Basement Remodeling Ideas to Transform a Dark Space

We turned a dark and scary basement into a clean and cozy gathering space! I’ll share my favorite basement remodeling ideas and show you how we used them to transform this room.

When we moved into the Lavender Blue Cottage, one of the things that I was excited about was the basement. Our pole barn home was all one level with no basement or second floor, so having that extra space to utilize felt like a total luxury, especially the basement family room. Everyone was excited for the basement family room!

I envisioned the basement space being a comfortable place where we could host family movie nights, play games and enjoy relaxing together without fuss. That sounded so much better than what we’d been doing with it – which was basically using it for storage.

Watch the video I made of this basement reveal by clicking on the button below!

Basement Before Remodeling

As you can see, this was already a finished basement, so a lot of the nitty gritty tasks that go into construction were already done. (I’m looking at you, drywall!)

Our challenge was to create a design and layout that we loved, within the confines of a long and narrow basement living room with low ceilings, no windows for natural light and lots of brown.

It kind of felt like a cave. Great basement design for a home theater, but not so great for what I had in mind.

I wanted light, bright and cozy. A space worthy of entertaining guests, but comfortable enough for my kids (and some day grandkids) to use as a playroom.

Basement Remodeling Ideas

Ditch the Carpet

I know that carpet is a popular choice for basement flooring. It’s soft and cozy, but it also holds onto dirt, odors and moisture. These issues are especially bothersome in a room like ours with no windows for ventilation. It was time for a flooring refresh.

We removed the old carpet and replaced it with light-colored vinyl flooring planks from Floor and Decor. The flooring we used has been discontinued, but you can find something similar at any store that sells flooring.

Add Extra Lighting Options

Older homes never seem to have enough lighting, do they? This basement living space was no exception, so we ended up hiring a contractor to run wiring for several can lights. We opted for dimmer switches, which are great for movie nights.

Wall Treatment

Basement walls don’t usually get as much attention as the walls upstairs, but a simple wall treatment can go a long way toward upgrading your space.

We used bead board paneling from Lowes and installed it under an existing chair rail. An extra ledge was added to the chair rail and the wall treatment was done! We kept all the door casings the same.

Paint Colors

Never underestimate the power of paint colors to change a room. I was desperate to lighten this basement up, so I chose to use light colors everywhere. The walls, wall treatment, ceiling, and even the staircase got a fresh coat of paint.

The stairs, doors, trim and wall treatment are a blue/gray color called Dark Moon by Magnolia. The ceilings and walls are a white color called White Dove by Benjamin Moore.

Rug

Even though we removed the scary carpet from this room, we still wanted the comfort of something soft beneath our feet for playtime, workouts, etc. We ended up having a carpet company custom cut some carpet and add binding to the edge for the perfect solution. Because trust me – no one sells a rug this narrow and long. Ask me how I know!

Area rugs are easy to clean, easy to swap out and easy to customize to just the right size. All sorts of possibilities open up when you realize you don’t have to be limited to the sizes sold in stores!

TV Console

With the floor plan of this room being quite long and narrow, we wanted a TV console or sideboard cabinet that was also quite long, but not too tall or deep.

We used inexpensive unfinished cabinets to create a piece of custom cabinetry that fit our space perfectly. Read all about that DIY long sideboard cabinet here. It is one of my favorite basement remodeling ideas!

The sideboard makes a visual anchor for our frame TV, which I still adore because it looks like a piece of art!

(If you want to get a custom decor frame for your frame TV, use my code CAMITIDBITS for a discount!)

Game Table

Another feature that I love in this remodeled basement is our game table/craft table/workspace table. We don’t have a dedicated game room or craft room, but this simple table gives my kids somewhere to set up puzzles, games and projects without ending up on the dining table. Love it!

Storage

You simply must have some storage in a basement. This basement came with a bit of closet space, but that’s about it for storage.

We decided to use free-standing furniture pieces rather than making a bunch of built-ins for this basement living room. Built-ins can be gorgeous, but I wanted to maintain the flexibility and character that you get from free-standing pieces.

There were also a few pieces of furniture, like this antique wardrobe, that I knew would work perfectly for game storage or as bookshelves.

Decor and Art

Now, let’s talk about my favorite part – decor and art.

I knew this basement family room would be the perfect place to display some of the special pieces we’d collected over the years, like a beautiful picture of replicated ancient scriptures that my dad made, and antique wall hangings.

Even a wooden marble game board looks fantastic when it’s hung with intention.

We also have a series of wall art that features a picture of each home that we’ve owned. These pieces are made by an artist who creates them based off of photographs. You can find that photo art Etsy shop here.

We framed each piece of artwork and displayed each one beneath a can light on our long wall. I just love them!

Basement Sofa

The last thing I wanted to mention was our sofa sectional.

Every basement needs some great furniture to sit on. I wanted something that would be comfortable but not look sloppy or frumpy.

That is exactly what I got with this extra-long sectional from Coleman Furniture. It fits the whole family and the color compliments this room beautifully.

Shop these Basement Remodeling Ideas

If you want more information on the products used in this basement living room, see my TIDBITS & Company Moonsift Basement page for links and product details.

More Basement Remodeling Ideas

And with that, we’ve come to the end of that basement tour. We’ve had a blast using our new entertaining space. It’s now one of my favorite parts of the house.

Try a few of the basement remodeling ideas and see what they can do for you. Remember to highlight your personal style and the things that make you happy. That way, it’ll always feel like home.

For more decorating and DIY ideas, see:

• Choosing and Installing Laminate Flooring
• How to Hang a Large Item
• How to Install Marble Tile
• How to Cut, Hone and Install Marble Yourself – Get the Look for WAY Less!
• DIY Butcher Block Countertops | Oh, YES You Can!
• How to: Gorgeous Textured Walls with Pure & Original Marrakech Lime Plaster Paint
• Design Inspiration from Mount Vernon and Monticello
• Cozy Attic Bedroom Remodel