When I bought this house I live in now the previous owners had painted the basement ceilings "BLACK"......egad! How dark it looked. So I had the ceiling spray painted 3 coats to cover that ugly black to a simple white. Painted the chipboard walls in a creamy yellow. Took some scrap jigsaw fabrics and made some simple valances for the 2 windows and door (window). Sure brightened up my sewing area in a hurry. Its not perfect but doesn't look like a dungeon either.