Since the pandemic struck, we’ve had to keep being creative about how to keep ourselves entertained while at home. Our homes are more than just places to sleep and rest. But they’re now also schools, gyms, workplaces, and recreation centers. To keep a work-life balance, we’ve learned that it’s best we split these tasks into different rooms or areas of the house. If you’ve been looking to finish your basement, building a recreation center is a great idea. Here are some ideas for what to turn your basement into.
Gym
This is one of the more obvious ideas on this list, but exercising is important! You can add other tools to your home gym apart from the usual weights and benches, including a sled and a boxing bag. Sleds are for pushing and pulling and can be stacked with weights for increased difficulty. You’ll often see them in workout routines for celebrities training for action roles.
Boxing is a great high-intensity workout, so it can help you burn fat faster. It can also help you rid yourself of stress better than lower-intensity workouts. Invest in a boxing bag and other boxing gear such as hand wraps and gloves.
Bowling alley
Bowling is a sport that offers the same benefits as working out. But it’s also much easier to have fun when you’re bowling. It’s an activity that we associate with going out with our friends, but the good news is that you can have a bowling alley in your home. Apart from securing the equipment, you’ll also need to make sure that your basement’s flooring is right for bowling. A bowling alley typically consists of pine and maple wood.
Game room
To make gaming feel productive and just fun, you can also make space for some exercise-based video games. Just Dance 2021 is out, and dancing is a great way to exercise your body and mind. Other exercise-centered video games include Black Box VR and Ring Fit Adventure by Nintendo.
Apart from just video games, you can also carve out a space for playing traditional games in the basement. Have a pool table and a board game table for chess, checkers, or even card games. We recommend this for homes of larger households because gaming is more fun when you have company. Make sure there’s a scoreboard to up the competitiveness!
Home theatre
One of the things we’ve had to go without because of the pandemic is going to the cinema. So why not build one at home? If your household is full of cinephiles, you’ve probably already thought of this, but here are some ideas to help you take your home theatre to the next level.
Decorate your home theatre with posters of your favorite movies. Add a dark carpeted flooring and a lightbox with letters spelling out the title of the movie or series you’re going to watch to give it a more authentic cinema feel. The best part is that you don’t have to splurge on a big screen TV for this – but if you have one, this is the perfect use for it! If you don’t, you can paint one wall plain white and put a projector in front of it. Don’t forget the popcorn!
Arts and crafts room
Having a separate room for your arts and crafts hobby can come in handy because certain art materials have to be kept in specific conditions to maintain their integrity. You also need to make sure the room is properly ventilated and has windows. Certain art materials such as oil paints release toxic fumes, so you need to keep the windows open when oil painting indoors.
If you’ve made your love for arts and crafts into a small business opportunity, it’s even more important to have a designated room for it. Think of it as your home office for your small business. It will also keep you from getting your art materials – now part of your business assets – from getting mixed up with more personal items in your home.
Studio
If you or anyone in your household has music or video content creation talents, this is the perfect basement finishing project. Make sure to tell your contractor to put soundproof materials into the walls and ceilings. You can also stick acoustic foam on the walls to absorb sound and reduce echoes. These tips will help you greatly in building the soundproof home studio of your dreams.
To keep yourself occupied and entertained during the pandemic, why not turn your basement into a hub for your favorite hobbies? It’s a perfect way to use the space and is sure to make your household happier.
