If you find yourself wondering how to decorate your small basement, I have learned a few practical tricks from years of living with a space full of quirks.
These simple and actionable ideas can help your basement area feel cozy, stylish, and perfectly pulled together.
1. Transform Your Basement Into a Comfortable Living Room
Adding a second living room is such a fantastic way to use the space in your small basement. You can make the new addition a casual family room where the kids can watch movies while the adults are relaxing upstairs.
I love this idea because most basements don’t have a ton of windows, making them the perfect dark space for creating that movie theater feeling.
You’ll want some seriously comfortable seating, like recliners or a huge sectional sofa. Adding dimmable light fixtures is a total game-changer, and a wet bar for making drinks and snacks is a must.
Acoustic tiles for the walls and ceiling, along with a surround sound system, are other key pieces for pulling together a theater-style basement living room.
2. Fun and Functional DIY Small Basement Ideas
If you’ve got excellent DIY skills, some basic basement remodel tasks might not seem so scary. Things like installing insulation, framing out walls, putting in a drop ceiling, and finishing the floor might seem easy to you.
Just remember that even a super skilled DIYer will probably need to hire a pro to hang drywall and handle the plumbing and electrical work.
One of the easier DIY basement projects is putting together a home gym. You can tailor your workout space to your own interests.
A mirrored wall is a great trick because it visually doubles the size of a small basement and lets you perfect your form. For the floor, hardwood topped with rubber mats creates a great surface for yoga and helps keep noise down.
3. Create a Cozy Bedroom Retreat
So often, the first time a family thinks about remodeling an unfinished basement is when a teenager gets tired of sharing a room with their younger sibling. I get it!
Adding an extra bedroom is an amazing way to use that available basement space, whether it’s for a teen who needs their own zone, an older relative, or guests who are staying overnight.
Before you invest in a new basement bedroom, make sure you learn about the number of windows and exits your local building codes require. It’s super important.
For truly tiny spaces, basement bedroom ideas can include creating a studio apartment vibe with a little sleeping alcove. A Murphy bed that folds up or some built in stacked bunks are other smart alternatives for a small basement bedroom.
4. Bringing Rustic Character to Your Basement Space
Your ideas for an unfinished basement might be inspired by rustic or industrial design. If that’s the case, you can leave your ceiling beams and ductwork exposed. Painting it all black can help it fade into the background.
Using sliding barn doors instead of traditional ones wherever you can is another great touch.
Natural masonry finishes are perfect for getting that rustic feeling in any kind of basement room. Brick walls look just as amazing in a basement kitchen as they do in a man cave.
Stacked stone, painted concrete, or mixing up different textures are all inviting parts of a rustic basement design.
5. Basement Cooking Spaces With Character
A basement kitchen is such a brilliant addition to the home, especially if it’s going to be part of a suite for a teen, in-law, or guest. If you have the space, try to fit in as many full size elements and appliances as you can.
You will definitely appreciate having extra fridge storage or a backup oven when the holidays roll around.
Even the smallest man cave probably has room for a kitchenette. A small sink, a microwave, and an under counter fridge or wine cooler are all you really need to create a tiny but functional kitchen space.
And if you have to add an egress window to meet building codes, the kitchen is a great place to put it. Just make sure the window can open to help with air circulation when you need it.
6. Functional and Chic Bathroom Basement Ideas
No matter what you have planned for the rest of your small basement, you should really try to save enough square footage for a bathroom.
Seriously, even if it’s just a half bath, everyone will be so thankful they don’t have to climb the stairs to use the bathroom. A toilet and a small pedestal sink are plenty for a small basement space.
If you happen to have enough room in the basement bathroom, think about moving your washer and dryer down there. You might even be able to install a laundry chute from the floor above to skip carrying heavy baskets down the stairs.
Another huge plus to a basement laundry room is that the mess is out of sight when you have company over. And don’t forget to add enough storage space for all your cleaning supplies.
7. Elevate Your Basement With a Stylish Bar
A really great basement bar doesn’t need a lot of floor space. Believe me, one wall or even a corner in a finished family room is all it takes to create a wet bar that will instantly become the spot where everyone wants to hang out.
If you’re a beer person, add a countertop beer tap. If you’re all about wine, then a small wine cellar cabinet or a wine cooler for your bar or man cave is perfect. Let your basement bar ideas show off your personality.
You could create a replica of a classic British pub or go with a retro bar theme. Adding lighting to the shelves really boosts that classic bar vibe when it gets dark. Antique neon signs are also a fun way to add personality and maybe some memories of your travels to the bar decor.
8. Embrace Modern Design Aesthetics
If your unfinished lower level happens to be a walkout basement, that “glass wall” of windows is the perfect modern design feature. You should keep those windows as the focal point of the room by using a simple color palette, furniture with clean lines, and surfaces made of glass or metal.
Modern flooring choices include vinyl plank flooring, which looks just like hardwood but is more durable and costs less. If your modern basement tends to have moisture issues, you can get tile flooring that looks like hardwood.
Of course, tile is a classic choice for modern flooring, and a creative pattern can bring a lot of flair to your small basement ideas.
9. Tips for a Successful Basement Remodel
A small basement can be a perfect spot for a studio apartment. Instead of a full size kitchen, you can create a kitchenette with some cabinets, a wet bar sink, a microwave, and a dorm fridge.
A half wall can help separate the living and sleeping zones, or you can look for furniture that serves two purposes. A futon, a daybed, or a Murphy bed are all great choices for a finished basement studio.
If toy clutter is taking over your life, one of the best ideas for a small basement is to turn it into a playroom. You can add built in storage and fun things like a slide and a climbing wall.
Be sure to use durable flooring like vinyl or laminate instead of hard concrete or tile under the slide or climbing areas.
