Creating A Warm Environment In Your Home
Today, it has become a trend to expand the living space of a home into the basement. It used to be that basements were used for storage or as root cellars, but as families grow, and as people find they need more space, the basement becomes a viable option for living. The problem is, even in a finished basement, it can still feel cold and uninviting. Walls are mostly underground, windows are often high up or small, and concrete is underfoot. This means warming the space can be a challenge. It can be done, though, and you can have an addition to your home for a fraction of the cost it would be to add on. All it takes is some upgrades to the flooring, lighting, and temperature controls. All of these can be affordable if you make the right choices. Modular carpet tiles or carpet panels save you from the expense of wall-to-wall installation. A great way to add charm to a home without costing a fortune is home accessories.
First, it is important to understand about basement spaces is their cold atmosphere, so make sure you keep warmth in mind when designing the room. If possible, add a heating element to the space. If you have an existing chimney or fireplace, can put one in the basement. You can also install wood burning stoves and pellet stoves. Even without a chimney, installation may be possible. A source of warmth and the warm glow could be just the thing to enhance your basement living space.
Once you have determined how you will keep the space heated, consider insulation. Choose a thick pile and heavy padding. Options like hardwood or bamboo may look nice, but will do nothing to add warmth to the space. Your goal should be to make things comfortable, so leave the hardwood and alternatives in other rooms of the house.
Choose warm colors for the space. Paint should be in shades of red, orange, or brown. The challenge will be choosing a color that is not too dark because of reduced light. However, you should not choose colors that are cool like light blues or greens. If the space is large and well it, colors such as forest green are suitable. Shades of yellow is great when balanced with warm flooring and furniture colors. Warm beige is a warm neutral and blends with deeper furniture colors like burgandy or burnt sienna. You can add more warmth with curtains, pillows, and textiles. This is an inexpensive way to accent with warm colors without saturating the space and weighing it down.
Basement living space can be some of the coziest in a home. Make comfortable, warm choices and you will have a room your whole family will love for a very long time.
Connor R. Sullivan remodeled his basement into a game room with modular carpet tile squares on the floor. His wife used carpet panels to cover the floor in her son’s apartment.