeezed it into the budget because she needed only a few square feet. "It makes a big design impact in such a small space," she says.

"Pairing these elegant elements with a weathered, reclaimed barn board shelf, rag rug and the baskets makes the room more approachable," she adds. "I love the tension created by this juxtaposition of polished and rough-hewn pieces."


Wicker drawers tucked underneath the staircase accommodate laundry supplies and linens. The hooks are for hanging delicates to dry; the wall behind the hooks is plastic laminate, to prevent mold or other surface damage.


The subtle stripe in the curtain frames the view, so that the eye is directed toward the garden and not toward the footpath at eye level below.

Sealy is quite the hostess and has put a lot of thought into making her basement space fun and loungeworthy, and a place that serves all of her storage needs. If you like her style, be sure to check out her patio.

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