Gather round

If you need another room to entertain guests, itmay be worth looking at your home's neglected or unloved spaces you may find a hidden gem.

This lower-level family room contained a double-sided fireplace, but before remodeling the room had no bar, and was dated and uninspiring.

Designer Angie Keyes of Insignia Kitchen and Bath was asked to create a new entertainment center, large enough to accommodate the existing fireplace, and a wet bar where the homeowners could prepare drinks and snacks all in a traditional style.

Keyes designed a large entertainment center around the wood-burning fireplace, incorporating turned legs, corbels and other period details. At 74 inches high, the stained alder cabinetry stands almost to the ceiling and is big enough to accommodate the fireplace, television and DVD player.

"The cabinetry was so large that we custom made it in sections and lowered the sections through the windows before assembling them," she says.

The rich hues of the cabinetry are offset by a pale granite, Golden Leaf, used for the fireplace hearth and the bar countertop. It's a subtle stone, with flecks of gold, green and purple, says Keyes.

The owner chose the glass-tiled backsplash in the bar to complement the copper sink and faucet. Keyes introduced a touch of Gothic, selecting curved lines for the leaded, glass-fronted display cabinets in the entertainment center and mirroring them in the bar's upper cabinetry.

She revamped the lighting, installing recessed lights in the ceiling, display lights in the cabinetry and a spotlight that illuminates the artwork above the fireplace, while avoiding glare on the television.

For details, contact Insignia Kitchen and Bath Design Group Ltd, 1435 S Barrington Rd, Barrington, IL 60010, phone (847) 381 7950, fax (847) 381 8004. Email: akeyes@insigniakitchenandbath.com. Website: www.insigniakitchenandbath.com.

Story by: Trendsideas