A finished basement adds value to your home and property, and this room significantly increases your living space. From providing additional living room in general, a finished basement is a great space to have playrooms, media rooms, basement bedrooms or even spruced up laundry rooms – your basement space can be so much more than just bare basement walls or a built in storage unit!
However, basements are naturally dark spaces because they usually have less natural light than other rooms and homeowners can ignore the basement paint colors, assuming a single bright white paint or gray paint is all that’s needed. Dark basements, and the dark rooms within, can be transformed with the right paint color, and sometimes all you need is some inspiration for paint color ideas.
Often the best paint colors for these dark spaces will lend themselves towards lighter colors or a more neutral color, but the room paint can vary based on your personality and goal for the basement space. (all teal might be a bit much for most, but you find the perfect paint for you, you just have to go for it!)
So choose your paint and color palette carefully. A finished basement can also be a space to experiment with your creativity. It can be a fun DIY interior painting project, especially for unfinished basements, but for finished basements many homeowners approach it as they would their living room or dining room.
Select Light Colors
The natural goal for most basement color schemes is to brighten the space. Most decorators look at light palettes. Said palettes often incorporate the following colors:
- White
- Pure white
- Off-white
- Warm beige
- Taupe
- Sky blue
- Light gray
- Greige
- Cream
- Yellow
Unless you’re going for neutral white, you’ll usually pick either a warm or a bright version of one of these for your basement paint colors. That principle is why you’d opt for sky blue over, say, French blue. You want a color that adds to a light and bright ambience. Paint brands such as Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore, Behr and others will have a wide variety of these color palettes and available color schemes to choose from.
Choose a Bold Color for an Accent Wall
You can add a statement wall to your finished basement room. Such walls are often a deeper color. However, any bold color will suffice. Navy, a shade of purple, or a deep green can work to this end.
When you choose the statement wall, consider your natural light source. You’re going to want at least some natural light to hit the deep color of your wall. Likewise, look into satin-finish paints, which will subtly reflect the light.
Coordinate With Other Basement Elements
Another method of creating visual interest in your finished basement is by coordinating the paint with existing elements. For example, you might have a brick wall as part of the basement. One option is to choose a light color from the brick and extend it out to the walls. This method will brighten and enlarge your space.
Conversely, consider complementing the element. Instead of choosing a color out of the brick façade, you’ll choose a contrasting color that still lightens the space.
You can create elements and use lighter, neutral colors to create a space, such as a green undertone if you have natural light.
Consider a Monochromatic Palette
A monochromatic color palette can feature all one color or shades within a limited range of that color. The benefit here, besides the sophisticated appeal, is that it minimizes the distinction between spaces. That minimization makes your basement feel larger.
White is a natural choice for the monochromatic palette, but you may want to stray away from true white so your room doesn’t look clinical. Instead, look for white with a subtle undertone. You can also explore another color, such as periwinkle. You can have the walls and ceiling painted one shade, and look for different shades or washes for other areas of the basement.
Paint the Ceiling a Light Color
If you have a low ceiling in your basement, which is very common, you may want to paint the ceiling white regardless of whatever else you do with your palette. The color white makes the ceiling recede, so it will look taller.
If you’re really not keen on imposing white on your color palette, consider painting your ceiling a lighter version of your chosen color. Say you’ve decided on beige walls with a red statement wall. Instead of painting the ceiling beige, opt for cream, which is a lighter version of that color. You’ll still get that illuminating effect.
Experiment With Pattern
Consider trying out one of the numerous paint patterning techniques available. For example, you could have the walls painted in stripes, chevrons, or blocks. Just make sure you gravitate toward the light and bright colors. You could also choose a wallpaper that adds energy to the space and compliments your chosen paint colors. You could use this paper for your statement wall. Having a bright white trim with a bold accent wall color and the right home decor can turn your basement space into an oasis from the rest of the world and the stress of the day!
Transform your basement with creative painting ideas. Elite Painting KC can provide a wide range of interior painting services for your basement. Our exacting standards and years of experience lend itself to our team being able to provide you ideas, suggestions and ultimately the best painting results possible in the Kansas City metro. Call or contact us today and set up a free estimate on your basement painting project, or any house painting project you have and let one of the best painters in KC give you some options!