Basement

Cozy Living: Black Basement Ideas

The basement can be turned into a secluded and cozy place, and what better way to do this than to use a black color palette. Here is a list of black basement design ideas that will help transform your space.

The Walls

When you picture a black basement, there will be black painted walls. To break up all of this black or to add some design features, here are some design options to look at:

Wainscoting – this can either be painted over black to match the walls, or can be a dark shade of grey or another color
Crown Molding – again this can be painted black (just like in picture (1)), or can be white
Black Wallpaper – See if you can get one with a subtle texture or pattern
Gallery Wall – Hang up a gallery wall of framed pictures/paintings
Textured Paint – In my textured painting ideas post I go over different ways you can create designs and textures using paint. A sponge helps create a marble look, while a thick brush creates a linen effect. To do this with a black wall, go with a black paint base used with a dark grey paint on top
And a question you’ll need to ask yourself, is whether you’ll want a black basement ceiling

Add A Pop Of Color

The feature pieces in a basement can help add some pops of color to a basement. These feature pieces include:

An area rug
Cushion and pillowcases for the couch
Hang up a colorful art piece. Or hang up a black and white art piece in a colorful frame (like a gold or silver one).
If you have any cabinet or closet doors in your basement, these can be repainted (or painted black) – DIY Challenge: Give Your Closet Doors a Makeover.

Use these items to add some color to a basement (i.e. a dark blue area rug). Some good colors to infuse into a black basement include gold, silver, white, and grey. While dark shades of red and blue would look great too.

Color Guide: Grey Basement Ideas

Another way to add color to a black basement is to add in some natural materials. Like potted plants, or use some wooden features like a wooden coffee table tray, a wooden side table, or wooden cabinet doors.

Here are some more basement posts to get ideas from:

image credits 1/2/3/4/5/6/7

April 18, 2016 in Basement, Color Palettes

The Hotel Experience: Basement Guest Room Ideas

When designing your guest room, whether it is in the basement or another room in the house, try and imagine what it is like to be in a hotel room. It is a relaxing, clutter free space that has all the little amenities you could need for your stay. The basement guest room ideas I’ve listed out in this post, look to make your guest feel right at home.

Keeping the Space Clutter Free

You want to try and recreate the hotel experience in a guest room. So try and avoid storing things out in the open. If you have to store things in the same space, then either use decorative and good looking storage containers (like a wicker hamper, a wooden trunk), or hide it out of the way with a DIY room divider (Ideas Mood Board: DIY Room Dividers).

Simple Decorating Ideas

Keep the decor simple, and avoid cluttering up the space. Some simple ideas include a framed painting above the headboard, or a decorative lamp.

Try and decorate the space through the functional and feature pieces in the room.

Look to get an elegant and stylish headboard (Headboard Design Ideas: From Monograms To Fireplace Mantels)
Or use premium bed sheets and pillowcases. Ones with a simple texture or pattern (Stress Free: Minimalist Bedroom Design Ideas)
Find elegant bedside table lamps
Add some plants to the space

Fun Features

Here are some fun, hotel style pieces to include in your basement guest room to make your guests feel at home:

A stocked mini fridge
A TV
Toothbrush set
A hair dryer
An iron and ironing board
A welcome note
Or a fruit basket

Painting The Walls – Guest Room Colors

If you are wanting to repaint the walls to decorate the space, have a look at this post for ideas: A Palette Guide To Basement Paint Colors

Reminder: Different states (and countries) will have different rules about turning a basement into a bedroom. This is all about safety. Some places will require you to have windows that a person can climb out of. So double-check your local laws before turning your basement into a guest bedroom.

And here are some other basement posts to get more guest room ideas:

image credits: 1/2/3/4/5/6

April 12, 2016 in Basement

39 Cool Basement Ideas: From Secret Doors To Your Own Brewery

A basement is a quite and secluded space in the house. So cool ideas for it should be based around this. Here is a list of 39 cool basement ideas and designs, ranging from a real life hockey rink (hard to believe but it has been done), to a digital driving range.

How about having a huge aquarium or terrarium – like the one under the basement stairs in picture (5)
Or build your own indoor garden, and grow your own food
Turn the whole space into a sheet fort either a relaxing one like in picture (2) or a more fun kids style one
Or how about brewing you own beer in a basement brewery just like the one in picture (4)
Skip all of the equipment and set up a standard basement bar instead (8 Different Basement Bar Ideas and Designs)
Create your own secluded man cave getaway (The Cave: Basement Ideas for Men)
This one is hard to believe, until you see it. A mini hockey rink (with synthetic ice) – check it out here
How about a ball pit?
Rock lined entrance (1) and staircase down into the basement
Build out your dream home office aka Command Center (Ideas For Turning a Basement Space Into A Home Office)
Keep with the cozy and isolate vibe of the basement with a fire pit
Or a rock climbing gym (over a ball pit)
How about a standard home gym (Ideas for Setting up a Home Gym in a Basement)
Have a glass divider between a pool and the basement. A basement glimmering in blue.
Or why not have the swimming pool in the basement
Have your own workshop, building space, makerspace to experiment and make crazy cool things with
Slide down a fireman pole down into the basement
Or just your standard slide
Cover the walls with framed pieces to create your own art gallery
Hide shelves and the good things (like a mini bar) behind framed pictures – just like in picture (6)
Build a secret room behind a book case
Set up a special screen, a tee, and you’ll have your own digital driving range
How about a home theater with it’s own popcorn machine (Designs and Ideas For a Basement Home Theater)
An arcade room
Create a video games room with a projector and fridge
Cover the walls with art work and set yourself up with an artist studio (or crafts room)
A wine cellar (3 Ideas for Basement Wine Cellar Designs)
Or a cigar room
Surround yourself with books by creating a reading nook
Or build yourself a relaxing sanctuary with a hammock area
Turn the basement space into your own meditation studio
How about building a home spa (sauna, steam room)
Fit fiber optic lighting in the ceiling to create a constellation sky
Turn the basement into a pool or snooker room
Do you have the space for a bowling alley (3)?
Build out a sports memorabilia room
A poker room, with a mini bar and cigar humidor nearby
How about creating a music room
Or a rustic log cabin getaway – with exposed beams, stone walls and coutertops, a fireplace, leather chairs, and wooden flooring

Here are some more basement posts:

1/2/3/4/5/6

March 24, 2016 in Basement

Style Guide: Modern Basement Ideas and Designs

From the colors you use on the walls to the types of light fixtures you hang up, here are some modern basement ideas to help you design your space.

Color Scheme and Design Ideas

Wall paint colors for a modern basement would be in the range of neutral colors, which include: white as seen in picture (1), off white, light tan, or grey. For more examples of basement color schemes, have a look at my mood board here: A Palette Guide To Basement Paint Colors.

What to Avoid: Avoid using stone for the walls, and also using stone or dark woods/browns for the countertop bases, countertops, and furniture pieces. They look great, but these finishes will create a more rustic style in a basement.

Furniture Design Tips

Built in furniture is really the only way to go when it comes to a designing a modern basement (vs. free standing units). This is because built ins are designed to fit seamlessly into a room, making the space feel uniformed. Also, no space is wasted – you can build all the way up to the ceiling, or build into strange layouts. They also allow you to customise the look of the cabinet doors, and what hardware is used.

Cabinets take up a lot of visual space. So the design of the cabinets will really add to the style of the room. Modern cabinets will have doors that are glossy and flat. To create a really minimalist and modern look, they won’t have handles – you push them and they spring open – just like in picture (2). Or they would have simple metal handles.

When it comes to the seating, avoid dark brown and leather furniture. Instead go with grey (3), tan, or black.

Lighting up the Space

For any basement design, you’ll want to have a lot of lighting so it doesn’t feel like a dark and cramped space. In a modern basement you are going to see a generous layout of recessed lights. Recessed lights are fitted into the ceiling, so that all of the parts are hidden away. You are left with a clean, minimalist, and modern room design. All of the basements in mood board pictures above use recessed lights.

Design Guide: Basement Lighting Ideas and Options

Since you want to have a lot of lighting in the basement, to compensate for the lack of natural lighting, put your lights on a bunch of light switches and dimmer switches so you can really control which areas to light up.

Mix in some table and floor or wall lamps with your recessed ceiling lights. This creates different layers and lighting effects, making for a better designed room. If you have high ceilings, then some pendant lights can hang over countertops or a dining table – just like in picture (4). Contemporary and modern light fixtures will usually have a brush nickel/steel or chrome finish.

A New Room a New Home

A space with it’s own function is a major upgrade to a house. Here are some modern ideas for a basement upgrade:

A wet or dry modern bar (8 Different Basement Bar Ideas and Designs)
A wine cellar (3 Ideas for Basement Wine Cellar Designs)
A gym (Ideas for Setting up a Home Gym in a Basement)
A home office (5) (Ideas For Turning a Basement Space Into A Home Office)
A laundry room (Design Ideas For That Perfect Basement Laundry Room)

A Media Center: If you have a large basement space, then how about turning it or a part of it into a media center or home theater. A modern home would have the surround sound wired and built into the ceiling and into the walls. Have a look at this post Designs and Ideas For a Basement Home Theater for more ideas on creating a basement home theater.

Modern living spaces (living room, kitchen, bar, dining area, entertainment area) are open planned. So if you are planning on combining a kitchen or dry bar with a living room or entertainment space – see if you can create an open layout – just like in pictures (6) and (7).

image credits: 1/2/3/4/5/6/7

For more basement mood boards have a look at my collection page here.