Basements get a bad rap. Watch any horror movie and there’s always something fishy and frightening happening in the basement. But if you’re a landlord that unoccupied space has the potential to be someone’s future home.
Basement apartments are sometimes referred to by prettier names. In New York or Boston you might call it an “English basement” while Chicagoans and San Franciscans prefer the term, “garden apartment”. Similarly, in London, it would be called a “garden flat”. Whatever you choose to call it, if it’s a sub-level dwelling space with a separate entrance, it needn’t feel like a dungeon.
Whether you’re looking to spruce up your basement to rent out for additional income or you happen to be moving into one, here are a few examples of how you can make it feel like home.
Floors
Think of your basement’s floor like a reflecting pool. When natural light is limited, you want your flooring to reflect as much light upwards as possible. A luminous hardwood in a natural wood shade is a better bet here than dark carpeting. Rugs should be used sparingly but you’ll want to include a few to warm things up, especially if you live in a cool climate. Go for white area rugs or choose any inexpensive area rugs that will help pick out pops of color within the room. A note of caution: if your basement tends to get damp, a faux hardwood might be a more prudent choice than the real thing.
Color
When it comes to paint, the same principle that you used with the flooring needs to continue to apply – think light and bright and avoid anything with busy patterns. Painting the walls white might feel like overkill, but you can pull it off if you accent it with richer tones. Try to find colors that give off a feeling of brightness like an icy blue or a pale mint green. You can add contrast later by choosing furnishings in a neutral shade and decorating with darker colors.
Lighting and Mirrors
Both of these elements will help you stay away from the cluttered and cramped feeling that a room with little or no natural light often retains. While daylight is difficult to replicate, a variety of lighting options will help recreate the feeling and varying tones of sunlight. Consider up-lighting in dark corners, track lighting above prep areas like in the kitchen, and floor and table lamps for the living area. Whatever you do, avoid overly bright fluorescent lighting which can produce the opposite effect and make the room feel drab. (Think of your last trip to a shopping mall dressing room – do you want to live with that in your home?) A large mirror placed on one of the room’s longer walls will help the space feel larger and loftier.
Décor
You want to remember not to go over the top with your décor and furnishings. In a space with limited natural light, less will always be more. So stay away from filling every available inch of space with furniture and try not to push all of it up against the walls – the room will feel larger if you leave a little breathing room. Instead of having clusters of small prints or photos, choose large canvases instead that will create a visual centerpiece and draw the eye to one central spot. Having too much happening visually can make a room feel claustrophobic.
And Everything In Between
Nothing makes a space feel smaller fastest like clutter. That’s why in a basement apartment it’s important to make sure that there’s a proper spot for everything. If you’re a landlord, make sure the kitchen includes plenty of cabinet space for storing items. That way the tenant has the option of leaving the counter-tops tidy and free of excess appliances and other items. A coffee table that also doubles as a storage system is another good option if you’re tight on space. A set of tall bookshelves in the living area is another good option to make the most of the room’s vertical space and offer plenty of room for stashing books, DVD’s, magazines, and knick knacks.