• There are an endless amount of possibilities for a basement!Modern tastefully decorated living room image by MAXFX from Fotolia.com
  
  Basements can become just about any kind of room with a little bit of elbow grease. They often go unused because they're not as conventional as other rooms, but with some artful planning, you can turn your basement into an office, rec room, guest quarters or anything else you can dream up.
  
  

Apartment or Guest Quarters

• If you've got a large basement and you're not looking to add anything to your house, think about turning the area into a guest suite. This can come in handy when you have visitors from out of town and when the in-laws want to stay over. Or, if you've got the proper hookups or are prepared to install them, you can rent out your guest quarters as a studio apartment for some extra monthly cash. Try to think about creative ways of dividing the space into a functional living environment. If you're working with a big rectangular area, think about using partitions to create strong zones.
  
  

Movie Theater

• A basement room is a logical space to create a movie theater as it tends to be cozier and have no (or few) windows to let in extra light. Set up some comfy chairs or couches and use a projector to magnify your favorite movies onto the wall. If you've got a budding performer in the family, build a small platform stage across from your theater seating to give them a place to perform in front of a crowd. Go all out with ambience--paint at least one wall black for a powerful backdrop and invest in a good spotlight for your stars to shine!
  
  

Rehearsal Room

• If you've got a musician in the family, give him a better place to practice than the garage. A basement is an optimal place for band practice. If necessary, do some soundproofing so that the whole house doesn't have to groove to the beat. If you do any sound work--recording, voice or music lessons in your home, the basement can be an ideal studio. Do some wiring and put a light switch on the inside of the studio that lights up a red bulb right outside the door so that people know when not to disturb the room!
  
  

Gym

• Keep guests and family members from wandering into your home gym in the middle of your workout. Using the basement gives you a good isolated space where you can focus on burning off that double cheeseburger. Install a fan on the ceiling to make sure you get air circulating in your home gym.
  
  

Grown Ups Room

• If your kids have taken over the upstairs of your house, think about claiming the basement for your own. Create a bar or a wine cabinet. Choose some furniture pieces--the kind you would warn your children about spilling beverages on. The benefit of an adult rec room is that you'll have a place to put all of those things that you'd have to warn your children about. Just think of it as your own play room.
  
  

Kids Room

• If your living room is already functioning as a no-nonsense room where you entertain adults, think about giving the basement to the kids. Choose comfy couches and a kid-friendly entertainment center to accommodate video game systems. Give kids plenty of storage space to keep toys from ending up all over the floor. The basement is "out of sight" enough that the inevitable mess is less of an issue than it would be in your living room.