Vintage basement decor that made downstairs feel like home
Making the basement more livable and welcoming
Homeowners in the mid-20th century saw the potential in basements to expand their living space without building an addition. With a coat of paint, smart storage and a new floor made from durable asphalt tile, the basement could match the comfort of any room upstairs. These changes often turned overlooked areas into family rooms, play zones or workspaces planned with comfort and purpose.
Giving everyday chores a better backdrop
Decorating the basement also served practical needs. Laundry setups became more efficient with the addition of built-in counters, cabinets, rolling bins and good lighting. Washers and ironing equipment stayed in place, but thoughtful organization made the whole area easier to use. Water-resistant flooring helped maintain a tidy appearance and cut down on cleanup time.
Theme rooms and creative corners
Designing around a theme became a popular way to shape the basement’s purpose. Some families created Western-style ranch rooms with cowhide-covered furniture, Navajo-inspired floors, and decorative accents like totem poles. Others carved out music lounges with custom record storage and space for playing or listening. Hobby stations, garden workrooms and model train setups all found their place downstairs, tailored to fit each family’s interests.
Using the space for fun and hosting
Entertaining often centered around the basement. Homeowners set up snack bars, installed game floors and added movie screens for casual gatherings. Styles ranged from rustic cabins to sidewalk cafés, with paneling, paint and lighting used to define the space. These rooms balanced everyday use with special occasions, built to handle hobbies, music, food and conversation.
Vintage basement decor offered endless ways to shape the space into something more personal. Below, we’ve collected a range of photos and original articles from the 1940s and 1950s that show just how resourceful and creative mid-century homeowners could be.
How basement rooms can be livable and practical
You can have a basement room today that is as comfortable and livable as any other room in your home.
There’s a certain carefree atmosphere that surrounds a basement recreation room or living room. When you have a party in a room like this, guests immediately catch the festive spirit. And you’ll enjoy entertaining more because there’s less than half the straightening up to do after the party is over.
A BASEMENT BEFORE AND AFTER REMODELING
No words can tell more clearly than these before-and-after pictures what a dramatic change can be made in a typical basement.
FIX UP THE BASEMENT AND IT BECOMES A REAL PART OF YOUR HOME
Most people think of a recreation room when they consider improving their basements, but that’s by no means the limit of possibilities.
Part of most every basement has to be used for regular household tasks, like washing and ironing or odd jobs of painting and carpentry. But in a basement that has been made cheerful and bright, this work becomes as pleasant as if it were being done in any other part of the house.
And it’s quite easy to fix up the basement and make it a really attractive part of your home — suited for both work and play. All you need is a practical decorative idea plus a little paint and a bright new floor of Armstrong’s Asphalt Tile. You’ll find the result is almost like adding a whole new floor of comfortable living space to your house.
VINTAGE BASEMENT REMODEL: MAKE A BEAUTIFUL, PRACTICAL LAUNDRY ROOM
The home laundry once looked like the basement shown above. A little planning and a few easy changes made it this beautiful, yet practical workroom. What woman wouldn’t be proud of the result? The washing machine and electric-ironer, even the tubs, are the same as before. The trick is in convenient cupboards, counters, rolling storage bins, and a sparkling new floor of Armstrong’s Asphalt Tile in a bright design of two marble colors.
Washing… ironing… mending… sewing… how much easier these household chores can be in a room like this that’s designed for practical service and arranged for comfort, too.
VINTAGE BASEMENT REMODEL: MAKE IT LUXURIOUS, COZY, COLORFUL
RIGHT — Yes, it’s a basement. The feeling of luxury is brought about by the smart, horizontally paneled walls and formal arrangement of furniture.
BELOW, LEFT — Old living room furniture made this basement a cozy lounge. Its bright floor and knotty pine walls make it ideal for a den.
BELOW, RIGHT– A refreshment bar is sure to be a center of interest. In all of the basement rooms shown on this page, Armstrong’s Asphalt Tile has made the floors gayly colorful.
VINTAGE BASEMENT REMODEL: RANCH ROOM WITH WESTERN ATMOSPHERE
Imagine your own basement done over like the room on the opposite page. Right away, it suggests an inexpensive treatment.
A delightful ranch room effect can be created with little effort and expense. Walls, tinted an off-white with calcimine paint, are accented by the bright draperies at the windows and by the cowhide covered furniture. Indian decorations, including a totem pole fitted around the post, add to the Western atmosphere. And the colorful pattern for the floor of Armstrong’s Asphalt Tile is copied from a Navajo blanket.
VINTAGE BASEMENT REMODEL: A MUSIC ROOM WITH SPACE FOR YOUR RECORDS
If music is a family interest, look! That awkward space under the stairs is a convenient place to store odd records.
The inevitable post is now a hidden support for the novel display of record albums. And what a wonderful idea it is to have a generous countertop for sorting and selecting your records. When you want refreshments, just wheel in the mobile canteen that any carpenter or family handyman can build for you at little expense.
BASEMENT CAN BECOME A GRAND PLACE TO HOUSE A HOBBY
Lots of people think of their hobbies first of all when they’re fixing up their basements. And wise they are, for mighty few houses have room upstairs for the gadgets and the elbow room that most hobbies require.
No matter what the hobby is — woodworking, model trains or model planes — the basement is a fine place for a workshop. And you’ll find no better place to ride your hobby if you’re interested in photography, painting, sculpturing, collecting, woodcarving, or any one of the many interesting leisure-time activities. With careful planning, it’s possible to have a special section of the basement for the hobby of everyone in the family.
A well-planned workbench provides for an orderly arrangement of tools, hardware, and lumber supplies. Along the opposite wall, screens, awnings, and canned goods can be put away in convenient storage cabinets. And the laundry section can be closed off and hidden when not in use.
VINTAGE BASEMENT REMODEL: FINE FURNITURE, RUSTIC LOG CABIN, GAME ROOM
ABOVE LEFT– Fine furniture doesn’t look a bit out of place in this smartly finished basement. See how the sombreros brighten the walls.
ABOVE RIGHT– Here’s a rustic log cabin treatment built into a basement. Smart for a hobby room or any kind of recreational activity.
LEFT — Floors of asphalt tile enter right into the fun because they can be designed to include insets for shuffleboard, and many other games.
SMALL BASEMENTS HAVE BIG POSSIBILITIES
Here’s one way of getting the most out of limited basement space. See how the snack bar has been built into an out-of-the-way corner. It didn’t require an inch of extra space, but it’s the most interesting part of the basement. Card tables are hidden away in recessed slots in the column. And the radio, too, is tucked into a wall niche.
Ready for a “jam session” stand the Tom Thumb piano and snare drum. Or a home-talent movie can get underway in a minute by opening the curtain on the permanently mounted silver screen. Even the original asphalt tile inset in the floor suggests a bright evening of fun.
VINTAGE BASEMENT REMODEL: EVERYBODY CAN HELP DECORATE THE ROOM (1950)
Every member of the family can help to plan the new basement. That’s a good way to make it a room everyone will enjoy. This room can easily become a family project. Cinder block walls are easy to tint with calcimine paint whether they’ve been plastered or not. And if someone in the family has artistic talent, interesting and decorative murals like these can be painted on in a hurry.
The possessions of different members, too, can be used in the room. If dad has a slide projector for his colored photos, and son a ping-pong table, the logical place for them is in the basement where they can be enjoyed by all.
The tile you select from Armstrong’s wide range of harmonious colorings can be laid in an unlimited number of patterns. So you can be sure of getting a basement floor that’s distinctive in design as well as luxurious in appearance.
A desert hideaway… downstairs (1950)
Here the basement stairs are a magic carpet that takes you into the relaxing atmosphere of the wide-open spaces. A bright and airy effect is created with a painted desert stretching away from your “window.”
- Desert view is a colorful “outlook” painted on wall
- Strips of wood give “window” third-dimensional effect
- Tubular lights illuminate window from rear
- Bookcases are built out from window line for wall depth
- Plywood panels between joists aid beamed ceiling effect
A nautical rumpus room
With all but the roll of the waves, here’s a room for lovers of ships and the sea. Below decks you go — to a basement room— for gay hours of rollicking fun and refreshments for all hands from the convenient refreshment bar.
There’ll be many a jolly friend and neighbor treading this handsome deck of asphalt tile in Cinnabar Marble with a decorative compass inset combining White, Pompeian Red, and Regal Blue.
The friendly atmosphere of an Alpine lodge
Imagine the fun of family parties in this gay and colorful setting! Definitely unusual, but practical as can be, this charming basement room features natural-finished wood to establish the rustic, informal atmosphere.
See, too, how the smart, long-wearing floor has been styled to simulate multi-colored flagstones. The colors used in this design are Emerald Green, Florentine, and Cedar with feature strips of White.
- Laundry tubs cleverly concealed by solid wood planks
- Center table is cross-section of large tree trunk
- Bar and game table covered with linoleum
- Rustic lawn chairs harmonize with decorative scheme
As full of excitement as a Paris Cafe
One of the best ways to develop a distinctive basement room is to plan it around an interesting theme. Here’s one that captures the gaiety of a French sidewalk cafe. Notice how the sidewalk illusion is heightened by the imaginative design of the floor.
- Ornate red and gold bar is center of interest
- Awning ties two parts of cafe together
- Walls are decorated with French travel posters
- Tables and chairs are the old ice-cream-store variety
- Boxed artificial shrubs establish imaginary curb line
- Magazine stand and lamp-post add sidewalk touches
Basement remodel: Gardening hobby room
Working with the “good earth” is wonderful when you can house the tools of your hobby in an attractive basement room like this. There’s storage space galore, flies for catalogs, even a flower arranging center that’s the laundry tubs in disguise.
- Seed flat racks and trellises are installed in windows
- Camouflaged laundry tubs handy for trimming flowers
- Tools stored in cupboards back of basement stairs
- Tracked-in mud is easily cleaned from smooth floor
Vintage basement decor: Practical workshop
Home ties strengthen when the family works together, and here’s the kind of room that lets every member enjoy his or her hobby. Metalworking or woodworking can be accommodated with a compact shop like this, in practical combination with other pursuits. Ivory Marble with a feature strip of Yellow creates a handsome floor that helps to brighten the room.
- Kitchen-like wall cabinets provide storage space
- Soft blue-green walls make restful background color
- Adjustable light cords for varying work requirements
Every man’s dream: A den of his own
Deep in his heart, every man longs for a room of his own, filled with his cherished possessions — a place to which he can retreat to relax, to catch up on business chores, or to chat with his friends.
Such a room is easy to create in the basement when you start with a practical floor of Armstrong’s Asphalt Tile. Simplicity and comfort are keynotes here. It’s so livable the whole family can enjoy it on occasion — on Dad’s special invitation!
It’s the town’s most popular party room
Any kind of fun or frolic finds a perfect setting here. Movies, dancing, music, or just plain relaxing are always more pleasant in such attractive surroundings.
This floor’s a beauty with its primary field of Bermuda Blue and secondary field of Ivory Marble with White and Yellow feature strips.
- Radio-phonograph cabinet holds books and records
- Permanently mounted movie screen always ready for use
- Concrete wall is hidden by furred-out paneling
- Draped panels cover heating and water pipes
- Decorative placards hand-lettered with favorite songs
An efficient laundry area
Washday can be cheerful in a modern basement. See how this basement, once wasted space, has been turned into a labor-saving laundry — how everything has been planned for utmost efficiency. The floor, in bold hollow squares of Slate Gray and Ivory Marble, is not only smart but also practical. Dripping water or soapsuds can’t harm it or affect its bright color. Splashings can be mopped up easily.
- Cabinets around the window give handy storage space
- Basement post is support for folding ironing board
- Perforated table lets air circulate through clothes
- Handy worktable has pull-out bins made from canvas
Basement laundry room
It’s pleasant . . . it’s clean . . . it’s a basement laundry room that started with a colorful floor. The checkerboard effect is created by alternating squares of Ivory Marble and Ebony Marble interlined with feature strips of plain Garnet. A basement like this makes an efficient workroom as attractive as it is practical.
- Cabinets matching new appliances hide laundry tubs
- All washday necessities fit in cabinets over tubs
- Spacious hamper has worktable top
- Telescoping chrome bars hold freshly ironed clothes.
- Direct, nonglare light eliminates eyestrain.
Vintage basement decor: Picnic party room
Fortunate is the hostess who never has to worry about the weather. This bright, airy room is ready for a picnic party— rain or shine, summer or winter.
One of the room’s finest features is its floor of Armstrong’s Asphalt Tile. Tough and durable, this modern flooring doesn’t need to be pampered. Its colorful beauty is not easily marred. Spilled things and tracked-in dirt can be cleaned up quickly. Washing and waxing will restore its lustrous beauty.
- Stained ceiling joists create rustic atmosphere
- Stone grille provides cooking facilities
- Hooded ventilator whisks away smoke, cooking odors
- Soft yellow walls emphasize sunlight effect
- Frozen food cabinet easily accessible
- Split sapling finish on closet doors simulates fencing
A recreation room with a night club atmosphere
With the colorful atmosphere of a “night club,” this handsome recreation room has a decorative scheme that’s modern and sophisticated. Gone completely are reminders of the uninviting and drab basement that existed before this space was modernized. This can be your private club — the most popular recreation room in town.
- Highly contrasting colors set modern note
- Rear-lighted fluted glass panels create window illusion
- Painted bamboo screens cover wall sections
- Freeform refreshment bar adds modern touch
- Overlapping boards used for louvered partition
- Floor design helps separate room’s activities.
Ideas in this “Western” basement remodel (1958)
FLOOR — Armstrong Excelon Tile in Corkstyle design No. 798 with cattle-brand insets helps establish “Western” theme. Spilled food, liquids, even grease splatters won’t harm this floor, are easily whisked away.
WALLS — Armstrong Temboard in a swirl pattern — surface painted white and rubbed with a gray glaze for rustic, weathered look.
ACOUSTICAL CEILING — Armstrong Full Random Cushiontone — a perforated ceiling tile soaks up party noises, easy to put up yourself.
BAR — simple, wood construction — covered with Armstrong Vinyl Plastic Surfacing, a flexible material that’s very easy to install. Resists stains, easy to clean.
COPPER HOOD — over the brazier, connected to main chimney.
OLD PLAYER PIANO — coat of paint helped blend it with room’s decorative scheme.
HANGING GAS LAMPS — add to authenticity of room’s “Western” atmosphere, electrified for better lighting.
Basement decor you can buy today
- Dimmable & Energy Saving – Plug-in Powered: These G40 LED outdoor string lights include 12 shatterproof plastic bulbs plus 1 spare. Each 1.5-inch bulb features an E12/C7 candelabra base and uses...
- 【Connectable and Portable】 Features 12 hanging sockets with an 18-inch lead wire and male plug, 24-inch spacing between bulbs, and an 18-inch tail with a female connector. The lit length is 22...
- 【Safety & Durable】Outside deck lights is built with weatherproof technology, which can withstand extreme temperatures, rain, wind, and damp climates. Safe and durable electric bistro lights either...
- Functional Applications: led strip lights mainly used for TV decoration, led lights for tv light, improve image clarity
- 16 colors and 4 dynamic modes: tv led backlight, dimmable. Come with 24 key IR remote, use the remote to choose the color. Control distance is 8-10m
- Relieves the eye strain: led light strip reducing the eyestrain caused by differences in picture brightness, when watching tv or playing games
- Versatile Broom Holder Wall Mount - Keep your cleaning tools neatly stored and accessible with this mop and broom holder! It also works great as a garage organization and garden tool storage solution.
- Easy To Mount Garage Storage Solutions - Included with the garage organizers are screws, anchors, a drilling template, and a guide–everything you'll need to mount this mop hanger indoors or...
- Durable Garage Shelving - Our broom and mop storage rack can hold up to 11 tools and every slot can support up to 7.5lbs. Our garage storage racks have a total load-bearing capacity of 38lbs.
- Package includes: 1 pack artificial small hanging plant with black pot.
- The pot is 3.5 " x 3.2 "(W x H), the whole length of the hanging plants is 21.65 ".
- Artificial Hanging Plants: These leaves are made of plastic. This plant is waterproof, it does not fade easily.
- 【Laundry Room Decor】Our laundry room rugs are designed by a professional stylist, whose patterns and words are unique and stylish. These laundry mats will light up your laundry room with vibrant...
- 【Anti-skid Backing】Unlike those laundry mats with plastic dots backing, we use quality PVC backing, which provides great friction no matter the floor is wet or dry, wood or marble. You don't need...
- 【Anti-Fatigue Runner Rug】The size of this laundry runner is 20 X 47 inch(50 x 120 cm). The crystal velvet surface makes this rugs feel very cozy when you stand on it, the high density memory...
- 【PERFECT DECORATIONS】:The unique design of the magnetic Tic Tac Toe game kids room wall decor hanging game incorporates modern design and adds something different and new to your space. This is...
- 【SAFE PVC MATERIAL】: Complete set of tic tac toe game including absolutely safe pvc, 5 o's and 5 x's, 19 magnets and double-sided adhesive needed for installation, simple installation steps, no...
- 【FOR ANY SCENE】:The elegant decoration can be hung on any wall, including basement decor，kids room wall decor , playroom decor, offices, and even ceilings! No holes need to be punched, no damage...
- [Wireless Picture Light Battery Operated]: The 3-pack magnetic picture light is easy to install and use, powered by 3 AA batteries (not included) and built-in magnet in light body,bring you a...
- [3 Adjustable Lighting Modes Painting light]: 3 adjustable lighting modes (warm, natural, white light for option) ,you can set it by remote or manual touch.
- [Dimmable & Timer]: The display picture lights are dimmable and you can set the timer to auto off for 15/30/60/120 minutes.
- 【Real material, Superior quality】 The surface of this non-slip stair treads mats is made of polyester material, which is soft and wear-resistant. The carpet stair treds is durable and does not...
- 【Strong adsorption, Good anti-skid effect】These stair treads for wooden steps indoor are made of TPR self-adhesive technology, so you won't feel the strong stickiness when you touch them, but they...
- 【Easy to remove and clean, Repeated use】 If you need to reposition or remove stair treads , it will not leave any residue, protecting your original staircase from damage. When the stair rug get...
- Versatile Display: Showcase your liquor collection with this 3-tier countertop shelf, perfect for bars, homes, and mini bars.
- Sturdy Construction: Crafted from durable wood, this retro-style shelf provides a stable display for your bottles.
- Compact Design: Measuring approximately 16 x 12 x 9.25 inches, it fits neatly on countertops or bars.
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- Humorous Vibes: Add a light-hearted touch and fun to your home bar wall, man cave, basement, or garage with this vintage beer sign.
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