I would add good air as an additional essential and provide lots of ventiliation ideas on this site.
Basement stairs are a particular challenge to light. You either have recessed spots that burn your bald head (alright MY bald head) or it's just too dang dark and you are liable to trip looking directly down because you have biofocals (OK, right, that's me again!). Today I visited a house with a beautifully lit basement starting with the stairs. The upper drywall was offset about 2 inches and LED row lights where installed down the length. The stairway was open so light from this arrangement lit the treads perfectly but also added light to the whole space. Like this! (except this is one is not open on the right).
