Utter ‘basement’ and your mind will bring forth images of a dark, dingy area full of musty, stale smell. Going by the normal lifestyle, the basement is a storage area where we hoard a wide variety of stuff, especially discarded things.
The way things are stashed in a basement (contrary to the ruly-arrangement we stick to in our live-in quarters and where we receive our guests) turns in into such a dungeon that you would flee from, if it were possible.
However, since it is an impossible thought, you would better try some basement interior design ideas and make use of some valuable living space, which so far, was lying waste.
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Really, you can turn your gloomy storage room into a nicely lit-up, cozy corner, where you can set up your home office or house your guests. You can even convert it to an entertainment center of your home – setting up billiard and TT tables in one section, installing TV sets (and other means of amusement) in another section, carving out a separate section for your children to play and make merry.
The quietness of basements is perfect for music lessons and so you can shift your music room to this part of your house. Basement interior design ideas even recommend turning your cellar into a bar (and that perfectly echoes old practices according to which quality wine was hoarded in cellars). In fact, there are thousand ways that you can utilize your basement, but then it calls for complete dedication to the job at hand and full-proof planning.
When it comes to planning, your basement interior design ideas will dictate what all preparations you need to make. If, for example, you are thinking of converting this part into a bath, then you will have to take extra care of the plumbing work. If, on the other hand, you are going to set up you home-office in the basement area, then you will need to ensure that there are sufficient numbers of electrical outlets and cables and telephone lines to aid office work.
All these, however, are secondary. The first thing that you need to eye before you implement your basement interior design ideas is to improve the living conditions in the area. Thus, you will need to make every arrangement to ensure proper air circulation and sufficient lighting in this underground room. Whatever measures you adopt to enhance aeration and illumination of the room should at no cost expose it to probable risks such as flooding and burglary!
Waterproofing and insulation are the other important considerations in an underground room and it is very important that you take professional help to avoid future problems. Installation of heating and cooling systems (side-by-side the above waterproofing and insulation works) will eliminate the dampness and the musty odor of the air inside the room.
This nearly sums up your basement remodeling/renovating affair. Before you start toying with more basement interior design ideas, let us round up the other aspects, i.e., ceiling, walling and flooring. As for ceiling, suspended tile ceilings are best for basements.
Mirrored walls will best illuminate your basement, but you can also go for decorative wall-panels with recessed lights. Vinyl and other water-resistant floor materials are good for basements. Finally, providing a sub-floor will perfectly complement this waterproofing-effect.
by Manuel Kupka
