Basements have become synonymous with two things: the mancave and the nightmare. If furnished or carpeted, they’re known as an escape for men from their families and day to day lives. If bare, they’re full of darkness and storage straight out of the things slasher movies are made of.
There are numerous advantages to a finished basement. For one thing, they add value to your home. If you don’t plan on putting it on the market, it also provides extra living space for you and your family. Often, they can be turned into BnBs or even entire apartments rentals.
No matter the use, there’s a variety of furniture that can transform your basement into something that differs from the rest of your home. Here are just a few interesting basement furniture ideas to help you design the space to your liking:
1. Built-in Entertainment Centre
This basement furniture idea is especially popular for the mancave. A full entertainment centre dominating an entire wall with speakers, an LED television and your own personal collection of films and music that doesn’t jive with the rest of your family is a welcome repose. It also creates a welcoming, cozy space for family and friends to join you. The fact that it uses an entire wall can also add the feel of a larger space than you actually have.
2. Top Bar
This iron pipe can rest easily behind the couch – a teriffic place to hang out and have a few or even eat entire meals. It also takes up a relatively small amount of space, unlike a full counter – making the most of the area.
3. Mirrors
Mirrors are always best utilized to create the illusion of space. The key to any basement design is to avoid giving the sense of a cramped space, and mirrors – placed correctly – give off the illusion of a large room. What’s especially nice about mirrors is their affordability: you can usually find what you’re looking for at any local thrift store.
4. Mini-fridges
Mini-fridges are popular basement furniture ideas. Save your bulky, full-sized fridge upstairs and invest in something usually reserved for a hotel room. Not only do they hold more than you think, their small size allows you to stack any excess storage above them, keeping the floors open and giving a sense of neatness.
5. Pool Tables
If you’re a sportsman, be prepared: the pool table in your basement is probably going to take up a lot of room. That said, it should be a main feature, typically in the middle of the room. When one thinks of a mancave, a pool table is one of the first things that leap to mind, right up there with a minibar and a drum set. If you’re doing a mancave, do it right.
6. Sectional Sofas
This basement furniture is a great idea for ensuring plenty of seating room while taking up the least amount of space possible. The sections are wide, comfortable and the L-shapes keep the room they take up to a minimum. It also eliminates the need to single chairs, which can be a hassle.
7. Old Kitchen Cabinets
One way to ensure you don’t break the bank while decorating your basement is to repurpose old furniture. Not only will it save some cash, it’ll create a nice project for those who enjoy carpentry. Repurposing old kitchen cabinets into tables and other items give off a real sense of a DIY basement.
8. Smart Storage
Like it or not, basements are going to require some form of storage for belongings. There’s plenty of furniture, such as small cubby cabinets, that can hold numerous objects. They can also serve as platforms for a television and other, more pleasure-based things.
9. Full Bar
So you always wanted to be a bartdender – not just the kind that pours and moves on but the classic movie type that has talks with their customers. What’s better than creating a full bar in your own home, where the customers are already old friends and family. There are numerous furniture styles and types one can choose from. In 2019, art deco seems en vogue. If price isn’t a problem, however, one can go all out in old-fashioned, hardwood with classic stools.
10. Gym Equipment
Who needs the hassle or awkwardness of going to a public gym? It’s often crowded, uncomfortable and sweaty. Creating your own gym in the basement allows you to get in shape in the privacy of your own home, and like bars, the design can be just as fancy as your dream bar. Go all-Rocky and keep a simple, concrete floor (meat slabs optional), or use a rustic, sliding barn door better suited to a sauna. Segmenting your gym into different rooms will also give off the illusion of extra space.
Your gym can be your own, your family’s or your partyspace. How you use it is entirely up to you, and there are countless options of design styles and furniture.
