- Add mirrors and try color drenching or layering for a brighter, cohesive look.
- Try a bold mural or peel-and-stick wallpaper to enhance brightness and style.
- Use light LVP or peel-and-stick flooring to brighten without breaking the bank.
If your finished basement feels too dark and disinviting for your liking, but you’re not looking to spend tons of money revamping the space, by no means is all hope lost. There are many clever ways to make your basement look much brighter—and more stylish—without breaking the bank.
Here, interior designers share five helpful tactics that will allow you to transform your space so that it’s much more welcoming and usable. Many of these approaches are renter-friendly, too, and you won’t believe you hadn’t thought to implement them before.
Hang Mirrors
Not sure what to hang on your basement walls? Try hanging a few mirrors. They’ll do an excellent job of filling the space and will also work wonders in making the room appear more light and airy, Kelley Gable, the founder of Gable Interiors, says.
“Mirrors bounce light off of natural light sources, thereby creating a brighter appearance,” she says.
If you’re unsure where to exactly hang them, remember that mirrors will look great in a number of different spots within the basement. Gable suggests hanging a larger one over the sofa and incorporating a smaller mirror into a gallery wall, for example.
Color Drench Your Space
If there’s a certain color that you’re hoping to incorporate into your basement, go all in with it, Gable advises. Color drenching—which refers to painting the walls, trim, and ceiling of a room in one singular shade and then decorating with corresponding furniture and accessories—is a designer-favorite tactic as of late.
This look isn’t just on trend, it’s also an excellent trick for making a room appear more airy, Gable says, and she is all about embracing it in a basement. Color drenching doesn’t just pertain to the use of bold colors everywhere, either—as seen here, you can easily color drench a space using one or two different neutrals.
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Add Layers of Color
If you can’t commit to just one color in your basement, fear not. You can still layer together different hues in order to brighten it up, Nicole Cole, the founder of Vestige Home, notes.
When designing a basement bar area, she opted to install a yellow onyx wall tile. She then paired it with a soft green painted wall to create interest and layers in the space that make it feel dynamic.
Don’t Forget About Wallpaper
Wallpaper or a cheerful decorative mural, even when installed on just one wall within your basement, can add welcome brightness to your basement space, Cole explains.
In this basement, she selected a peppy floral mural that adds immediate visual interest to the space (and also eliminates the need for additional wall art). Cole explains how it adds color and personality to the room without being heavy.
Keep in mind that even if you’re a renter or living in a space temporarily, you can still follow suit by installing a peel-and-stick wallpaper that is easily removable.
Try a Lighter Floor
To brighten things up in the basement, Taylor Fusco, the founder of Taylor Design, is a proponent of opting for lighter-colored flooring. If you’re designing a basement from scratch, she suggests going with a cost-effective LVP to save some cash.
To add some more personality to your space, consider choosing a patterned design, like the chevron style of flooring she incorporated into the client space shown here.
“This can help keep a dark basement feeling light and fun without breaking the bank,” Fusco says.
Those who are renting and are unable to make permanent alterations to their basement floors or are looking for an even more cost-effective solution should consider peel-and-stick flooring. There are many inexpensive, removable styles that will greatly transform a basement thanks to their light-colored, eye-catching designs.
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