Furnishing a basement room

Usefulness of a basement room

One of the advantages of living in an isolated house is to be able to have additional and optional space but very useful for household or to accommodate family and friends: the basement room, an environment that, according to the shape of the house, takes on different aspects.

The basement room is often an open space complete with toilet and utility room; depending on the circumstances, it can be situated on the ground floor or below the street level. Who has a basement room, in most cases, also has an adjacent garage for cars and motorcycles.

Originally the basement room was born as a mere place of service where do carry out household tasks more difficult, so without having to dirty the kitchen area: prepare dishes, have lunch on the fly, store products ... So, being a place of service, it was not necessary to conform it or embellish it as the rest of the house; the first basement rooms, at the boundary between a real room and the old cellars, had no floor coverings and were often used as storages for the old abandoned furniture from the house, without a style or a design logic.

Today, however, having a basement room is a luxury that few can afford: it is very common in the reality of the province, close to the countryside, not in the city, however, where the small spaces, the frenetic pace of life and the high market prices, prevent the vast majority of citizens to live in a cottage.

Its function is always of a place of service, but today is shaped in such a way to welcome friends and family for lunch or dinner in company, to be functional for domestic activities, and with appliances and media devices, to be prepared for the relax with sofas and armchairs, even better if in front of a fireplace.

Let's see how, both as regards the coatings and the furniture, everything contributes to the conformation of a basement room warm and functional, where the details make the difference.

Furnishing a basement room

Thinking about a basement room, the first covering that comes to mind is definitely the cotto tile, a material obtained, in fact, by cooking the clay. Another very important coating element are the majolicas, or earthenware ties covered with white glaze and decorated.

Regardless of the choice that we will adopt, the recommendation is to install, especially on the ground, a floor that is easy to clean and to remove the stains from: in this way, after a night with friends or after the frenetic activity of the kitchen, it will be easier and faster to remove stains and rings without the use of abrasive cleaners.

As for finishes and furnishings, then, what is common is the use of the traditional basement rooms, is the use of warm materials: ceramic, stone or wood, everything must contribute to the shape of a welcoming environment that remind you of the old country houses.

The main focus of a basement room is often the kitchen. Rustic or country, a kitchen must be able to carry out the various culinary activities, often seasonal; it is, in fact, the favorite place for women who like to preserve seasonal products, making jams, tomatoe souce. In this regard it is appropriate for the kitchen, regardless of the style you choose, to be both functional and comfortable: it must have a stove with more fires, a bug oven and sinks and large worktops.

The ideal is to have a wood-burning oven or a fireplace to cook food and to create a more welcoming environment: this will only be possible if there is, or if it is possible to install a chimney.

All manufacturers of kitchens have dedicated lines to the classic, rustic style; you can then go over their catalogs with a fine tooth comb to find what conformation and style most closely matches your needs and your taste.
Wooden shutters, warm colors, details that take you back in time, are the most common aspects to all models of the lines inspired by nature and by the country or shabby style.



For the rest of the furnishing, the advice is to aim, for what is possible, to re-use: look in the old basements of family and friends for furniture, such as dressers, chests, benches and why not, for old lighting fixtures with the intent to renovate them on your own or relying on a craftsman will make the environment more friendly and welcoming.