Staging the Basement

For a faster, more profitable home sale

Basement bedroom in pale colors and good lighting keeps it from being too dark.Neutral wall color, cheerful bedding and ample lighting gives this basement bedroom a fresh and inviting feel, in spite of the tiny window.

Staging the basement by turning it into a useful space can make the difference between a quick sale or having your home linger on the market for months.

A basement renovation, even a modest one, will add square footage and great value to your home. Home buyers will be simply thrilled to find an unexpected bonus space in your basement!



Paint the basement in a light neutral color

  • Painting the basement walls in white or another light neutral paint colors will brighten up this usually dark area of a home.
  • A coat of fresh paint is a far cry from a complete basement renovation, but it still is the most cost effective and quick way to spruce up a home.

  • Paint a low basement ceiling white, as light colors can "visually" raise a low ceiling. 
  • If you are thinking about removing the paneling, consider that it may have originally been put up to cover damaged walls!

Stage a basement room as a guest bedroom

Basement room turned into a guest bedroom.The designer of this basement bedroom decided to focus on presenting a feeling intimacy and coziness. Dark neutral colors invite pleasant sleep. Photo by decoist.com

A spare room with a window can be staged as a bedroom or a home office. An extra bedroom will add great value to your home.

Home buyers will love the fact that there is an extra bedroom separate from the rest of the house. A room that will provide privacy for house guests, (and home owners!) is always a desirable home selling feature.

Add an extra bathroom in the basement

White basement bathroom.This basement bathroom may be small, but it has all the essentials. Photo by trocanada.com

Because bathroom renovations are second only to kitchens on the expense scale, you may want to plan a small bathroom.

Who doesn't need an extra bathroom? Especially if you plan on having guests staying in that lovely basement bedroom that you just renovated.

This bathroom is decorated with classic and very affordable subway tiles. The hanging vanity takes up no floor space, which gives the bathroom a more spacious feeling.

The glass surround shower walls and door also contributes to that open feeling by extending sight lines all the way to the wall.



Stage the laundry area in the basement

Pretty basement laundry area.This pretty basement laundry area is very efficient. The folding counter above the washer and dryer takes up no extra room. Photo by hgtvhome.

Many of us have lived in (and still do) homes with the laundry area in the basement. For some of us it was a dark, scary basement.

Laundry organizing systems can be found at any home improvement store.Create a separate zone for the laundry by using organizing systems.

My personal childhood experience was a dark, windowless laundry room with a noisy furnace "monster" in the corner. It even had a glowing eye! Sort of like Kevin's experience in Home Alone. It was my job to iron my dad's white work shirts, so I had to spend a bit of time down there.

But you can sweep these kind of frightening situations away with some white paint, organizing systems and colorful laundry accessories. You can find all these things at your local home improvement center.

  • Stage the laundry area in your basement as an separate space. Invest in a laundry organizing system to hold all the clutter and make it look attractive.
  • Or, use closet organizing systems and built-in organizers to hold your sports equipment, laundry supplies, or media stuff.

Show home buyers that your basement can accommodate their family's needs and provide that extra storage every homeowner needs.

Stage your basement as a media room

Basement media interior designLight neutral colors, new flooring, cozy area rug, contemporary lighting and storage make this a successful basement renovation.

If you have a large space in the basement, stage it as a media room, a teen hangout, or the ever popular "man-cave."

  • Place a neutral-colored area rug under a conversational grouping; an area rug will unify the furniture, add color, warmth, and make the basement feel cozier.
  • Avoid dark, heavy furniture and flooring. The effect can be oppressive in an already dark room.
  • Staging the basement with light, neutral colored upholstered furniture will keep the feeling light. 
  • If you need window treatments for privacy, hang them off to the side of the window to let in maximum natural light.
  • Brighten up the basement by using cheerful accent colors with pillows, throws and artwork.
  • Updating old light fixtures with modern contemporary lighting is a cost-effective way to improve any space. When staging the basement, proper lighting is of utmost importance.

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