Here's some inspiration.

The key to a beautiful basement is not to think of it as a basement.

Google is your friend! (Except if you value your privacy.)

Be sure to review 'demotivators.'

Here is a link that might be useful: The Original Demotivational Posters

Our photos offer no eye candy like those linked by Worthy but maybe can provide some ideas. They have been posted before and possibly you have seen them. You don't mention if your intentions are DIY or hiring a contractor but ours was DIY. Several photos have information below the image.

The most important advise I can offer is that you develop a plan. All you need do is make a scale drawing on some graph paper with all permanent features like windows, furnace, stairs, etc. incidated. Then begin planning the build-out. Masking tape on the floor makes it easy to visualize rooms. Having a plan will make the job easier to quote and build.

Good luck and enjoy the finished space.

Here is a link that might be useful: Our Basement

We, too, are thinking about working on our basement. It is partially finished, we built the house 10 years ago, and have so far put in and office, bathroom and bedroom. But we have a large area that we'd like to have as a rec room for our pool table, dart board, air hockey table....etc etc. Just a game room I guess you could say. One idea I saw once, that I'd like to incorporate somewhere in ours is a built in fridge. A friend of ours had finished their basement, and in one section, they had an unfinished area for storage, a tool bench, etc....closed off from the finished part. But in there, they had a fridge, where the door opened up to the finished part, so from the finished part, the fridge was built into the wall. It really was quite neat. We are going to have an unfinished area too, where our utilities are, and I'd like to include a fridge there, having it built into the wall into the finished section.

Angie