Photos: White Label Visuals | Chelsie Lopez
A basement remodel by Moonstone Design & Build brings effortless elegance and functionality.
With a showstopping Lake Elmo lower-level remodel, Moonstone Design & Build shows that even the oft-forgotten spaces of the home can become favorites.
As homeowners Alicia and Paul Hanson chipped away at renovations of their cookie-cutter new build, they hoped to create a lower-level space that was both sporty and organic, uniquely suited for every member of the family.
Now, the space satisfies all that a lower level requires and more, including a dry bar, game nook, gym and living space. But with an organic color palette, expansive textural design and high-end finishes, the basement has become a treasured part of the home. “One of the goals was to make it feel like it was on the main level,” says Lidia Valdivia, founder of Moonstone Design & Build.
A focal point of the design is a statement-making dry bar with a quartzite slab backsplash and countertop. The flagstone arch over the bar matches the fireplace on the main level. “We were looking for ways to make them blend,” Alicia says.
Framed jerseys in the entertainment area add a personal touch to the space, achieving the “sports bar” energy the homeowners were looking for.
The living space is full of character, with adorned floating wood shelves, framed sports jerseys and a foosball table, and is made especially distinctive by the addition of a lush, oversized pink couch. “It’s definitely a conversation piece that felt personal to the homeowners,” Valdivia says. “It brings a pop of color against a palette of whites and browns.” Here, the Moonstone team also put special attention on the walls, where vertical texture is achieved with a limewash finish, complemented by high, neutral curtains and a black-slatted TV wall.
The bar features a quartz slab for the countertop and arched backsplash and is framed by contrasting flagstone.
Sculptural statements and textural variations in the bathroom elevate the space well beyond cookie-cutter. A veined marble sink from Turkey is one of Valdivia’s favorite features of the entire project. “It’s a showstopper for sure,” she says. With an arched, fluted glass shower wall, brass finishes, pebbled floors and plastered walls in Roman clay, there is a layered complexity that feels anything but busy. Valdivia draws attention to another unique element—shared tiles on the bathroom’s floor and shower walls are distinctive in their layout, achieving both a dynamic and complementary appearance.
In the bathroom, a neutral color palette belies a world of character. The marble sink is complemented with brass fixtures and a slim sconce. The Roman clay plastered walls and vintage artwork add personality and timelessness to the new space.
For Valdivia, this basement remodel is unlike any she’s ever done, and the result feels effortless. “This project challenged me to think outside the box on the design,” she says. “The design was really fun, and
it came together rather quickly and felt very rewarding.”
The Hansons couldn’t be happier. Since the renovation’s completion, the space has been home to many conversations and memories made. “We love it. [Valdivia] and her team did renderings of some of my drawings and really brought the vision of what both my husband and I wanted to life,” Alicia says.
Moonstone Design & Build
Instagram: @moonstone.mn
