Top Tips for Brightening Up Your Basement
Basements are increasingly being used as an extra room, particularly in London properties where space can be at a premium and cost can prevent people from moving to a larger home.
However, because of its location, part of the house can easily look dark and dingy. Here are some top tips from The Bespoke Shutter Company, suppliers of café-style shutters in Herts and north and south London, on how you can keep your basement looking bright and beautiful.
Go Light, Not Bright
Avoid using too many bold colours, as they give the impression that your basement is smaller than it actually is. Opt for a light, neutral colour, such as white or grey, or a pale shade of blue or green, rather than a vivid red or orange.
If you do want something a bit more adventurous, then do it subtly by painting one wall in a different colour, or by having colourful accessories like cushions and rugs.
Ground-Level Lighting
Your choice of lamps is extremely important, particularly if your basement is completely underground. Clever use of lighting can make the room seem bigger, particularly if you have plenty of mirrors to reflect it around.
However standard fluorescent lights which are fitted in or from the ceiling should be avoided, as these can be quite harsh in a confined space. Use some table or floor lamps instead as these will give you all the illumination you need and make the basement seem much cosier.
Keep It Simple
As basement space can be limited, it is important not to clutter everything up too much and let it get too untidy. Keep furniture simple and effective, and don’t be tempted to introduce too many items just because you don’t have room for them elsewhere in the house.
And whatever you want to use your basement for – as a guest bedroom, a games room or even a downstairs gym – the chances are that at least part of it will still be used for storage. So consider installing shelving and cupboards which are built into the walls. If you are using your basement as a bedroom, then a divan bed with built-in storage underneath is a must.
Use Café-Style Shutters
Many basement properties in London are overlooked or on street level, so café-style shutters are the perfect fit. They cover the bottom half of a window only, which still gives the homeowner plenty of privacy while the exposed portion will still let in enough light. They also add plenty of kerb appeal, making your home much more attractive to would-be purchasers.
And as most basements are exposed to greater levels of moisture, the shutters should either be waterproof or be treated with a preservative to prevent the possibility of any long-term damage.
The Bespoke Shutter Company's supplies waterproof shutters made from Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), which offers a high level of protection even if the panels are covered in water.
Quality Wooden Shutters from the Bespoke Shutter Company
The Bespoke Shutter Company supply a wide range of quality wooden to properties in south and north London, Essex and Herts, including tier on tier, full length, waterproof and café-style shutters.
We think we can fit our made to measure shutters to any size or shape of window. If you would like to learn more about our range of products, follow this link and fill in the online form or call us on 020 3131 3155.
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