Ceilings are also a challenge to remodeling your basement because they are often very low. Don’t even think about using lighting that dangles down, such as a chandelier, because this will accentuate the height problem. When remodeling your basement try to use sleek track lighting or embed a series of small halogen lights into the ceiling all around the perimeter of the walls and not just in the center.

In Asia where apartments are often very small, it is a common practice to create a molded ceiling area that may be round (or square or any other shape) and then fit halogen lights into the ceiling around the pattern of the molding. It’s inexpensive and looks very chic. Also consider embedding halogen lights on the walls above where you will hang art or inside open cabinets to give added light to spaces that might otherwise be in shadows.

Brighten up corners your basement finishing project with long, slender pole lamps. Lean poles and simple shades give the illusion of height unlike regular desk or end table lamps with low, heavy shades that make a room look heavy and overstuffed. Getting basement lighting right is a little different than when decorating spaces with natural light. Remember in a dark basement all the things you add will either absorb or reflect light, there are no exceptions. That includes fabric, furniture, tiles, flooring and ceiling textures. Basement finishing is not just about making it less junky but making it breathable, livable and bright!

Maximizing Basement Natural Light

Take at look at some basement remodeling photos with before and after shots. How has a professional basement remodeling company maximized the light of the basement? Although most basements have little natural light, there usually is some. If the basement has small windows that look outside, maximize their light by placing mirrors on the back basement walls that are opposite these windows. Those will double the light in the room so as long as you don’t cover the windows with heavy curtains.

The best window treatment solution for any basements remodeling is to use nothing at all or a soft translucent sheer or a blind that allows light to pass through. You can also have the basement windows frosted to allow privacy but not keep out natural light. There are frosting techniques you can do yourself, or you could make the windows look as if they were stained glass. There are kits to do this and if you use soft colors and simple designs the results can be stunning.

An Inviting Basement Glow

One of the main reasons we find rooms inviting, be they in a home or a hotel or an office or a restaurant, is the lighting. Soft, but strategically placed, lights that give a glow to the room while not burning our eyes, is of utmost importance when remodeling your basement. You cannot achieve this with one bright bulb or fluorescent tube smack in the center of the ceiling. You cannot achieve this with traditional table lamps that cast most of their light to the floor. Light the basement ceiling in many places and give the basement walls spot lights that glow around art, furnishings or open cabinets that you will create space and light.

Why? Because it’s underground and dark! People are attracted to open space and light. It’s simply human nature. Cave dwelling, for most of the world, went out of fashion long ago.

Your first priority in remodeling a basement, no matter what it will be used for, should be finding the means to open it up as much as possible and bring in light, be it natural or electric.

There is no reason why one of your basement remodeling ideas can’t be similar to loft designs. Low ceilings can be given the illusion of being higher and pillars can be focal points, as can exposed pipes and tubes and industrial equipment such as heaters and furnaces. Some of the greatest bars and restaurants in New York, and around the world, are located underground where, after remodeling a basement these savvy entrepreneurs (and their basement remodeling contractors) have not even attempted to hide basement pipes or ducts. If you are determined to hide them, then use paneling or boxes that take up as little space as possible and leave the main area open, but remember that these pipes or ducts may need to be accessed for maintenance so don’t hide them without providing a way to get at them later.

Maximize your basement finishing remodeling projects with basement remodeling plans and décor that incorporates light colors and smooth textures, track basement lighting, mirrors and open cabinets or shelves and avoiding heavy drapes, bulky outdated furniture and dark or drab colors.

… because this will make a basement seem cluttered and claustrophobic even if it’s not. And although bedrooms and bathrooms unavoidably require basement walls, there are tricks that can maintain the illusion of openness while providing privacy.

Glass for Internal Basement Doors and Windows

One trick in basement renovation is to build a wall but make of it mostly a window. A large internal wall that separates a bedroom from the living space could be designed with glass block windows to make the area appear more open.

Doors can be French doors or glass paneled doors instead of solid wood. Use glass blocks and frosted window panes so the windows will not need to be covered with drapes or heavy curtains. If anything, use sheer or light colored cotton for accentuating internal windows.