When at home in our test houses (just like out in the streets) we see both above and below the ground.
Occasionally there is a bug and you might end up below floor or street level by accident, but otherwise these below ground spaces serve no functional purpose for players (so far).
I propose that while in our home spaces that the default view be altered, doing away with our view of underground and thus increasing the amount of decorated wall space we can see. Doing this makes more of the wall space up near the ceiling/attic come into view.
To illustrate, the Default View: bit.ly/HC2lFm
and the Proposed View doing away with underground view: bit.ly/H21QJv
You can see the extra space in the second photo. With this new view I would actually move the SDBs and other decorations higher than they are now, but with the current default view they have been placed lower in order to have them appear cut off.
Another visual benefit occurs when we look at the view as it actually occurs (vs the Snapshotting above) when we see screen elements like our Energy/XP display, The Rock and the Mini-map appear. In default view even room decorations lowered for ease of viewing are somewhat obscured by these elements:
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The proposed view fares better but there is still some blockage by the mini-map:
prntscr.com/7ku7i
Just as the Map can be toggled by clicking M, maybe we could toggle the mini-map with Ctrl-M, or toggle off/on all the screen elements like mini-map, Rock, Energy, XP etc as happens when we take a Snap Shot.
I realize that having a different default view for houses may be incredibly difficult from a coding P.O.V., but if it isn't insanely too much work I think it should be considered since people are going to spend all kinds of time and Imagination customizing their homes. The resulting views could be less cramped down towards the floor, provide more room to make SDBs more accessible/visible and all around create an improved visual experience. I want my home to look great all the time, not just in Snapshots.
TL:DR
1)Lose the underground view in houses to show more of the wall space. (Underground still see-able, just not as a default)
2)Toggle on/off XP/Energy/Rock/Mini-map screen elements like when using Snapshotting but without using Snapshottery