Eleena- I like the yellow lavender or soft green lavender combos. But as the only female in the house, the lavender will most certainly be nixed. My men are not open to softer colors. I find it difficult to decorate because even when I am doing intensive workouts using bosu, free weights or cardio I like the calming colors which I truly appreciate when doing yoga, But the "men" want strong energetic colors that I associate with adrenaline pumping-- bold red, deep bright orange... they claim it helps them train harder. I'm afraid there is no medium here-- and we all need to feel inspired to go in there!! I appreciate every suggestion!

Can you email pictures from your cell phone to your email account? That's what I often do.

My husband and I turned a portion of our unfinished basement into an exercise space -- basically concrete walls and floors, but with a full size window and plenty of light. We got a berber carpet remnant for the floor. I painted the floor and walls in colors I love (because I need all the encouragement I can get down there), albeit the color choices were limited because I needed to use a special paint for concrete. I did the floor in a creamy yellow, and the walls in a spring green. I also have a large piece of batik fabric with a dramatic and colorful tropical scene, which is mounted on a piece of foam core, to decorate the space. Despite the drama of the "art", it's a pretty mellow looking space. (But I still need to force myself to go down there to use the elliptical...).

Thanks, y'all! I think we invested right at $250 in this room's "makeover" (including the paint, one mirror, the weight bench and mat), and it is an infinitely more pleasant place to be now, so that was money well spent. I also take pride in the fact that we used much of what we already owned. That lamp? It's not ideal, but it's a nice vintage lamp and it works just fine to shed more light on my activities in the room. The "art?" I made three of the pieces, and if you look closely, they do LOOK homemade, but I don't care. I find myself looking forward to being in the space (ok, so it's only been a couple of days since we painted and revamped, and the 'new' might wear off at some point), and even enjoyed the time I spent there this morning before the crack of dawn. I've just committed to a 5K that takes place in a mere two weeks. Luckily, it's billed as a run/walk, and it's so close to my house that if it absolutely sucks, I'll just walk home and call it a day. ;-) But it feels great to have signed up for something that motivates me even more, and is for a good cause (benefits our local animal shelter). I find myself very much looking forward to the days ahead, and time spent both outside when I can find the time (and temps allow), and in this formerly under-utilized little room at the back of the house.