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How to Decorate the Inside of Basement Window Wells

Mary Cockrill

Pump up the aesthetics inside your basement window wells to improve the view. You can make a simple, quick modification, such as changing the color of your existing window wells, in just a few hours, or tackle more involved landscaping improvements that require additional time and effort. Hire a professional designer or landscaping expert if you need ideas to help you plan a new look for your unattractive window wells.

Picture Perfect

A panoramic liner boosts the aesthetic appeal for any window well.

Install faux inserts or scenic liners inside your existing window wells to instantly deliver new views through the basement windows. Faux inserts are manufactured as nonstructural, molded plastic liners designed to resemble stacked stones; they fit snugly inside your current window wells. A scenic liner offers a basement view to a faux vista, such as a serene lake, cascading waterfall, tranquil forest or majestic mountains. You can easily trim a picturesque liner to custom fit your window well wall.

Garden Guru

Plant a tranquil garden inside your window well to offer a visual slice of the outdoors from your basement window. Construct a terraced step garden with wooden planks or stacked stones to generate increased visual interest while supplying a natural "ladder" for emergency exits. Fill your terraced garden with a variety of natural greenery and blooming plants to design a spectacular display. Alternatively, you can plant vining greenery, such as ivy, along the top perimeter of a window well to grow and hang down inside it.

Delightful Dioramas

Create a stunning diorama, a three-dimensional likeness of a scene created by arranging decorative items in a natural setting against a realistic background, in any basement window well. Begin by inserting a scenic liner or faux stone insert against a window well wall to generate a natural backdrop. Next, place landscape materials, such as stones, logs, driftwood and potted plants inside the window well area for dimensional depth. Add small outdoor statues, figurines or sculptures to complete your one-of-a-kind masterpiece. Place small up-lights inside the window well to illuminate your diorama at night.

Painter's Palette

Soften the harsh appearance of an ugly corrugated metal window well by applying a fresh paint color. Apply a low-luster black or brown paint to the inside wall of an unattractive window well to mask its shiny, cold presence. Or, pick out a hue to complement your interior basement palette. Look to existing furnishings, such as window treatments, upholstery or an area rug, to draw out a complementary paint color for your basement window well.