Many people tend to overlook their unfinished basements when remodeling other parts of the home, but the truth is that the basement can be a lot more important than people give it credit for. Basements can be an integral part of the rest of the home, serving as a complete floor that matches the tone of the overall house, making it a great space for residents and guests to enjoy.
Here’s how to turn those cold and unfinished basements into more engaging spaces.
Install Luxury Carpets for Heat Retention
Basement floors are often cold on their own, particularly when carpeting is absent. Even if you install hardwood and laminate for visual appeal, they won’t be especially warm in that part of the home. Even if your basement houses a furnace, a majority of the heat from it gets pushed around the property.
Instead, lay luxury carpeting to keep the floors warmer. The key here is “luxury,” which means carpeting that lasts longer, absorbs and retains heat, and is aesthetically pleasing.
Consider Unique Cabinet and Storage Solutions
Like most basements, yours probably has some visually obvious utilities such as washers and dryers, along with water heaters. One of the best ways to conceal these is to install custom cabinetry.
Whether you want to purchase the materials and construct the cabinets yourself or visit an IKEA for pre-built and easy-to-install cabinets, there are many cost-effective options available.
Paint Colors
Even if your basement has a window installed, you may not be getting the kind of lighting you want, in which case it’s a good idea to install some lighting to brighten the space. Once you’ve used appealing paint colors to paint the walls, you can then illuminate the space with good lighting. You’ll see how those paint colors reflect the light to sufficiently light the place.
Lighting
A majority of basements tend to utilize painful cold LED lighting or workshop fluorescents, but you can change those up to make the space warmer, using warm incandescent lights. While warmer light tends to be less energy-efficient than LEDs, these days you can find warm LED lights that are just as efficient as the cold blue lighting you might otherwise find makes the space too bright and uncomfortable.
With enough warm lighting complementing bright paint colors, you can evenly spread the lighting throughout the basement for an overall pleasant space.
These are some of the many great innovative ways to make your basement more exciting. You may also want to consider other ways to making the space stand out, such as by turning it into a recreational space with a pool table and widescreen television that are great for parties, or even including a hot tub to really take advantage of the space.
Regardless of what you want to do with your basement, there’s no shortage of ways to turn that space into whatever you want it to be.