Basement ceilings are never finished. They are temporarily covered until you need to rip into them to run a wire, fix a leak or find where that smell is coming from.
Here is one way to make them easier to access without sacrificing the finished look
Reduce noise and keep your floors warmer while the ceiling is still open.
01.
Rip 2x4s so the flat lays against the ceiling, the rounded edges face down.
02.
Cut those 2x4s Lots and lots of 2x4s
The screws are visible so creating even lines is more important than in other projects.
03.
Cut 5/4 scrap into spacers. Make a little hook on top so they hang in place.
04.
Pre-drilling all screw holes lets you get a nice even line of visible screws. They become more of a design element than something to hide.
Try to maintain the same space around objects as between boards
05.
By lining up center screws and using the spacers, cut lines can be drawn easily
To get corners or the far end to work out you may need to manually squeeze or expand some preceding gaps. Just eyeball it.
06.
A finished ceiling goes a long way to making a room feel less like a basement. A removable one has a chance at lasting.