The point is to gain a new perspective on a stale topic and to bring to light any flaws in my thinking or things I might otherwise be missing.Thanks in advance for any thoughts!

Keep the colors light and bright and glass enclosures and it will appear bigger.  

A basement may be used for habitable rooms or a dwelling unit, regardless of the depth of the floor below grade, if the floors and walls are impervious to leakage of underground and surface water and are protected from dampness, and if the required minimum 13-172-130, or by other approved means. 13-172-070 Natural light.

What guest policies are you comfortable in light of COVID? 

So is new cabinet hardware and lighting.

I had a light bulb moment the other day when I was estimating what it would take to leave a 9-5.

Consider a motion sensor light on the side of the house.

I decided going forward to allocate a portion of my budget strictly for capex repairs that would typically be covered by a warranty co.Hope this shines some light for you.

Other people really get off on that rush - for me it just produces anxiety.

The basement has brink walls like the picture and track lighting already installed.