15 Basement Family Room Ideas on a Budget + My Curated Collection
Do you want to create a cozy basement family room? When we moved into our home the basement had lots of potential, but needed a makeover. Three years later, we have created a cozy modern living room. Here are 15 basement family room ideas on a budget to get your wheels turning for your own cozy family room!
This post highlights the Grace In My Space curated collection in partnership with Joyfully Said.
Post contains affiliate links for your convenience.
Basement Family Room Ideas | A Cozy Family Room Makeover
Everyone loves a good before and after. Here is our basement family room when we first moved in.
It had loads of potential and a good size space. However, it wasn’t my style.
Plus, the carpet was 20 years old and heavily stained and the windows and doors needed to be replaced.
Over the last three years, we’ve updated the room entirely. We took it one budget-friendly project at a time, until its completion!
I documented my modern farmhouse family room ideas in this interim update a couple of years ago. But let’s take a full look at all of the projects I’ve completed to get it to the point it’s at today!
Budget-Friendly Updates
First, let’s talk about the most impactful budget friendly ideas for a basement family room.
Paint & Wall Moulding
If you can do nothing else, at least update with paint. Even if you are painting cinderblock walls, paint is the most budget-friendly basement update you can complete!
Since basements usually have less natural light, a light paint color can help brighten a dungeon-like basement. Conversely, you can create a very cozy and moody basement with darker paint colors. It all depends on the look and atmosphere you’re trying to achieve.
Next, add loads of character and customization with wall moulding. There are a ton of different options for wall moulding designs and most are extremely budget friendly.
I chose to go with a modern wall moulding design that I made up myself using simple pieces of trim.
I designed it so the center moulding would highlight a piece of artwork while adding interest to the rest of the wall without needing additional art. This helps keep decor costs down by taking up a full wall with moulding that is the design focal point.
Proper Layout & Lighting
After the walls are complete, your next budget friendly idea is to ensure that you have a proper furniture layout for the space. You may need to invest in some new pieces that fit your room size, but overall, most basements can accommodate standard size furnishings.
Ensure that the layout works well for flow, accessibility, and positioning towards the focal point of a room (ex: fireplace or TV for a family room). Playing with the layout of your furniture is the easiest way to change a space without actually spending any money.
And finally, you can make a big statement in a basement family room with proper lighting. Just like paint can lighten a space with low natural light, so can various light sources. If your overhead lighting doesn’t cut it, add wall sconces, task lighting or lamps to brighten the space to your liking.
A properly lit basement will be more inviting and get more use!
15 Basement Family Room Ideas on a Budget
Here are the top 15 things to consider when styling a family room in a basement!
- Paint color
- Wall moulding
- Statement artwork
- Proper furniture layout for functionality
- Simple coffee table styling
- Cozy pillows and throw blankets
- Cute storage
- Ambiance with candles
- Proper lighting
- Fresh florals
- Live plants (learn beginner tips for caring for houseplants in this post)
- Curated gallery wall
- Practical furnishings
- Durable flooring made for the kind of use your basement will receive. Our flooring details can be found in this post.
- Cozy rug or carpet
How I Created our Cozy Modern Living Room with My Curated Collection
And that leads me to our family room decor!
It was so fun to announce this new curated collection with Joyfully Said to my blog subscribers this weekend. Make sure to subscribe above to be the first to know about these opportunities!
I’ve loved working with Joyfully Said for years. If you missed our first collaboration, you can learn all about how I designed this sign with them in this post.
And now, we’ve taken it a step further and I’ve curated my own selection of home decor with Joyfully Said! I’m excited to share it all with you, but make sure to use my coupon code SHOPGIMS for 10% off the home decor from my curated line.
This is a perfect opportunity to share how to decorate a basement family room with affordable decor.
Basement Family Room Decor Staples
In my basement, I’ve added the following decor staples from my collection with Joyfully Said.
- Woven Seagrass Baskets (3 sizes)
- Mango Wood Candlesticks (2 sizes)
- Lera Vase
- Elena Pillow
- Otto Fringe Throw Blanket
- Macy Lumbar Pillow
- Silas Wool Pillow
- Grace In My Space “Above All Love Each Other Deeply” sign
First, let’s look at these seagrass baskets. There are three sizes. The largest is perfect for toy storage and organization. The middle size is great for blankets and the smallest size nicely holds books. It would also be a beautiful casing for flowers in a vase.
Next, let’s take a look at the coffee table decor I chose. The Lera Vase has a beautiful handmade quality and character. It would be beautiful styled on a shelf, or like I have it with my favorite realistic faux tulips.
The mango candlesticks are a beautiful versatile wood tone that will go with any style decor. I paired them with my favorite battery operated taper candles for coffee table decor that can be “lit” anytime.
Make sure to check out how I made these candles even more realistic with this YouTube tutorial!
Now, let’s transition to comfort items. These three throw pillows work perfectly together. They aren’t matchy-matchy, but they coordinate so well to create an intentionally styled look.
Plus, the color scheme works great for many different style homes. The black and white throw blanket will pair with just about any color palette too!
I curated this selection of home decor from Joyfully Said with intentionality. These are all extremely versatile pieces that would blend with multiple decor styles. They can work individually, or as a beautiful collection in your home.
use coupon code: shopgims for 10% off my collection
More Details and Sources on Our Basement Makeover
I hope you’ve gleaned some basement family room ideas on a budget from this post! If you’re looking for additional resources, check out the links below.
- Where is our TV and how did I camouflage it?
- Wall Moulding Tutorial
- DIY Coffee Table Makeover
- Sofas are both from Article
- Basement Area Rug Source
Thanks so much for stopping by the blog today! Make sure to follow along with me on the blog as well as Instagram and YouTube for real-time projects, decorating tips, DIYs and more!
Who knew a basement could go from ‘dungeon chic’ to ‘cozy sanctuary’ with just a little paint and some creative molding? Now, if only my laundry room would transform itself with a flick of the brush… Canโt wait to try these tips (and maybe a couple of throw pillows for the couch-snuggling)!
wish i saw your post sooner
I am incredibly grateful for the invaluable information and diverse experience you have provided me, allowing me to take full advantage of fantastic educational prospects. Your insights shifted my perspective, resulting in a more positive outlook.
Great ideas. Thanks
I’m wondering if those are white, cream or light yellow tulips? It’s difficult to tell with the lighting. I’d like to get the same ones on Amazon. Thanks! B
Cream! Though depending on the link you end up purchasing from, the colors can vary from year to year slightly.
This will be beneficial for others I guess thank you for sharing