Beautiful Basements: Inspiration For Your Basement Blues

Beautiful basements – is there really such a thing? You might be surprised. If you’re feeling prisoner to the damp darkness your basement seems to exude, consider the open and bright room inspirations below. Reclaim the space so often reserved for storage, unused exercise equipment (we’ve all had home gym aspirations), and older children who aren’t ready to leave the nest. Get excited to go downstairs again!

6 Basement Styles We Love

1. Downstairs living room - Create a warm space with rich fabrics, charming shelving, lush carpeting, and inviting furniture. (The fireplace is a nice touch!)

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2. Lower-level guest room - Try turning your basement into an inviting space during the day and at night. Sleeping in the basement does not have to be something you dread! And there's lots to love about using a Murphy bed: it's easy to put away, doesn't take up much space, and is far more comfortable than your average pullout couch.

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3. Endless entertaining - One of the best things about basements is that, when cleared of storage, there's usually lots of room for activities! Turn your basement into a fun place to have friends over or to spend time as a family.

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4. Back to black - Although it's a good idea to keep your basement bright, you don't necessarily need white walls to do this. White accents and lighting will help you achieve the effect you want, while letting you get bold with color.

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5. Modern TV room - Have fun with lighting, seating, and accent pieces. There's a tendency for basements to get stale. Keep yours fresh with earthy tones and plants to evoke life.

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6. Office space - Basements tend to be tucked away from the busyness of the rest of the house, which makes them an ideal spot to put your home office. Make sure to keep things organized and dynamic; create an area that you'll look forward to retreating to and working in. 

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Are you ready to tackle your basement blues, or is there an area of your home that you're more excited to upgrade? Let us know below! And for more home decor inspiration and renovation advice make sure to head to the Marketplace Events home show nearest you. We've got shows coming up across North America, check out what's in your area - US shows and Canadian shows.

There's lots of reasons to grab tickets to the show (celebrity guests, expert advice, exclusive deals), and here's one more (or should we say two): right now when you like us on Facebook you can get two tickets for the price of one to the Marketplace Events home show of your choice. Pick up your tickets today and bring a friend to the show - we can't wait to see you there!

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Integrating Technology Into Your Home @ Cleveland's Great Big Home + Garden Show

Unlocking your front door at home while still at work; turning your hot tub on while still sitting on your couch; or seeing who just rang your doorbell without leaving the comfort of your bed.  What once seemed impossible is today a reality as advances in home technology are making control of a variety of home features easier than ever.

For example, the latest technology can be used to control your lights, audio and media systems, heating and cooling systems, security cameras, irrigation systems, and pools and spas.  Once installed, systems are accessible by tablet or smartphone, from anywhere in the house or the world.

“The most popular requests we get from customers wanting to access home technology remotely is for their media systems, followed by lights and heating and cooling controls,” said Nick Fabrick, Vice President , Xtend Technologies. “The great thing about automation systems is that many are modular so customers can pick and choose what they want to control and add on additional components as time goes on.”

The top two areas to consider when deciding on how to integrate automation technology into your home, according to Fabrick, are budget and personal preferences. The modular capability of systems allows customers with the smallest of budgets to begin integrating the technology into their home without breaking the bank.  Once determining budget, it’s important to think about personal preference and what will be most utilized in your own home. For example, are you a movie aficionado? Surround sound that you control without leaving your couch might be the place to start for you. Or perhaps you have school-age children that get home before you do, being able to see when your child arrives home or unlocking the door for them while you’re still at work might be your number one priority.

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Interested in learning more about what might be possible in your home? Stop by the Great Big Home + Garden Show’s Dream Basement, built by XTend Technologies, to see the latest in home remote control technology.

FEBRUARY 8-16, 2014

I-X CENTER

CLICK HERE

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