Just be sure to wash the floor down first so you're not painting dust and dirt. Use flat latex concrete floor paint and don't worry about blending. Any slight variations will be virtually indiscernable..

Scrape away loose paint. Remove any mold or mildew with bleach and water solution. Remove dust from the surface. Prime with a quality masonry primer. Apply two coats of quality 100% acrylic latex or elastomeric paint. Michael

I use a lighter version of the paint color for the ceiling when the wall color is a light neutral. Usually 80% stock white mixed with 20% wall color. I have this done at the paint store. Usually flat paint for the ceiling to hide any imperfections. I like the baseboards to pop but not the ceiling. Sometimes white ceilings look stark and have too much contrast with the walls, especially when you have multiple ceiling levels visible in an open space. This works best when the space gets a lot of light and when you don't use white crown moulding.

Thank you Aurora and Catt. We're definitely going to keep the washer and dryer upstairs! I'm not sure we can recess the plumbing with our budget. It's a brick home. I'll check though. The space has a back door (in pic) that leads to the backyard, so I guess we could identify this as a mudroom/laundry room with some adjustments. We are replacing the countertop with the same granite that's going in the kitchen remodel for continuity. You've all been so helpful! I sincerely appreciate everyone's input!