I painted my kid play room in the basement with multiple bright colors on different walls.
One wall has true red: benjamin moore.
Another color is lapis blue, benjamin moore.
Other walls are pale yellow (can't remember the color name right now). My kids predominantly play legos in there. So the color works great for that! I think this is a great look for any playroom/nursery etc. My son's bedroom is painted in the same combination of blue and yellow.

The room is very bright and fun for kids.

The lapis blue is a periwinkle blue-like color and it is quite calming and fun at the same time. It's a great color for kids as an accent wall. Probably too much for the entire room.

For our TV room, also in the basement, I painted one wall in very deep rich eggplant like color. I don't remember the color name. The other walls are rich taupe color to balance out the rich color in the eggplant. It works well for the media room because the lights are often dimmed while watching TV.

Good luck

Personally I like color in a basement. An otherwise dark space can be given character, but artificial lighting is a key. If you must retain the fluorescent lights, can you strategically place table lamps, install sconces or track? Dimmers can help create a mood.

We finished ours as a great room but with several differing spaces, each with a focal point. Accent colors on several walls define areas but the general paint (walls and ceiling) is off-white. Finishes are egg-shell. No problem keeping them clean and we entertain in the basement frequently.

You're right, paint is relatively inexpensive so if you dislike a color it can be changed. Sorry, can't guide you on the color preferences you mention as those aren't part of our decorating palette.

Here is a link that might be useful: Our Basement

We have white wainscotting and trim and a faux cherry laminate floor in our bsmt. We wanted to make it a playroom but not too juvenile thatour kids will grow out of quickly.
I painted the walls a deep bright blue (think the colors of Greece or Israel) on the walls and it makes the white pop really well.
It is the brightness of the shade that keeps the relatively dark color from making the room dark along with the white accents. The room had all beige walls and floors with medium wood wainscotting before we moved in and it was dingy and drab despite being overall lighter colors. We did not even have to change the lighting.

Our floors are a fairly dark toned wood and yet it all works to look cheerful.

We have a similar issue. Our basement color scheme is somewhat similar to yours except our walls are BM Soft Fern. We're adding some built-ins, re-doing the ceiling, and replacing the big flourescent humming lights with recessed cans. Like you, we have the man cave next door, which already has the recessed lighting (it was a later addition). My kids are older so I'm trying to make our room feel more like a family room/TV room rather than a "playroom." I'm looking at BM Stone Hearth but I'm not committed to it yet. I'm also planning to paint the trim and the built-ins NOT white. Not sure which color yet, but probably an off-white or maybe a lighter version of the wall color. I think that will warm up the space a bit.

I know someone who recently painted her basement BM Oklahoma Wheat and she loves it.

I'd advise against painting it in bright, kiddie colors -- you'll be repainting again in just a few years. We originally painted our basement a sunny yellow when it was first finished, and I had to paint it a couple years later because it was just too bright.

Mine is Ellen Kennon's Mustard seed.

Our basement is painted BM Audubon Russet, Pratt and Lambert Peppercorn and P&L Moss. The colors are hard to translate on a computer but I love the Audubon Russet. Even though the Peppercorn is a brown, it is warm and I don't get the dark feeling you might think. It is really a nice, cozy space to be in! The walls going down the stairs,ceilings and bathroom are P&L Bone White. We replaced most of the old brass ceiling lights with track lightingin an ORB finish. I still have one flourescent and one brass fixture to replace, but I am undecided as to what I want. Decisions, decisions...HTH!

We just repainted our basement in Ralph Lauren Walnut, which is also the same color we used upstairs in our living room:

Thank you all so much for your suggestions!!

My LR is Oatmeal, a color from Lowe's (not sure of what paint line). I'm actually thinking of painting the basement in that color, too. I also found another Lowe's color, Cinnamon Sugar by Valspar, that I love for the basement as well.

In the meantime, I found an amazing color at Sherwin Williams for the basement bath/laundry room. It's called "Upward," and it's a lighter blue than what I had in there already. Satin finish, and I can't believe how much nicer Satin looks on the walls rather than the flat finish we had. I am almost done painting that room, and I like it so much, I'm going to paint my upstairs bath with the rest of the gallon. :)

Thanks for all your help!

dixiedo, I love your room! I also have that combo of wall color and reddish window treatments in my bedroom, and I love them together. Have your started painting your basement yet? I'd love to see colors. Isn't RL paint only at Home Depot? I don't have a Home Depot close by, or else I might actually use your color in my basement!

hoyamom,

I love that mustard color! Where can you find that paint brand? I've heard of it before on here, but have no idea where to look for it.