What’s Your Flex Zone?

Imagine a basement space where there’s room to work, to play, to exercise and to chill. Now create it! Your lower level can provide a way to enjoy all of your family’s pastimes and passions. To begin, identify how you want to use the space and shop with an eye to multifunctionality. A lower level accommodating a work-from-home desk that serves double-duty as a family games table: How cool! A space that functions as both home office and kid’s craft centre? That’s the idea!

Create a Workout Space at Home

Wellbeing is a family priority so renovating to add an exercise room makes sense. Whether you’re carving out a corner for your yoga mat or need to accommodate a complete set of equipment including a treadmill and kettlebells, there’s a way to include a home gym in any space. Check out our How to Build a Home Gym Guide for advice, tips and motivation!

Furniture Selection: Multipurpose is the Mission

A basement reno can truly multiply your livable space. Take the home office as an example. The essential elements that make it efficient – a generously sized table, ample storage and comfortable flooring – are also key to creating a great family-time zone. Add bench seating, snacks and a puzzle or board game and the fun begins.

Colour by Design

Employ paint to differentiate activity zones when your flex-space basement is more open concept. Demarcate a kid zone with a soft neutral grey (Timeless DR54-0) and then add pops of colour to personalize the space. Colour the office area in a slighter deeper grey (A Little Bit of Soul DR115-0) to inspire calm and focus. And for the adjoining workout area, a relaxation-inducing charcoal in the same family defines the space and mindset.

Work From Home, Play From Home

Simple bifold doors not only help establish a healthy work-from-home routine – close them and you’re done for the day! – but they can also do double duty as a canvas for kid creativity. Covered with chalkboard paint, a double-door installation becomes a wall that can host an ever-changing gallery of artwork, stories and games. Let the fun begin!

Inspired Home Collection: The Ultimate Resource

Indoors and outdoors, upstairs and down, use our Inspired Home library to guide you through all of your home improvement and project plans. Consider it a toolkit of idea-sparking articles, design and décor styling advice, DIY projects and how-to videos, plus handy buying guides to help you along your journey.