Use What You Have: The Basement Room

• Many people are being creative with the home environment they currently have...

• One of the things I talk about in my upcoming book is about "making your dream home happen now"....Take the home you have now and be creative with part of it...making it more in line with your dream home that you eventually want...

• Make one part of your home a place that reflects what you want - even if it is not the entire house...The basement could be a creative option...Creating a haven for you and your family...

• Homeowners sometimes overlook their unfinished basements as a useful option for expanding their livable space in their current homes... In some cases it is definitely worth looking into if you are thinking about renovating or updating your home...Maybe instead of building on to your home - you might have interesting space down below to use in new ways...

• What I like about basement spaces is that you have a basic starting point to move in any direction creatively...For example, if you have always wanted to do a sports-themed room or a travel-themed room in your home - but you really cannot see that working out well upstairs - the basement offers up a good solution for that...or if you have wanted a craft room, extra guest room, a home gym or a screening room of your own - look at what your basement has to offer...

• I have done two projects as makeovers for TV that were basement rooms...One was a Baseball Club House Room and the other was a Hockey Club House Room...

• To me, they were fun to do because we took a space that can feel uninviting because of the lack of windows and made them places you truly wanted to hang out in...

• So whether you are starting from scratch with your basement finishing or are wanting to see what you have in new ways...know that it is a chance to be creative and "set the stage" with a mood, theme or style that is right for you...

• You can spend some money on a renovation and have rooms similar to those shown here or you can take a cue from the room below - gathering up some paint, some drapes and adding some lighting...to create a room that is useful and stylish at the same time...

• My biggest piece of advice for a basement room - LIGHTING IS KEY.  You can truly use lighting to your advantage to create the warm and inviting feel you want.  Since most basements may not have windows - you can use halogen spot lighting to your advantage to create a great look...