The basement is often a neglected point in many homes around the country. This space in many homes is more utilitarian than functional. The sad thing is that this space could be so much more for those who are interested to take the time and pay the necessary attention to change the look from functional to fabulous. In many basements this will require little more than minor home decorating skills while in other basements around the country, all it takes is a little paint and a lot of style to the basement most popular room in the house.
A common complaint people have about basements is the fact that they are so dark and dreary. The reason for this is that most basements have little natural light that is allowed to flourish because of a serious lack of windows. However, this can also work to your advantage if you choose to use the basement as a media area. In fact, with the low ceiling and low light in the basement, this is probably the most perfect area in your home to turn into a great media room complete with surround sound and theater seating. The only problem in this case will get the neighbors to quit begging to watch this week's newest DVD release at your house rather than their own. To achieve this you will want darker colored walls, floor and ceiling of this room, a large TV, comfortable seating and plenty of tables on which you can place your drinks and popcorn.
Another great idea for basements is an artist or music studio. Basements can easily be portioned into smaller rooms and all types of lighting can be installed to meet the lighting needs of many artists (remember that one size does not fit all and artists that need natural light to work will not find most basements accommodating). By creating a smaller room, especially for musicians, you make yourself more options for soundproofing or at least dampen the room to save not only the ears but also the ears of the neighbors and animals that live nearby. These rooms are simply furnished and decorated with musical notes, a music stand, a comfortable place to sit, and the equipment needed to create music for musicians or an easel, art supplies, sink, comfortable seating, and maybe a futon for relaxation for artists.
If you are in need of a quiet place that is removed from the family there to work (and who is not really) the basement offers an ideal workspace for assuming you could get the lighting you need. Most people need a professional to install the lights in a basement, but most people will definitely need additional lighting in the basement to find the space acceptable for work. But when the lighting situation taken care of, making the basement makes a great office space for many people. Try adding filing cabinets and photos, perhaps a fountain to make the site more peace and contributes to the work that needs to be done. Of course, you want to have comfortable seating and adequate desk or work table space as well. Designing this room as you would any home office and it should do just fine regardless of your home decorating talent.
One thing you need to consider when it comes to home decorating and the basement is that many basements have a tendency to seep in high humidity or after heavy rains. Dehumidifiers help with this problem, but you may need to decorate with this in mind, if water and moisture is problematic. You will want to avoid mold and mildew at all costs, because they will ruin any enjoyment of your basement. Cork and ceramic tile are excellent flooring choice in this case and moisture barriers are an excellent idea to install before 'finishing' a basement.
