Here is the situation. You need a bigger house but cannot afford it right now. Nor do you want to move away from your neighborhood. However, your kids need rooms of their own and you need an office for you too. If you have a basement, a change-over could make it into bedrooms, a bathroom and even a family room. Move the kids into the rooms and convert their old room into your office. The concern now is that they are not going to get enough light or even a view especially considering those tiny flat windows that basements always have. Those are fair concerns; the good news is you can do something about that.
Faux Windows. They are easy to make and will provide each bedroom with light and even a view. Here is how you do it.
– Draw your window size on the wall in pencil
– Buy a prepasted mural that you think that they would like, but ensure that it is the same size as the one you have drawn. Preferably, it should overlap the lines you drew. In case the mural is slightly smaller, do not panic. This is why you drew in pencil. Simply erase the lines and redraw them to fit the mural you have.
– Install the mural.
– Mount your window over your mural. Make sure the glass is not touching the mural. It is easy to do this if the Window is at least 2 inches deep.
– Install a fluorescent single tube fixture inside this whole contraption; place it at the top of the window. – The idea here is the light fixture should not be visible to anyone in the room.
– Install a switch for this light somewhere near the window.
– Select a miniblind and mount it outside the window frame. Keep it slightly tilted, switch on the light and presto! It will give the illusion of natural outside lighting.
– Adding a windowsill will add to the illusion and will be of practical use.
The result might even see you installing Faux windows all over your house!