How to Create a Light and Fun Space in your Basement

Gone are the days of dark, dingy basements. With today’s new homes in Utah, basements can be every bit as beautiful and comfortable as your main floor living space. All homes in Daybreak are Energy Star 3.0 certified which means the basements get an extra bit of insulation, and most builders offer 9′ basement ceilings as an option which opens things up so they don’t feel quite so basement-y. Plus, if you finish your basement after the fact it’s a lot easier to get your hands on the original blueprints which helps in designing and budgeting for the project.

Here in Daybreak, residents create fun, light spaces that are oh so livable. Take this real-life Daybreak home for instance. The Hewletts are a busy couple with four little ones. They created a space that is family-friendly, functional, and pretty.

The Hewletts know that bringing personal touches into your interior design is important.

Remember, it can look great without looking like it was torn from the pages of a magazine. Don’t be afraid to add accents that let everyone who enters know who lives in your home. YOU.

Fun patterned pillows give this room a playful feel. Mix and match textures and patterns. If you begin with a neutral background the possibilities are endless.

Add fun architectural pieces and books you love to the shelves. This kitschy pineapple bookend (above) is just the thing to start a conversation and put your guests at ease.

Family photos are also a great way to add fun and ease to a space.

These mis-matched frames lend an air of whimsy as well as texture and interest to the top of a mirrored dresser.

Mirrored furniture is unexpected, elegant, exciting and pretty. Mirrored pieces are also visually light and help make a space look larger.

The Hewletts selected beautiful engineered wood floors that are specifically designed to go in basements. This is such a rich look… but it also ensures that their kids don’t stain the hallway carpet. This stuff if virtually indestructible.

If you have little ones, consider an under-the-stairs play room, like the Hewletts. That’s the great thing about building a home in Daybreak, you get what you REALLY want!

The magic is in the details, just ask this little frog doorbell guy.

Is this the most adorable playroom you have ever seen? More white built-ins and fun gray and white stripes make this room super fun and super classy at the same time.

Using built-ins to display favorite toys and collectables is such a great way to decorate a kid’s playroom.  It adds color and you don’t have to worry about anything getting broken. Displaying picture books in open-face shelving is also a great alternative to wall art.

A single, gigantic map hangs on the wall above the concrete-top table. The Hewletts selected furniture that can stand up to their four children.

Possibly the best part of the Hewletts playroom are the four red clocks each displaying the current time in their favorite places to visit: Disneyland, Maui, Myrtle Beach, and Montana.

Now, the Hewletts like to stay in good shape and so it’s only fitting that they have a home gym off their basement living room. Complete with mirrored walls, a treadmills and all sorts of fitness equipment, it an exercise enthusiast’s dream come true!

Opposite the workout equipment is a small kitchenette, including all the equipment you need to make a delicious meal. The Hewletts love to use it for entertaining. It works perfectly to have refreshments stored in the kitchette while guests gather in the living room. No running up and down the stairs to refill the veggie tray for the Hewletts!

The best part of the kitchenette is the ice maker that makes pebble ice. Yet another reason to build a home. That is some serious dedication to pebble ice!

Visit Daybreak’s new Lake Village Model Homes for more amazing decorating ideas and to learn how you can create your very own dream basement!