Our basement is mostly unfinished, and the ceiling in particular has been a problem for a decade. Bits of dust and crud and such fall down, and now that I’m using it more actively for Serendib stuff, I’m finding that I need to constantly re-wash cooking supplies, fabric, etc. to be able to use them, and it’s just a pain. Most stuff is stored in big plastic bins to avoid that, but it’s just irritating having crud on the top of the bins too. I want the basement to be a clean workspace. CLEAN.
The ceilings are about 6.5 high (to the base of the rafters), so one option is to finish it with a drop ceiling. It’d make the space feel a little more crowded, I think, so that doesn’t feel ideal, but maybe it’s the right solution, at least for the storage area.
For the main area, I’d like to avoid dropping the ceiling if possible — that’s where I sew, prep seedlings, cut fabric, etc. I know it’s a basement, but I’d like to aim towards as light-filled and airy a space as possible within those constraints. So my contractor friend Pam Whitehead just came by, and we were brainstorming possibilities — we could potentially paint-seal the wood rafters, maybe, with some kind of flexible coating?
Suggestions welcome, especially if you’ve done this kind of work on your own home (or somebody else’s). Photos of main work area and storage area. The storage area, we’ll probably just finish with drop ceiling and drywall.
We’re tempted to do one piece of the ceiling with dropped acrylic panels, like stained glass (but much cheaper), so the last photo is an inspiration image for that. But I’m not quite sure I can reconcile that with my desire for more light down there, which my aging eyes would appreciate for sewing. 
Maybe different areas, though.
