Basement Designs On A Budget

Paint the walls and ceiling white to make a little basement seem bigger.

A finished basement feels more like a backyard oasis when it's packed with numerous great design ideas.  Floating walnut shelves, a gas fireplace with a rolled-steel encircle, and a textural shag rug are just a couple of the elements that elevate the distance.

Playful Home Office - Embrace brick walls instead of drywalling over them.

A red accent wall adds the look of depth to the room and feels bold and cheerful compared to the basement's easy black and white plot.  The gallery wall features original drawings from designer Theresa Casey and her husband, Robert Gray.

Bright Laundry Room-Pinch pennies with MDF cupboards and add your trim.

H&H senior editor Meg Crossley turned this unfinished basement laundry area into a laundry room oasis.  Improper venting meant the washer and dryer needed to be transferred into the opposite wall, in which they're currently concealed by latching doors.  Meg also included a convenient sink with a kitchen-worthy faucet, an upper shelf and lower closets for extra storage.  A builder cut door fronts out of MDF, and then Meg added Shaker trim for a custom look.  To provide the basement an airy feeling, the space had been painted white.  Sico's Light Sugar (4150-11), an aged white, makes the ceilings look higher without feeling sterile or cold.  The cupboards were painted robin's egg blue to get a country-inspired appearance.

Sewing Room-Make low ceilings appear higher with customized built-ins that optimize vertical distance.