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teachingmyown
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| Posted: Nov 11 2009 at 12:26pm | IP Logged
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I probably sound like a spoiled brat here but I need ideas to make our finished basement more appealing. I know I am very lucky to have a finished basement. However, it isn't inviting and the kids don't like to play down there.
The people who had the house built didn't have kids, so it is a beautiful house but not necessarily cozy or kid-friendly. The basement has a pretty tile floor, which is hard and cold. Also, even with the sliding door it is pretty dark. I don't like it. I started off with my computer down there but always felt like I was in a cave.
What would you do to make it more inviting? I want Berber carpet, but dh doesn't want to damage the tile in case we ever sell. We don't really have the money for it either. The walls are white. Are there colors that would make it feel warmer and brighter? I am clueless about things like that.
Give me some ideas, dear creative ladies! Thanks!
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In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
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JodieLyn
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one biggish throw rug and then cloth mats or blankets that the kids can pull out to lay or sit on so it's not so cold.. hmm actually I would get a smaller area rug and leave space to put out a rug or two of streets for hotwheels or similiar cars 
What about wall sconces for adding light? or floor or table lamps to lighten up the edges of the room without having overly bright lights in the center.
colors.. light colors will open it up.. your red/orange/yellow are warm.. What about something like large posters or such with sunsets on them.. and get those blankets or floor mats or such in reds and yellows.. throw pillows too.
If you want to paint.. you can even still use white.. but find one with a yellow or pink undertone and while it might look a bit yellow or pink in the can.. it will look white on the walls.. it'll feel much warmer than the stark white often used as a basic white or one that have blue undertones.
And in the winter, you might put one of the more safe space heaters down there (oh.. I know.. I've seen the ones that look like little wood stoves or fireplaces!1) and that will help it feel more warm and inviting too. A space heater is nice for this because it'll take the chill off of that room without needing to run it all the time either.
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teachingmyown
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| Posted: Nov 11 2009 at 12:42pm | IP Logged
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Jodie, you are so great! Can I just hire you as my personal life coach! You always answer me before my slow computer even refreshes.
The poster idea is neat. Something bright and inspiring.
Do you have a source for carpets that aren't too pricey? One thing we were considering is foam puzzle mats, like the kids' ones with the alphabet, but just in one color. It is much cheaper.
I will check out wall sconces at Home Depot. We have the type of ceiling fixtures that are covered by pretty, but glazed, globes. So, even the brightest fluorescent bulb is too dim.
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In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
Remembering Today
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Nov 11 2009 at 1:26pm | IP Logged
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 as long as you don't need help with keeping up with systems or being motivated.. I have great ideas.. the follow up though is rather lacking too often 
Actually this was just an easy question for me, my livingroom had white walls, wood floor, and while the wood floor looks warm, it's still hard and cold if you're sitting on it. So those are things I've done.. the car rugs are in my boys room because their floor also is wood and too cold to sit on without something and they love the street rugs for the hotwheels. And my sister has a basement and I've noticed with the central light that it leaves the edges of the room kinda shadowy. And my living room doesn't have any ceiling light fixture and I have a table lamp and two hanging lamps (nearer the walls than the center) at night when I want a cozy spot to curl up after the kids are in bed.. I often only have the light near me on but when everyone is up with all 3 lights on it's nice and bright without being overwhelming bright in one spot.
So in my living room I used a warmer white to paint the walls (also handy because now we can match the paint for chips and cleaning the walls ) we have a throw rug in the middle of the room in the winter (I found we don't need it in the summer and it saves the rug to put it way during the summer) and we have a futon as the couch and so there's space under that we have mats for the kids to flop on and they can be stored under the couch.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Nov 11 2009 at 1:50pm | IP Logged
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Molly,
You might check your local Craigslist for some rugs. If your budget allows, I'd look for a substantial piece of furniture for down there - check Craigslist for that as well. I've been hunting for a set of bookshelves for some time on Craigslist and finally found one - a 3 piece set actually - all wood, lovely, name brand furniture, but the couple wanted it OUT.OF.THEIR.GARAGE!! So, they accepted our low cash offer. It looks so nice! I suggest the wooden furniture because wood tones (the same ones Jodie mentioned - reds, oranges, yellows, browns) really warm up a room.
I'd suggest warming up the wall colors a bit as well. I'd even move into the cream family, but I'd keep the color light and neutral, with warm undertones as Jodie suggested, and focus most of the color and warming/inviting strategies around pillows/furniture/accessories. The type of paint will be important for reflecting light as well - choose a gloss over a flat and it will bounce light around the room and be super easy to clean.
Add lots of throws and pillows in golden colors and cranberry reds...maybe a bit of forest green for contrast and interest and to draw the eye outside. Make sure your sliding doors aren't covered by anything and give them a really good cleaning. Consider a strategic placement of a pretty wall mirror somewhere in the room. Try to manage its placement somewhere opposite-ish (like that technical design term??) of your sliding glass door - more light! I'd also consider looking outside around your doors - are there any bushes that are overgrown and blocking light outside your sliding glass doors? Can you sweep/tidy up a bit to make that entry/exitway more inviting?
I find a lot of inspiration at IKEA for nice storage and organizing units for setting up some neat play zones down there. What if you set up a neat dollhouse only area...a lego area...an area for creativity? Maybe consider setting up a neat reading corner with a cozy chair, soft lamp, basket of books. Do you sew? Can you set up a little sewing space down there? That sounds lovely! Or maybe a futon and a folding screen so you can use the space as a guest space for guests. Futons are great at serving dual purpose in being a comfy sitting area and then transforming to extra sleeping space when needed. We have one and have never regretted the purchase! Just brainstorm some purposes for the space down there and try to think of some items you have in your home you might be able to repurpose for use down there without having to purchase much. Then you can concentrate your remaining budget on one nice-ish item.
For adding light to the area, I'd definitely look to adding some soft light with lamps. Often overhead lights, while they do give off light, provide a harsher light than a soft lamp on a table. Reflect as much natural light as you can.
This sounds so fun, Molly! What an extremely wonderful thing to have a finished basement!!!
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SusanJ
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These answers sound so helpful so if I may venture just a quick summary: don't think so much of "brightening" up the space as "warming" up the space. It sounds to me like making it brighter will only make what you don't like that much more obvious. Think in terms of warm and cozy with colors, textiles, nooks, and play/work stations (oh, what's a cozy word for "station").
Have fun--and don't feel bad asking about your finished basement. We all have to live and work with whatever resources we have!
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anitamarie
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We just recently finished our basement and we have no windows in the living areas. I painted everything light yellow. We were lucky when we finished it and were able to put in lots of can lights. I second Jodie's advice of adding in light. Lots of it.
I also extended the linoleum from the laundry room out into a little area of the playroom for arts and crafts, so maybe leave some tile floor open for that purpose. We put in a little table and chairs we had, as well as an easel, and leave paper and crayons out for little artists. But we can do paint there with few worries.
Have the kids make art for the walls. Michaels and Hobby Lobby both carry inexpensive "canvasses" (sp?) and you could have the kids each paint one for artwork for the walls. Maybe not even framed, just hung up.
Can you create a reading nook with pillows or beanbags and bookcases or baskets? In our learning room we created a nook by positioning some bookcases a little differently. They love to go read back there.
Search the house for furniture you can re-purpose down there. We had a futon that we actually ended up putting in the learning room. We use it so much more than I originally thought. Also, check with family and friends, put the word out that you are looking for furniture. So many people will just give it away to get rid of it. I can't tell you the amount of furniture we've gotten this way.
For the floor, check carpet discounters for remnants. We bought one, had 2 rugs cut and the edges bound ( for the living room and dining room) and still had a huge piece we kept in the play area before we finished the basement. You can even leave the edges unfinished, if it's just going in the basement.
Good Luck!
Anita
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Mimip
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Molly,
No basement here but I second Jen's idea about IKEA. Go to their website and get ideas for zones.
We have tile in our entire house. We have play rugs in each of the kids rooms. Our boys have one of those road rugs that they play with constantly. We got it at IKEA a few months back and then got another one for my Mom's house. I think it was $14 and might be the perfect Christmas gift with a few $.99 cars thrown in
As for lighting, If you actually go to IKEA their lighting experts can help you with ANY problem. We have a room where none of the wall switches turn on anything and they helped us make beautiful lamps from cords and lamp shades. The whole project cost less than $50 for 3 lamps and it made the room so much warmer.
The foam mats come apart and if you have those types of kids, they will always be in pieces. We made that mistake with our oldest two and the mats didn't last 2 months before they were pitched.
Good luck and its great that you are thinking about some more space for the winter months!
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Mimi
Wife of 16 years to Tom, Mom of DD'00, DD'02, '04(in heaven) DS'05, DS'08 and DS '12
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stacykay
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Molly,
I am working on the same thing, including our north-facing family room and kitchen. Our basement is only partially finished (walls done but ceiling open to joists and subflooring.)
First, here is a link that have some good ideas:
make large basement cozy
and then here are some other ideas:
-frame and hang your children's very colorful artwork (this is my favorite of the ideas I found!)
-hang mirrors to reflect light
-add plants that don't mind minimal light
Right now our basement is white. I am going to use a color called "home sweet home." It is sort of a light brown/tan with some yellow in it. I'm going to add a light colored, sort of shag-style rug I found that is really soft and comfy. I am even contemplating hanging some bright white curtains on the little windows for contrast, and make the rods long enough so I can open them all the way during daylight hours.
Those are the plans, for now. They could change over the few weeks left between now and Christmas!!!
Have fun!
God Bless,
Stacy
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Paula in MN
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Our lower level is all tile, with sliding glass doors. Plenty of windows, but since we are in Minnesota, it is always cold down there. I suggest warm rugs on the floor and a warm heater. No matter how warm it looks with color, walls and furniture, it won't be warm until you FEEL warm!
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Tami
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Molly, you've received tons of good ideas!
I'll simply add that bean bag chairs are nice to have too, in an informal area. They can stack when you want them out of the way, but give young ones a soft place to land on the floor.
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Tami
When we are crushed like grapes, we cannot think of the wine we will become. (Nouwen)
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CrunchyMom
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SusanJ wrote:
These answers sound so helpful so if I may venture just a quick summary: don't think so much of "brightening" up the space as "warming" up the space. It sounds to me like making it brighter will only make what you don't like that much more obvious. Think in terms of warm and cozy with colors, textiles, nooks, and play/work stations (oh, what's a cozy word for "station").
Have fun--and don't feel bad asking about your finished basement. We all have to live and work with whatever resources we have! |
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This is what I was thinking. We have been talking about our basement for years, and I always thought what you did with a basement was "brighten" it.
But one day, it occurred to me that a cave can be cozy and inviting, so, why not make a basement cozy and cave- like rather than try to make it not feel like a cave?
I've torn pictures from catalogs with those painted cinder block and plaster/stucco type walls as well as some pictures that are from what appear to be fancy wine cellars which have stone and lots of medium wood.
The image I've kept in my mind is Mr. Tumnus's cave, practically, the image from the movie. I haven't yet had the opportunity to do much on the basement, and ours is unfinished which is a different sort of challenge, but if it were me, I think I would play up the fact that it is like a cave and use a lot of accent lighting that would give golden light as if from a fire or candles. You might even find a way to use string lights as an accent? (I like the gold color, it is warmer than plain white to me). Of course, some real candles would be nice, too.
One idea we have tossed around for warming up our front room is building a fake mantel as if for a fire place. It would be neat if it could include one of those candelabras that go in a fire place. A "fake mantel" could be as simple as one of those crown molding shelves that hangs on the wall and just treating the area like a hearth.
Real plants are nice, but even a few faux green things could warm up the space.
Now, for some reason, I'm thinking a big, comfy, red couch (or a big comfy couch you get cheap with a red slipcover) would warm up a basement room. I read somewhere that everyone should have at least one red chair so that insecure people could sit and feel comfortable. Apparently, the color is inviting in that way?
If you did want to add some color for warmth but keep some other walls light to bounce the light around more, you could try a bolder accent wall. We used some Ralph Lauren suede textured paint (an advantage of a small house is being able to use higher quality products because you don't need as much). Something with a texture like that or even an accent quilt hung to the wall might help create a cozy atmosphere.
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Servant2theKing
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I'm in a rush and haven't read all the responses...in case this idea hasn't been mentioned already...a string of white Christmas lights here or there can really make a room feel cozy and cheery! We have a string of white icicle lights strung behind our dining area lace curtains...any time we want to liven things up or make the atmosphere a little more festive we plug in our special lights! There's a house down the street where they have lights twisted around a large potted plant all yearlong...whenever we drive by there at night it looks so cheerful. I've also seen this done around the perimeter of a ceiling or around a chalkboard. I imagine lights strung in a finished basement might help make it feel more cheerful and inviting! I'm pretty sure strings of individual lights are less expensive to run than icicle ones and the newer LED ones are supposed to be even better.
Along the lines of Jennifer's idea of checking Craigslist....I recently saw two very large tropical plants being given away free on that site...plants can really add to the coziness of any area of a home as well!
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teachingmyown
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Wow, ladies, so many great ideas! I will print this off and talk it over with dh. I am truly clueless. As dh says, I have "no vision", meaning I can't picture how something will look when it is done. He is better at it, but we don't always have the same vision in mind. 
We do have a wooden couch and love seat down there. There is a tv area, but the kids still end up in my bedroom sitting on the toddler bed to watch movies. So, obviously something is needed downstairs.
I love the Christmas lights idea! How fun!
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Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
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Donna Marie
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I remember seeing an episode of....well something and they made the downstairs 'seem' like it was an upstairs room. They painted everything in gently glowing light colors (I think the wall colors were slightly peachy without looking orange or too girly )
They also added a few nice oval mirrors on the wall that reflected light around the room so there were no dark corners. Nothing in the room seemed to boxed in either. They even covered the basement lolly columns with a cover that made it look like a regular column and painted it a soft cream color and added some cream accents (wood work) so nothing at all seemed dark. They enclosed anything that made it look basement-ish as well...
...just some random thoughts from a randomly distracted mama!
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Donna Marie from NJ
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teachingmyown
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Maybe I could persuade one of those decorating shows to come transform my house! 
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In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
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Paula in MN
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teachingmyown wrote:
| Maybe I could persuade one of those decorating shows to come transform my house! |
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I keep trying, but for some reason none of them want to come to Minnesota in the winter. Go figure...
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Paula
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Topic: Brightening up finished basement
