STOMPING GROUNDS

With its state-of-the-art technological features, inspired entertainment zones, a home theater to rival commercial counterparts, and a boxing ring (!), this show-stopping subterranean space bears absolutely no resemblance to its dark, dank basement rec-room predecessors of long-ago decades.

/ WHAT LIES BENEATH

A STRIKING 20-foot-by-7-foot custom installation by Leftbank Art is the first item to catch the eye when descending the staircase from the main floor down into a chic cellar, logically leading viewers toward a conversation pit that serves as a casual family gathering spot. As the angle of view shifts, so does the 2-D image, morphing like magic from a contemporary piece into a bucolic rural landscape scene for a touch of Midwestern terroir.

“The lower level has really taken on a life all its own,” says interior designer Deanna Whetstone of Whetstone