It's no secret that basements can feel a little like dungeons. But don't worry! There are plenty of ways to make your basement more inviting and homey.

The basement is often the first place people turn to when they are looking for more living space. And with growing families, many homeowners find themselves not only using their basements as a home theatre or a place for storage, but also an extra bedroom or two!

With a little planning and a few tricks, any basement can be upgraded to feel like an extension of your home.

One of the easiest ways to change the feel of the basement is paint. Paint the walls of your basement in light colors to brighten up the room and help accentuate the natural lighting coming through windows. Because basements tend to have less or smaller windows, they can stay quite dark. You can create accents with paintings and pictures as well.

A top interior design trick both for small spaces and for darker parts of a home incorporates decorative mirrors. You want the mirror placed in such a way that it captures the light streaming in through the windows and deflects it into the room. If wall space permits, get a large mirror to really maximize the impact.

We think of basements as cold, damp spaces. But, with a little bit of design, the space can really be transformed. An easy way to spruce up a basement is with furniture such as couches, chairs, tables and even rugs! Adding these pieces will not only give your space some personality but also allow you to create a nice living area. Most basements have lower ceilings than the rest of the house so you want to be mindful of the type of furniture you are selecting.

You also want to make sure you are not overcrowding the space, so selecting a few key pieces works best.

Many people opt for engineered flooring options or even polished concrete for the flooring in their basement. If this is the case in your basement, you will want to make use of throw rugs to warm up the floors.

It's best to use flooring and rugs that are lighter in color so that the room feels larger and can brighten up the space.

It's important to note that there are many flooring options that are mold and moisture resistant on the market. Exploring these options can open up more design opportunities. If your basement doesn't experience flooding, carpet can be an option as well, as long as proper waterproofing and preparation has been done during the installation process.

One of the best ways to make your basement feel like a new space is by adding plants. This can be done with or without natural light, as long as you know which type of plant will thrive in those conditions! One example, for low-light situations are Snake Plants and Pothos.

A few other plants that do well in low light are Maidenhair Fern, Dieffenbachia and Philodendron. Not a green thumb? Go for plastic plants instead.

You know that feeling when you walk into a room, and it just feels like home? Well now you can recreate that in your basement with these easy tips. It doesn't matter if the space is small or large, as long as you incorporate some of these ideas you're sure to make your finished basement feel more cozy for you and your family.