Lighting Ideas for Basement Hallway Stairs

Overhead Light

• Light the basement hallway and stairs with bright overhead lights, activated with a light switch. Place one light in the hallway and another on the stairs to ensure adequate light coverage. You may need to hire an electrician or a carpenter to install the light fixture and extend the wiring into that section of the building. An overhead light will illuminate the entire area in which you are walking, showing you where it is safe to step -- and assuring any basement-fearful children that there are no monsters lurking in the shadows.

Plug-in Night Lights

• Illuminate the hallway and stairs with plug-in night lights. This lighting solution is especially suited for people who are looking for just enough light to see where the steps begin and end. Plug in the night lights in outlets located close to the floor, along the stairs and in the hallway, so you can see the edges of the steps and the transition spots. Purchase extra-bright night lights to ensure that you can see well enough to navigate safely.

Tube Lighting

• Arrange and secure tube lighting along the stair edges and the bottom edges of the hallway walls. This will not only show the contours of the potentially hazardous stairway, it will also create an alluring visual effect when other lights are turned off -- especially if you select tube lighting with a color, such as purple or red.

Hanging Lanterns

• Light the basement hallway and stairs with hanging electric lanterns if the ceiling is high enough that they won't pose a head-bumping hazard. Hanging lanterns add a touch of the exotic to the basement -- an area of the house that is typically anything but exotic -- while also providing much-needed light. Wire the lanterns to turn on and off with the flip of a switch, or, if you are especially handy with electronics, the trigger of a motion sensor.