I love basements. For me, it’s all bonus space. Plus, it’s usually the coolest space in the house temperature-wise. It’s also casual and for me comfortable.
While I prefer a walk-out basement with windows, I’m fine if the entire thing is submerged underground. Below is our extensive collection of basement design ideas (photos).
Related: Basement Colors Compared | Types of Basement Wall Panels | Tricks to Make Basements Look Luxurious | Average Size of Basements | Basement Ceiling Insulation Pros and Cons
Photos
Finished basement with stunning walls a ceiling with beams. There’s a living space, a small dining and a kitchen area.
No, the above urban glass house doesn’t look like a basement, but it is. It’s a walk-out basement in a three storey modern house on a steep hill in Seattle. Photos: Redfin / Wicklund Real Estate
Large basement family room with TV and fireplace along with cozy sofa set and carpet flooring.
Small basement media room with a widescreen TV and sectional sofa set. Gray walls make the room more stylish.
Spacious basement bathroom with vanity and tub. Gray walls and rustic hardwood flooring look perfect together.
Basement bedroom with en suite done in gray and white. The room features very stylish carpet flooring and ceiling.
Cozy basement family room with fireplace, recessed lighting and low cost, but stylish furniture.
Large open basement with a bar area and a dining nook set on the tiles flooring.
Basement mother-in-law suite with kitchen and dining area. It features hardwood flooring and gray walls.
Nicely finished basement with a widescreen TV, sofa and soft blue walls along with classic hardwood flooring.
Nicely finished basement with a living space and a small dining nook set on the white carpet flooring.
A game room with a billiards pool and a cards table set on the white carpet flooring and lighted by recessed and pendant lights.
A game room basement featuring a billiards table and elegant leather seats set on the carpet flooring.
A close up look at the billiards pool of this basement with a kitchen and breakfast bar.
A home theater with a stunning ceiling with red shade and a stylish black set of sectional theater seats.
American Football inspired game room with black theater sectional seats and a football field designed flooring.
This basement offers a very stylish bar lighted by a gorgeous chandelier. The room features classy tiles flooring.
A small basement turned media room with black elegant theater seats set on the classy floors.
A living room set up in the home’s basement, featuring leather seats set on the carpet flooring. The ceiling looks magnificent as well.
A modern and classy basement with a living space and a large bar area lighted by recessed lights. The flooring looks so stunning.
Basement turned home theater with three widescreen monitors and elegant black leather seats set on the stylish carpet flooring.
A large basement with a living space with a fireplace. There’s a billiards table and a small kitchen space as well. Rustic hardwood flooring fits perfectly well with the white ceiling.
A living space, a billiards table, a dining nook and a kitchen area in the large finished basement.
A nicely set living room with classy seats set on the carpet flooring. The room offers a large fireplace as well.
A kitchen area with a breakfast bar paired with elegant bar stools set on the carpet flooring.
A basement turned into a game room with multiple monitors and a small bar area set on the carpet flooring and lighted by recessed ceiling lights.
A large finished basement with a living space, a gambling table set and a bar area. The room features carpet flooring and a regular ceiling.
A close up look at the billiards pool set on the basement’s tiles flooring. The ceiling lights look stunning.
A glamorous man cave featuring a home theater area with sectional seats along with a billiards table lighted by a gorgeous chandelier. There’s a bar area as well.
Large finished basement with a living space featuring a comfy sectional sofa set on the carpet flooring.
A finished basement yet to be decorated and furnished. It features hardwood flooring, a small bar area and French doors.
A media room with a billiards table set on the carpet flooring and lighted by a gorgeous pendant lighting.
A basement turned game room with billiards table and an air hockey table both set on the carpet flooring.
Large finished basement with a bar area with a set of bar stools along with a brown leather couch.
A close up look at this billiards table set on the white carpet flooring and lighted by classy pendant lights.
A focused shot at this finished basement’s bar area with a classic set of bar stools set on the tiles flooring.
A game room featuring a traditional billiards table set with a red cloth. The massive rug looks absolutely charming as well.
A still empty finished basement with a kitchen area featuring hardwood flooring and recessed ceiling lights.
A formal living room featuring a cozy sofa set and a stylish fireplace along with carpet flooring.
A classy bathroom in the finished basement featuring red walls and tiles flooring.
A glamorous entry to the home’s basement featuring a classy rug and seats along with a small coffee table set on the side.
Spacious basement with a fireplace made with bricks along with a billiards table set. The room features carpet flooring.
This spacious finished basement features a large brick fireplace along with an office table and a small weight lifting area.
A formal living space set in the home’s finished basement. The room offers a fireplace, a TV on the wall and a drum set on the side.
A media room featuring a cozy set of seats and a couple of gym machines set on the room’s carpet flooring.
A stunning man cave featuring cozy couches and a classy bar area along with stylish black carpet flooring and a magnificent ceiling.
Small finished basement with gray carpet flooring and wall lighting, along with a small kitchen and a cozy living room set up.
A stylish man cave featuring an American Football inspired living space and an elegant bar area. The room also boasts a stunning ceiling.
By Mark D. Williams Custom Homes, Inc.
Small living room with a cozy sofa set and a widescreen TV for additional entertainment.
Rooms to put into a basement
As you can see from our basement ideas gallery above, many different types of rooms can be included in a basement. In our neck of the woods, many people include a suite that they can rent for extra income. It’s not a bad idea, because if you choose not to rent, you get a kitchen, living room and bathroom.
At the very least it’s a great guest room.
Here’s a list of rooms and ideas for your basement:
- Rentable suite: A great idea to generate income. However, there’s something a bit disconcerting about having a stranger living in your home.
- Family room: This is a no-brainer. The basement is an ideal space for a large, casual family room for watching TV, playing video games or just hanging out.
- Bar: Many home bars are situated in the basement.
- Man cave: Many man caves, with the home bar, are situated in the basement.
- Game room: I love game rooms because I enjoy foosball and table tennis. I also don’t mind playing pool, but I’m not very good. Growing up we had an air hockey table and table tennis table. When our kids are a bit older, I want to get these fun table games… although I’m not sure how much kids play these things these days given all the device options available.
- Bathroom: If you’re doing a full scale basement reno, it’s a great idea to include a bathroom, even if it’s just a half bath.
- Bedroom: If you don’t want to go full mother-in-law suite, consider a basic bedroom. Teenagers tend to like residing in basements. I did growing up and loved it.
- Exercise space: With the concrete floor, you have the solid surface for weight lifting. Just put a viable gym floor surface down and voila, you have a great home gym.
- Craft/work space: You can also turn a portion or all the space in a basement into a hobby area, be it for crafting, a shop or model trains… whatever your hobbies are.
- Home office: My home office is currently in our walk-out basement. It’s quite nice and works well for me.
How much do basement renovations cost?
This is one of those impossible reno cost questions. A full, high-end basement reno can easily cost more than $100,000, especially if you put in a kitchen and bathroom. On the low end, if can cost a few thousand if you do it yourself and keep it to lower cost rooms such as a basic family room and perhaps a bedroom with no frills.
