Bright bar with beer on tap by LDa Architects

Entertaining takes center stage in this home the remodeled basement now boasts a bar, wine cellar, home theater, fitness center and a test kitchen.

Architect Douglas Dick says one of the owners is attracted to vibrant colors and loves red for its sports car look, so this features as an accent throughout.

The bar top is cast glass with a smooth surface above a rough, textural base pigmented with glass resin. The top is mounted on stainless steel pedestal legs. Glass also features on the side of the bar, in mosaic tiles in varying tones of red and iridescent charcoal.

These sleek, man-made materials are contrasted by warm bamboo wood paneling and a Pennsylvania stone wall.

"There is another contrast between the crisp nature of the cabinets in the adjoining kitchen and the curved, organic form of the bar," says the architect. This has a more sensuous look, which is in keeping with the sensual nature of the red."

Another key feature of the bar is the climate-controlled wine cellar the glass wall of the cellar appears to slice right through the bar, so one part is completely contained within the cellar.

The owner, who has a background in biomedical research, enjoys experimenting with molecular gastronomy. Consequently, the kitchen resembles a laboratory, complete with gas jets, bunsen burner, a compressed air valve, and liquid nitrogen for the instant freezing of food.

Story by: Colleen Hawkes

Photography by: Greg Premru Photography