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Finally, when choosing your fixtures, think not only about the light they give out but also their look in relation to your space. "Shorter lamps or lamps that have stout/squat bases with wide shades will look more natural and more fitting in conversation areas," Dross says, adding that choosing both bulbs and fixtures carefully will accentuate your space. "Consider using warmer fixture colors, which will of course make the whole space feel warmer and more inviting. If fluorescent lamps are used, find the lamp with the highest CRI (Color Rendering Index). This will give the room the most natural feel."
| | | | |  | |  | | | | | | Feng Shui for Your Basement
Want to take your quest for a livable basement a step further? Space design consultant and feng shui expert Suzy Minken offers these tips for a more balanced basement environment.
Reconsider the basement home office. Minken says home offices can be a real feng shui challenge in the basement. "Energy, or 'chi,' enters the home through the front door and flows upward, not down into the basement,” she says. Because of the energy profile of a basement, choosing rooms that are higher-energy naturally, like a children's indoor play area or exercise room, would work better.
Stay clutter-free. One problem Minken sees in basements is furniture that is just too big for the space. This overpowers the space and clutters the room, leading to a less inviting environment.
Fake the natural. Choosing a wall and creating recessed boxes where you can place outdoor-themed decorative accessories, like silk plants, along with small upward lights can give the appearance of a window, which makes the enclosed interior feel more open.
Relax with water. If you really want to give your basement a refreshing twist, think fish. "Consider using a wall-mounted living art aquarium,” Minken says. "It looks like it is built-in and it will add a wonderful sense of comfort and harmony.”
| | | | | | | | | | | | Paint with Purpose
If you're trying to make a room feel lighter and more inviting, the first instinct is to wash the walls in white. But Ann McGuire, Valspar Color Consultant and founder of Beehive Studios of Buckhill Falls, Pa., says it's time to toss those ideas out the window.
"People sometimes think, oh, I'll paint the walls white, paint the ceiling white and put in lots of fluorescent lighting," she says. "It makes it really bright, but it also makes it really unpleasant. The key with a basement is really warming up the space to make it an inviting environment."
McGuire suggests that no matter what function the room will serve, going with colors on the warm end of the spectrum is a good choice. "No matter if it's a home theater or a children's play area, starting with a warm color will really make the space much more livable," she says, noting that colors like a light caramel or a warm ivory can soften the glare from all the lighting without making the room feel enclosed while yellows might tend to look dingy.
Because basements are often huge, undefined spaces, using paint to delineate areas of the room can make the room more livable by making different sections serve clear purposes. "Use paint to visually section off different areas of play. Creating activity spaces for the kids can make it more fun for them, and it can also help keep the room more organized," she says.
Wow with the Unexpected
Don't forget the details when you're finishing your new basement space. Because of the sub-level nature of the room, people often neglect finishes they would put in other areas of the house, says McCormick. "Use architectural details just like you would in the rest of the house," she says. "Crown molding, substantial baseboards, wainscoting and beadboard ceilings all go a long way toward eliminating the 'basement' feeling of living in a sub-standard space."
And finally, don't be afraid to express your decorating personality. Because basements do present unique challenges, homeowners are often afraid to do anything too daring with the room. But Sassaman says that's the wrong idea if you want to make people think about the room rather than its location.
"Be bold in your style, whatever that is, and give people that 'wow factor' when they enter the room," she says. "It will take their minds off the fact that they are even in a basement."
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Text by Alyson McNutt English
© 2008 BobVila.com
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