Even if it may not seem very appealing at first, having a basement can be truly wonderful given all the cool ways in which you can transform and decorate this space. You could turn it into a gaming room, a lounge area, a home theater where you can watch your favorite movies and TV shows in style or you can turn it into a music room or a craft room for all your wonderful projects. Add a dehumidifier to keep the air nice and fresh and proceed to make this space look and feel gorgeous. Let’s quickly go over a few design ideas while we’re at it.

StudioInhouse Architects turned the basement of a house in South Africa into a wonderful hangout space for a teenager and his friends. It’s a beautiful and modern man cave with tons of cool features that provide hours upon hours of entertainment and it looks magnificent too. The architects used timber to create a big wave-inspired wall and to add texture and warmth to the basement and they also made use of LED lights, bold colors and beautiful decorations to bring the space to life.

A 341 square foot (just over 30 square meters) basement from Montreal was transformed into a cute little bakery by studio Architecture Open Form. The owner was seeking to expand after she had started a small business a whole back and this was definitely a space with lots of potential. Since the basement lacked windows the architects used a lot of white and other bright colors to make this space look open, airy and fresh. You can still see a little bit of the old building on the walls, showing just how big the contrast between the original and the new design really is.

The basement of a home in South West London was transformed into a beautiful and colorful playroom by Sketch Architects. The basement is part of a new extension that was added at the rear of the house, with a big glass door leading into the garden, a beautiful living room with an exposed brick wall and this lovely basement that’s full of color. It’s a cozy little space for the kids to read, play, enjoy their favorite movies, draw and so on and it’s both very inviting and very fun to be in.

The focal point of this basement area designed by London-based studio Russian for Fish is a very bright and very yellow kitchen. Everything else blends in compared to this area. There’s also a living room that’s almost entirely white with a few warm neutrals used as accent colors and a soft grey couch. Nothing is as eye-catching as the kitchen which is minimalist and has the same light-colored concrete flooring as the living area.

Studio Eric Ross Interiors was tasked with the transformation of the basement of a residence in Tennesee into a guest area. They applied a modern aesthetic with traditional influences throughout the space and gave the basement a refined and elegant look. Down here there’s a cozy dining area, a living room and a gaming area with a pool table. There’s also a media lounge area and also a basement bar with a pub table.

There are a lot of ways to turn the basement into a usable space and not all of them involve having a big budget or making big structural changes to the room. Take this lovely basement for example. It has a beautiful family room with comfortable seating, a fireplace and even a little bit of natural light coming through the small window. There’s carpet on the floor, a lamp in the corner and decorations on the walls and all of these elements combined create a wonderful ambiance. Learn more about this transformation on beachhouseinthecity.

A great way to make a basement look and feel warm and inviting is by using lots of wood in its design. We love the rustic details added to this space. The sliding barn door, the exposed wooden beams and the shiplap walls create the most beautiful farmhouse-inspired basement one could desire while still maintaining a modern vibe throughout. The subdued colors and the finishes are perfect for this space. Follow @linenandbasil for more inspiration.

It can be difficult at first to envision a basement as something other than a dark and damp space. However, if you can look past all of that and see the potential this space has you can create something amazing. Take this lovely space for example. It became a second living room, with comfortable seating, warm lighting, a TV, a bookcase and plenty of other lovely features and decorations. The before and after comparison is absolutely incredible and very inspiring. Check out the full story on mapleleavessycamoretrees.

You can also witness a wonderful basement transformation on thehandmadehome. The whole space was cleaned up, insulation was added, new flooring and then the whole process of furnishing and decorating the basement began. The colors chosen, as you can see, are bright and simple which helps the area to look airy and spacious and not as dark as one would expect. One of the walls was entirely covered in storage shelves and modules and one little section was turned into a charming workspace with a sleek desk, wallpaper and accent lighting.

There’s something for everyone in this beautiful basement featured on chrislovesjulia. There’s a sitting area with a TV and a comfortable sofa, a dining area with a massive wood table and elegant chairs around it, a black accent wall with guitars displayed on it and a playground area with a cute little tent. The old fireplace which was already in here was revamped and fits perfectly into the new decor.

It’s amazing to think that these before and after pictures show the same space. This used to be such an ugly, dark and uninviting basement and now it’s bright, cheerful and extremely inviting. It’s been totally transformed into a kid-friendly area with a kitchen, lots of storage and a big open space to use as a playground. The colors and the materials chosen are spot on and the new design even makes good use of the limited natural light that this entire area gets. Check out mommyshorts to find out more about this whole project.

If you decide to take on the project by yourself, it’s not going to be easy or very fast but it will turn out beautiful. There’s a lot that you can do to improve a basement, even if all you want it to make it look a bit more inviting than it is right now. Perhaps you can find inspiration in this gorgeous transformation shared on oldhousetonewhome. It shows how this came to be a basement family room and playroom with comfortable furniture and all sorts of quirky little details added everywhere.

The basement man cave idea is a classic and for good reason. This is a perfect use for the space and it’s a very exciting project. Customization is of course very important. You want to make this area look and feel great for you so include elements that you find useful and interesting. Perhaps you want to add a great audio system so you can watch movies in styles or maybe you’d like to create a gaming station. A bar could sure look nice down here too but don’t forget to also consider the overall aesthetic of the space. Choosing a color theme and a palette of materials and finishes from the beginning can help a lot. With that in mind, check out how awesome this basement featured on themakerista looks and be inspired.