small living room ideas for men

if you have a basement you probably strugglewith the same problems as most people who have basements. they tend to be dark, dreary and hard to decorate. but with the right light, colors and attentionto detail a basement can become just as beautiful as any other room in your home. whether it functions as a rec room, an office,a bedroom or an entire apartment, follow some of these tips to create a beautiful basement. light a layered lighting plan is of the utmost importance

in a basement. low ceilings and little natural light makethe majority of basements dark and the only way to counteract it is with proper lighting. start off with the proper ceiling lights. pot lights usually work best. track lighting is an option but if the ceilingsare particularly low the tracks can take up valuable space. once you've got the ceiling lights, take careof the task and ambient lighting. use a mix of table lamps, floor lamps andwall sconces.

if space permits you can also hang a pendantor chandelier. there likely won't be space in the centerof the room, but if you have a dining area or island where there won't be a risk of anyonehitting his or her head, it can be a nice addition. color the general rule is that lighter colors are best in a basement. light and bright fabrics, floors and artworkwill help lift up a dark and dreary basement – but they're not the only options. you can certainly go with darker colors aslong as you have sufficient lighting.

that said, don't go with a dark color on theceiling. it will become oppressive and heavy. a good idea is always to go with a lightershade of the wall color or some version of off-white. it will make the ceiling appear higher whichis exactly what you want in a basement. in a basement you want to draw the eye upand create as much height as possible. hanging art on the walls is another greatway to incorporate color and pattern into a basement. decide on the look you want and then go forit.

just be sure not to hang your art too high. hang it at eye level to create the illusionof height above the piece. layout a lot of people simply give up when it comes to the basement. it becomes a dumping ground for extra furnitureand other stuff that doesn't have a home on the upper floors. if you want your basement to look good youshould abide by the same rules you would upstairs and arrange items appropriately. consider traffic flow and create conversationareas.

flooring when it comes to flooring in the basement there's one very important thing to consider– the dampness. no matter where you live there's a good chancethat your basement will be a little bit damp. this is why you don't generally want to usehardwood flooring. the moisture can cause it to expand and becomedeformed. to get the look without the worry opt forlaminate or engineered flooring. there are a lot of great options that lookjust as good as hardwood. whatever flooring you choose (whether it'svinyl, laminate, tile, etc.), continue it

throughout the entire basement, even in differentrooms. the continuity will make the space appearlarger. whenever you change the flooring it createsa visual break and makes a space appear slightly cluttered. if you want to add some color and patternuse area rugs or carpet tiles. wall-to-wall carpet is never a good idea ina basement because of the dampness. a rug can get a bit mildew-y, and if you everhave a leak or flood you'll have to replace the entire thing. it's much easier to get an area rug cleanedif there's ever any water damage.

window treatments basement windows may be on the small side but they're just as important as the windowsin any other room. fabric window treatments are always greatand can be a terrific decorative element, but if you want to maximize light while stillmaintaining privacy there are some options. companies like hunter douglas and levolormake solid sheer window treatments that allow the light to filter through while still maintainingyour privacy. painting brick something that's commonly found in certain

types of homes (especially those from the60's and 70's is an old brick fireplace. occasionally they're beautiful old featuresthat can be left as-is – but more commonly they're dirty, dated and covered in soot. to significantly lighten things up paint thebrick. some people are against the idea of paintingbrick, but there's no use in holding onto something that can't be cleaned and bringsdown the whole room. paint it and you'll be amazed at the differenceit makes in your entire basement.

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