Your Own Private Retreat: A Starship in the Basement
In mid-2024, as the political climate intensified, I recognized the need for a shift—not in my diet of food, but in the news I consumed and how often I engaged with it. I desperately required stronger barriers to shield my personal time from the outside world. My solution? To surround myself with things that brought me joy, effectively transforming my living environment into a haven just for me. Thus, I remodeled my basement into a starship, a change I don’t plan to reverse.
For years, I’ve shared my passion for crafting and tinkering on Polygon. From guiding readers on rebuilding PS4 controllers to painting miniatures and creating a flight simulator cockpit from an old car, my ventures have always reflected my love for technology. Naturally, I also collect vintage computers and LCD monitors, with many belonging to me, along with a few strays from friends and neighbors.
Once fully immersed in my enthusiastic nesting, an intriguing question arose: What would happen if I connected everything? After a weekend spent tweaking BIOS settings and updating software, I ended up with five monitors linked to three devices. Suddenly, my basement workshop was alive with energy, even before I considered firing up the old simulation cockpit.
As I arranged all that technology beside the furnace and water heater, the atmosphere of the room began to shift. Each monitor displayed varying space scenes on a loop—an asteroid field here, space battles there—evoking the bridge of a starship, complete with portholes to other celestial activities.
Bluetooth speakers further enhanced the experience as I crafted a captivating soundscape. I incorporated realistic audio from military helicopter exercises, engine sounds from Star Trek: The Next Generation, and ambient noise inspired by Alien. A trip to Aldi’s Aisle of Shame also furnished me with inexpensive LED lights, which I arranged, creating a soft glow that enveloped the room.
The resulting space might not be ideal for photographs—it prefers to remain dimly lit—but when illuminated with the effects, it presents a charm akin to a weathered starship, suitable for a crew straight out of The Expanse. Each corner dances with light, casting shadows of model ships, while the vibrancy of our old kitchen table melds into the background. The environment is both haunting and engaging, enhanced by sounds from Elite Dangerous, Battlestar Galactica, and other sci-fi realms, with a flight simulator setup tucked in the corner, ready for use.
While having a starship in your home may seem eccentric, everyone who has visited has been delighted by the surprise, finding it to be a uniquely inviting sanctuary. Down in my secret starship, I’ve taken up hobbies like modeling and painting, and my family has also embraced the space for their own creative pursuits. We’ve even hosted cocktails centered around our clandestine starship, making an unexpected element of warmth amidst the usual chaos of daily life.
Creating this space has underscored how vital it is to carve out a niche for our interests in a world that feels overwhelming at times. My starship, composed of retro computers and twinkling lights, serves as my personal retreat, a cherished haven I wouldn’t trade for anything else. Consider exploring ways to carve out a cozy corner for yourself—rediscover your passions and fill your surroundings with what brings you joy. After all, it’s all about creating your own oasis amid the noise of life.
