whole home 2023 j jordan homes bowling alley - Expert room-decorating Guide 2025

2 min read

When renovating a historic home, the last thing you’d expect to find in the basement is a functional bowling alley. Well at this year’s Whole Home in Hinsdale, Illinois, that’s exactly the surprise that was hidden downstairs. Builder, Julie Laux of J. Jordan Homes, set out to revive the sub-level entertainment floor to bring it back to a space any homeowner would want to spend quality time in.

In all her years in the business, Laux had never come across a bowling alley on one of her jobs. Shocking, we know. Unlike a typical commercial bowling alley, this one is manual. There’s a seat by the end for whichever lucky person is tasked with resetting the pins and to get back your bowling ball, it is put on a small sloped track. “The engineering of the ball return has just enough power to go back up the slope and stop," Laux explains. "It's pretty amazing.”

The lanes were not the biggest challenge when faced with designing this space though. It was the room’s long and narrow shape. Laux selected a mix of Farrow & Ball wallpapers to help guide you through the space. A metallic “Bumble Bee” print leads you down the stairs, creating a little buzz, if you will, for what lies ahead. While a bold “Chromatic Stripe” dominates the left side of the room.

I wanted to make the space feel fun, and I felt like the stripes accomplished that.

Knowing she wanted to round out the space as a full game and entertainment level, drawing from her own home’s basement level, Laux had the idea to incorporate a karaoke stage. The simple addition of a microphone from Amazon paired with a fun, graphic “Rock & Bowl” mural makes the perfect backdrop for one to live out their rockstar dreams. But of course, no entertainment space (or karaoke sesh) is complete without refreshments, so Laux made sure this bowling alley was fully stocked for fun.

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Whether you’ve worked up a thirst from rolling all those strikes or need a little liquid encouragement to belt out those high notes, you’re set without even having to leave the basement level.

Laux equipped the space with a beverage cooler, wine cooler, and kegerator from Zephyr.

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A fully stocked South Sea Rattan Bar Cart from Serena & Lily compliments the appliances.

BOWLING ALLEY
Wallpaper and Paint: Farrow & Ball. Bar Cart: Serena & Lily. Rug: Fibreworks. Beverage Cooler, Wine Cooler, and Kegerator: Zephyr. Lighting: Visual Comfort.