The McGee Home Basement: The Kitchenette & Fireplace Area

Designing our basement was all about space planning.

Before our new family hang-out spot was filled with cozy furniture and pretty details, we had an unfinished, open-concept area that we used as the interview set for our Netflix show, Dream Home Makeover. We wanted to be sure we used the space as intentionally as possible, so we divided it into a few main sections. In the center of the area, we focused on creating a cozy lounge area with a big projector screen for family movie nights. Then came the kitchenette, fireplace, and game area.  

This space went through a few iterations before we settled on how it is now, and we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. Complete with a chic kitchenette, a cozy fireplace and seating area, and the kid’s favorite detail: the air hockey table, this part of our basement is one of our most frequented and enjoyed.  

We’d like to thank our friends at Killowen Construction, Killowen Cabinet Co., Kohler, Bedrosians, Lemco Design, and McGee & Co. for helping us bring this space to life!

We love a kitchenette in a basement, and although we didn’t need a full kitchen, we liked the idea of having a small area where we could keep our favorite snacks and drinks. Plus, we’ll take any excuse to design a space with some of our favorite elements — natural wood, veined marble, and timeless brass accents. 

With help from Killowen Construction and Killowen Cabinet Co., we incorporated custom-stained wood cabinetry to match the white-oak look of the floors and added a Kerfed wood detail to the front. Burnished brass hardware adds an elevated touch and ties in the pendant above our card table. 

“Although we have a more subtle marble upstairs in our kitchen, we went bold in the kitchenette with a heavily veined slab that adds so much movement and contrast."

- Shea McGee

One of our favorite details in the entire basement is this beautiful marble slab we found at Rock Solid Granite, Utah. Although we have a more subtle marble upstairs in our kitchen, we went bold in the kitchenette with a heavily veined slab that adds so much movement and contrast. 

We centered the kitchenette with this really beautiful faucet from Kohler. The coil detail combined with the magnet set and sprayer on the end brings the ultimate function, and I love how the finish ties in so nicely with our hardware. 

A floating marble shelf holds a mix of a few of our favorite McGee & Co. and vintage accessories and adds visual balance to the vignette. Killowen Construction helped us figure out how to mount the marble shelf on the stone by adding pretty brass brackets for support, and we love how it adds an element of jewelry to the look. 

Fun fact: we didn’t love the screws that came with the brackets, so we actually ordered brass buttons online from a craft store, modified them, and super glued them on top, so you don’t see any fasteners when you look at the shelves. Our friend Tyler from Killowen Construction, who you might recognize from Dream Home Makeover, ended up gluing quite a few of those buttons to his fingers in the process but deems it well worth it. 

We love designing secret or hidden doors whenever we can, and we dreamed up plans with Killowen Cabinet Co. to do a custom design for this space. 

Fully integrated refrigerator doors on our cabinetry match the hidden pantry door that swings back to house a storage closet filled with decor extras and a few of our kid’s toys. We didn’t want anyone to look at it and be able to tell a difference between the cabinet and the door, so on the other side there is some cool hardware that makes it easy to operate without a knob! 

“When you have a large hang-out space in a basement like we do in this area, round tables are the perfect way to add in some function.”

- Shea McGee

When you have a large hang-out space in a basement like we do in this area, round tables are the perfect way to add in some function. Perfect for playing card games, eating, or sitting around with friends, round tables add some shape while keeping the room pathways open. 

While we initially had a game table in front of the fireplace, we ended up moving it to open it up a little bit more. Two boucle swivel chairs add texture and coziness to this little nook and accentuate the beautiful marble mantel. This beautifully veined marble comes from the same slab as the backsplash in our kitchen, and we added a little custom step detail on the profile for extra interest. 

Finally, the air hockey table on the back wall fills the space and is a new family favorite for game nights or a quick pre-dinner competition. A cozy hide rug adds some shape and warmth paired with a round upholstered ottoman and a charming vintage stool.