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What does an interior designer living in a small one-bedroom apartment do when he wants to host large dinner parties? If he's David Hopkins, he creates a designer dining dungeon in the building's basement!

We saw David's unique take on outdoor dining a couple of summers ago and now he's bringing his guests indoors. David worked out a deal with his landlord to turn a portion of the building's basement into his own little entertainment and dining dungeon. After ripping out the old partitioned storage units to open up the space, David put a long dining table down the expanse of the room. (The table is actually hardwood flooring placed on modular legs and can be easily disassembled or made smaller.) In a back corner, a little seating area is perfect for pre- and post-dinner cocktails.

While we don't all have access to extra space, seeing how David transformed a dark little basement can be inspiring as we start planning summer soirees. I know I've often passed up on hosting larger parties in my limited space so I'm comforted to see that, with some leftover Christmas lights and imaginative styling, even a little extra basement space can feel inviting. Of course, it also helps if you have David's vast collection of dining chairs and flair for dramatic space planning, too!

MORE OF DAVE'S HOME(S) ON APARTMENT THERAPY:
• Dave's Lakeview Redux House Tour
• Dave's New Place House Tour
• David's Andersonville Apartment House Tour

Images: Jason Loper