Decorate windowless basement room

[Anonymous]

I would like to decorate the room in a way that makes it feel moody and give it kind of a dark atmosphere, rather than trying to make it cheery. I was thinking a dark paint color, but a) will that work? and b) what else would I need to get that aesthetic?

For the general mood, I was thinking something like this: https://pin.it/4oiCn8S

And this: https://www.instagram.com/p/CDlwj-yjzM9/?igshid=ecv11jhw4y2g

Im not sure this will work because the ceilings are low and unfinished (it’s a black wood with pipes painted black, and actually looks cool, but it’s not the pretty high ceilings in these photos, and there is no interesting architecture, just dry wall.

[Anonymous]

The mood in the first room is not just about the color but the richness of the wood shelves, fabrics etc.

What are you going to use the room for?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The mood in the first room is not just about the color but the richness of the wood shelves, fabrics etc.

What are you going to use the room for?

Home office.

[Anonymous]

Yes it can work. Choose a jewel tone rich color. Like deep turquoise - or royal purple.
wood furniture and leather for the shine. Hang a gilded mirror. Use gold or bronze metals not silver. They will convey warmth. Definitely do layered lighting: a floor lamp, sconces, table lamp.

[Anonymous]

https://images.app.goo.gl/6cuKevbD4RdTpoXC7

[Anonymous]

We sort of had this vibe in our old living room. Paint was SW Toasty. Had brown/green/cream oriental carpet. Dark brown case goods.

[Anonymous]

In my opinion those dark rooms do not work for a windowless basement. You need natural light to pull off dark rooms. Otherwise it’s just an uninviting dark closet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my opinion those dark rooms do not work for a windowless basement. You need natural light to pull off dark rooms. Otherwise it’s just an uninviting dark closet.

^this. Every example OP posted had a window.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the input. Maybe I can go lighter but still throw in jewel tones, wood, and gold like PP suggested?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the input. Maybe I can go lighter but still throw in jewel tones, wood, and gold like PP suggested?

And layered lighting, of course.

[Anonymous]

Google basement office exposed ceiling. Lots of nice options.

[Anonymous]

You could do one of these to make it seem like a window

https://www.ballarddesigns.com/bd/598065?listIndex=0&offers_sku=WN211%20CHA%205436&intlShippingCtx=US%7CUSD&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=New%20-%20PLA%20%7C%20Brand%20All%20Products&SourceCode=BDG008&kclid=_k_EAIaIQobChMI_9yjoafs7gIVEYizCh0JXgt7EAQYASABEgKdAPD_BwE_k_&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_9yjoafs7gIVEYizCh0JXgt7EAQYASABEgKdAPD_BwE

[Anonymous]

I think you can do it, OP. You just need lots of different light sources: sconces, spotlights, uplights, ambient, task lighting, dimmable ceiling lights, etc. You should also use mirrors to reflect the light and blur the edges of the space.

[Anonymous]

One of my favorite basement & windowless rooms had dark navy walls. A mix of crisp lines and rich textures for rest of room. Furniture was simple but traditional but accessories and lighting very modern. It felt cozy, spacious (even though small room!) and looked stunning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my opinion those dark rooms do not work for a windowless basement. You need natural light to pull off dark rooms. Otherwise it’s just an uninviting dark closet.

I disagree. Haven't you been to a dark and moody bar? They are incredible, atmospheric spaces and typically have no windows. They use lots of lights sources, mirrors, and textures:

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Y17n5AAqa5dD_8g7alrALZczYyE=/0x600/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4140670/Bar_Three_Piece_3.0.jpg

https://www.sdcm.com/wp-content/uploads/syrah-bg.jpg

https://mudvilleflats.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Noble-Experiment.jpg

Besides, all the examples OP linked to can also look great at night. It's all in the lighting scheme.