The $1,000 Basement

Grab a drink, dim the lights. It's showtime in this Connecticut basement that was dramatically transformed by a DIYing movie buff on a budget.

- JODY GARLOCK

Spaces below ground provide universal design challenges like little to no natural light and fixed structural elements, but these intrepid homeowners were undeterred. Interior designer Ryan Rabuska had a refined vision for the basement of his Wolcott, CT, home. He imagined a swanky lounge for watching movies with his fiancé, Jeff Pelletier. “We figured since there were no windows, we might as well lean into the dark,” Ryan says of the space he transformed with gallons of paint, yards of velvet curtains, and plenty of DIY ingenuity.

Ryan Rabuska, shown left with Jeff Pelletier, spent six hours and used 5 gallons of paint to spray the basement. He hung 10 curtain panels from three rods to “build” the wall.

The carpet on the bar didn’t make the cut, but the bar’s base and legs did. Ryan used PVC pipes, cut in half vertically, to mimic a metal detail. The checkered floor pattern was made with a DIY cardboard template and concrete paint.