Is your basement used to its fullest potential or is it a place where furniture goes to die and storage boxes collect dust? The basement can often be the last to receive design attention, however, with the right touches, it can be an amazing space to enjoy. I have lots of great design tips but I’ve only incorporated a few of these ideas myself into our basement, mainly due to budget. I will say the few ideas I have incorporated have had a huge impact and help it to feel less like a dungeon!

Here’s what I’ve done so far:

As I always blog about, I changed the paint. This is the cheapest idea and it will often have one of the biggest impacts. When choosing a paint for your basement, my advice is to go light and bright. As basements are often mostly underground they can tend to be void of light, and darker spaces (if not done right) can be uninviting. In our basement, I went with Touch of Grey by Dulux paint. This is also the paint we have in the main part of our house. By using the same colour, it creates consistency and helps the basement to feel more like part of the house.

I also updated the décor by adding throw pillows, pictures/artwork, throw blankets, and lights. The more lamps and lighting you can add (without going overboard) the better. To add a little design interest, I also wallpapered a couple of different walls. I used the same wallpaper I have in other parts of my house for consistency with the design.

I haven’t done a ton, but as I mentioned, what I have done has helped immensely. Now, over time, here’s what else I would like to do:

I would add curtains to the windows. Often in basements, the windows are smaller and by adding floor to ceiling curtains you can fake the appearance of larger windows. In choosing curtains, I would stick to a light colour fabric so not to add to the feeling of darkness.

We also have “hand-me-down” couches in our basement. I am grateful they were given to us and they are very comfortable. However, if it’s in your budget I would recommend replacing any old or second-hand furniture with something new. This will definitely help to feel less like a basement.

And finally, my last suggestion would be to add crown moulding as crown moulding can help a space to feel finished and elegant.

Thank you, as always, for reading. Please feel free to share this post and/or leave any comments or  questions below!

Written by:

Fiona White – REALTOR® with Sutton Group – West Coast Realty

Phone: 778-552-6246

Email: fwhite@sutton.com

Website: http://www.fiona-white.com

Facebook/Instagram: @fionawhiteatsutton