Tag Archives | Interior Design

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

Luxury Basement Interior Designs

What are the elements that makes up a luxury basement design? 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8

The amount of space they take up (the larger the better)
Great lighting (lighting can transform an ordinary space into a designer one – check out our post here (Design Guide: Basement Lighting Ideas and Options)
A basement that is not closed off from the rest of the house like the one in photo (5)
Special modern features like a bar, a swimming pool (or windows looking into an outdoor pool (pictured here)), a home theater, a virtual golf course, a gym, a kitchen, or a wine cellar (3 Ideas for Basement Wine Cellar Designs).

February 7, 2013 in Basement

Ideas for Setting up a Home Gym in a Basement

Dividing Up Your Basement Space

(1) (2) If you have a large basement, you could close off the gym and design the rest of the space into a family room, game room, home office or create a man cave (The Cave: Basement Ideas For Men). If space is limited, then hang up a curtain so that you can close off the gym area and enjoy the rest of the basement as a family room, office, etc. (3)

What to Put in the Basement Gym

A ceiling fan is a great addition to basement gym. (4) So is a boxing bag. (5) Installing a sound system will make an exercise room livelier. Other great basement gym ideas to consider: installing a TV is ideal for watching while on a treadmill or for following along with a DVD workout as seen in picture (6), decorate the walls with framed motivational posters (7). (8) Check your form by having mirrored walls – or simply have a stand up mirror in the room. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8