Home Tree Atlas: Home Decor Ideas and Mood Boards

Ideas For a Basement Staircase: Designs, Railings, Storage, and More

Who knew there would be so many options when it comes to basement stair ideas and designs? You have everything from the steps, to the railings, and where to put the door or to have one at all (and what about the nook under the stairs?).

The Finished Product: The finished stairs themselves can be carpeted, wooden (1), or painted (2). How about going uber fancy with some floating stairs (3)?

The Steps: When it comes to the steps they can be solid blocks or have a lip on them as seen in picture (4).

Staircase Design: Some options when it comes to the overall design and layout of the staircase include having it broken up into multiple levels (seen in picture (5)), or have the steps widen at the bottom to create a more dramatic entrance (6).

Railing Options: The type of railing you put in will be based on the style you want your home/basement to be. For a modern and sleek look how about glass paneling (7) or brushed steel rails. For a more traditional look wrought iron railing would be best (8) or wooden stair railing (9) (Rustic Décor Ideas For a Basement). Then there is the option of not having any railing and enclosing the staircase seen in picture (10).

The Door: One thing to do to create a more inviting basement space would be to have the door at the bottom of the steps (11). Or go without a basement door at all.

The Nook Under The Stairs: If you are planning a remodeling of the basement and are putting in a new staircase, plan out what you’ll be doing with the space under the stairs. This can be turned into a great nook for a home office (Ideas For Turning a Basement Space Into A Home Office), a playroom (Fun Basement Playroom Ideas: From Softening the Floor to Swings) or a storage area (12).

The Side Wall: The wall going down alongside the stairway can be designed for a number of things. It can simply be used to hang up décor (13). Hooks can be fitted to it to store extra jackets, or how about hanging extra shelves if the staircase is wide enough (14) – for more storage ideas have a look at our post here (In The Basement: Storage and Organization Ideas). Or it can just be lined with stone or painted over (Decorating Basement Walls: Ideas from Stamped Concrete to Chalkboard Paint).

Safety: Lighting also needs to be taken into consideration around the staircase, for ideas check out our post here (Design Guide: Basement Lighting Ideas and Options). 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14

February 7, 2013 in Basement, Construction

The Small Basement: Ideas and Tips On Making It A Dream Space

There are two ways to make a small basement feel much larger: A) hang up a framed mirror and b) pay attention to the lighting in the room. To make a space feel bigger with lighting, you want to have as much ceiling lighting as possible and try to light up all of the corners (Design Guide: Basement Lighting Ideas and Options).

That space under the stairs, the nook, can be used for a number of great small basement ideas and spaces. There are people who have built a home office, playroom, bathroom, and even put a bed in there. A simple way of using that space is to turn it into a storage area by hanging shelves. For ideas and photos on way to use this space have a look at our post here: The Space Under The Stairs: Ideas and Designs.

Other storage design ideas for a small sized basement or half basement include putting baskets into the overhead rafters (pictured) or have built in cabinets made (In The Basement: Storage and Organization Ideas).

One way to save space in a small basement is to avoid having internal walls to separate different areas. An alternative is to use railings and curtains. So for example, if you want to have gym equipment down there, a laundry room or a small home office, along with a family room, then you can put curtains up that hideaway the gym equipment, washing machine, or home office when it is not in use. This will then leave you with a nice and cozy family space. 1/2/3/4/5

February 7, 2013 in Basement

Ideas For Turning a Basement Space Into A Home Office

(1) The first thing to decide when creating a home office in the basement is how much space you want it to take up. If you have a large basement you could create a separate room for the home office, and the rest of the basement can be used as a family room, gym, entertainment room, etc. One way to close off the office is to build walls, but a simpler way would be to hang up curtains. Or if space is limited, how about creating a closet office (Creating a Workspace At Home: Closet Office Ideas)?

(2) Storage is one of the key things to plan out with a home office. Popular ideas are to use either floating wall shelves or free standing book cases, or have cabinets built in. (3) & (4) Then there is the desk itself. The easiest way to go about this is to buy a free standing desk. Or you can go down the custom building route and have a desk built into the office space (kitchen countertops are a good choice).

(5) This new desk space will need a good amount of lighting to make it a comfortable working area. Recessed ceiling lights or hanging pendant lights would be an ideal choice, along with table and floor lamps (Design Guide: Basement Lighting Ideas and Options). To get some daylight, the basement office space would need to be placed near any windows. If you are remodeling the basement and tailoring it to a home office, remember to place electrical outlets in convenient locations.

Other unique decor and basement office ideas to consider: Picture (6) shows a wall covered with chalkboard paint. (7) Other wall decor ideas include hanging up maps, putting up a photo frame layout, or a painted or textured wall (Decorating Basement Walls: Ideas from Stamped Concrete to Chalkboard Paint) (A Palette Guide To Basement Paint Colors).

(8) How about using the space under the stairs to create an office nook. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8

February 7, 2013 in Basement, Home Office

The Cave: Basement Ideas for Men

(1) & (2) How about turning that basement space into a home theater (Designs and Ideas For a Basement Home Theater)? Soundproof the walls, use a large flat screen TV or hook up a projector, and go a step further by getting a popcorn stand. There is the option to tailor this movie theater space into a sports theater – with multiple screens and sporting memorabilia decorating the walls.

(3) A basement bar would make for a great man cave idea. Customize it to be a sports, Irish, or retro bar – and include a pool table, darts board or foosball table. Have a look here for details on basement bar ideas.

A wine cellar can be simple – just having shelving and storage to keep wine. Or it can be more elaborate with stone walls, a leather seating area, store some cigars, cabinets with display lighting, a cooling unit, and a humidifier (Rustic Décor Ideas For a Basement). Another option would be a small wine cellar that fits perfectly under the staircase (3 Ideas for Basement Wine Cellar Designs).

(4) A game room can be modern with a large screen TV, powerful sound system, sound proofed walls, recliner chairs and Playstations or Xboxes. There are more traditional games that can also used to create a home gaming room like a pool or foosball table, darts board, ping pong table, or go retro with some pinball tables.

(5) Turn a basement space into a home golf simulator. Lay down some astro turf and shoot into a basic golf net, or go virtual by adding a projector and sensors to create your own golf course in your basement.

(6) A home gym is another basement idea for men. For more designs and ideas on basement gyms have look here.

(7) Create your own home music room – soundproof the basement, install a high end hi fi surround sound system, and decorate the walls with music memorabilia. It can also be a place to keep musical instruments and recording equipment.

(8) Install some workbenches and tool cabinets and you can turn a basement into a workshop.

(9) A basement is a great space to have as your own home office. For more pictures and ideas have a look at our post here Ideas For Turning a Basement Space Into A Home Office. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9