Oops, I forgot to mention ,I'm not a fan of any green, although I'm stuck with teal furniture.

You don't say if your basement is walk-out, English or traditional. Hopefully you have installed good lighting to accent the space.

Our basement is basically a great room with several purposeful areas. We used color to distinguish them and the colors were drawn from a colorful rug which has been placed in front the the fireplace.

Though you say you're "stuck" with teal furniture, accent it with pillows and throws. Then draw from these colors to decorate the room. Personally, I like bright colors in a basement.

Here is a link showing ours and possibly some ideas.

Here is a link that might be useful: Our Basement

An orangish-terra cotta would look good with teal. I have that color of throw pillows against teal furniture. Try Lowe's for this paint chip: Laura Ashley 'Spice' if that color intrigues you. I used that color in my basement stairs and "entrance" which transitioned into the sage green part of the basement (my teal furniture, though, is upstairs--with light gray walls and darker gray carpet).

Tracey

I would keep the walls very light - maybe a very pale grey, almost white or a creamy pale yellow to add some sunshine into the basement.

Thanks for the input and pictures. I like the idea of accent color in some areas. Willing to hear more. My basement is traditional, not a walk out. We have can lighting but still is not enough.

I agree with threedgrad -- a very pale gray that would work with the carpet, and then to warm up the room, add some red or red-orange pillows, artwork, etc.

Your problem might not be color but light. Since you say you're stuck with teal, I'm assuming that you're stuck with teal upholstery rather than a painted or stained finish. If green isn't your favorite color, you might try to shift the focus from the green to the blue in the teal and navy might just do the trick. You'll see it looks good with teal. A navy polar fleece throw and some solid navy and solid grey pillows will compliment the teal but minimize it too. Remember to repeat the navy at least three times in the room. Navy is a clean, handsome and warm accent color in the cooler months and works well with all metal finishes and wood finishes. In the summer, navy can be made crisp and bright with white or off white and brighter colored accents. It always looks great with gray, off white or ivory and a natural linen color. If the teal still makes you cringe, consider a natural linen or muslin ready made slipcover for a sofa in the summer months. Keep all pattern in the room to a minimum and you'll be able to increase the feeling of space in several easy and inexpensive ways. First of all, add light to the room at three levels. You already have cans that add light from above and I wonder if some more of these cans could be added or changed so that they could be directed to "wash" walls with light to accent some artwork or a large mirror or two. You'll probably need to increase table and reading lighting at seating level in all corners of the room and in conversation areas. Always choose "natural light" bulbs instead of the soft white, pink or yellow bulbs. You can find very attractive and inexpensive lamps at home improvement stores with three way switches or dimmer features to allow for controlling light levels throughout the room from very low to bright. Dimmer cords are available to convert lamps you already own. Look for simple classic lamp shapes in wood or metal finishes for a clean classic look and choose shades in white, to just off white. Avoid dark colors and yellowed liners. Replace any shades on your current lamps for a fresh uniform look throughout the room. Don't be afraid to paint lamp bases if you like the shape but think the color looks dated. If your carpet is dark, you might consider a light colored neutral area rug in a conversation area to define that space and again add a spot of light color at floor level. If the conversation area is vulnerable to snack spills, consider an indoor outdoor area rug that can be taken outside and cleaned easily with household cleaners and a garden hose. Some look like very expensive sisal area rugs and are available now at big box home stores on sale this Fall. If you have enough light to support a floor plant, you could light that plant from below for another layer of light. If you have small basement well windows that don't provide much natural light, hanging a floor to ceiling curtain in a solid pale neutral color, like a pale linen weave will blend with a soft neutral wall color, soften the long expanse of the wall and give the illusion of a tall window when closed. Matching framed mirrors on opposite sides of the curtains continues the illusion of windows and visually enlarges the space. They'll also double the reflected light from all of the lighting in the room. A wall with the window in it is usually the darkest wall in a room because light shines in and across the room and not on the window wall itself. As for wall color, think of warm creamy ivory beige colors that will showcase more colorful artwork as they do in galleries. Keep the walls, woodwork and doors all in the same color to keep from breaking up the space and making it look smaller. You can paint trim in a semi-gloss and walls in a flat or satin. Doing this will make the ceiling look higher and the room larger. Artwork and/or photographs can, as mentioned before, be illuminated by the canned spots in the ceiling. This solution lightens and brightens even the corners of the room and allows you to personalize the room so you can direct the focus away from the teal and toward the things you love. It's important to remove all clutter and knicknaks that give rooms that basement storage feeling and reduce the room to only those things that add to the purpose and your enjoyment of the space. Clear out what you don't need and simplify both your decisions and your storage needs at the same time. Consider walking through the house and changing out some things from one room to the other instead of buying something new. If you use the basement room for entertaining, create a comfortable and functional area with all that you need on hand to make it easy to entertain there without having to repeatedly go upstairs for things, and make them match the new look you're going for down there. If you like to read and watch TV, consider some lighted bookshelves, (or add some light to bookshelves that might already be there) and closed storage along a wall that will create an entertainment area. Same for a small office or workspace. You'll be accenting the positive elements in the room and eliminating the basement atmosphere. Remember that a few shining metal surfaces on hardware or on lamp bases acts like brass buttons on a navy blazer. A little punctuation and sparkle will add some interest in a basement space. Start your room design with the lighting and choose the paint colors afterward because you'll need to see the colors in the natural light from the windows during the day, with and without the lights on, and again at night with the lights on at several stages of brightness. Light changes colors. Put enough on the walls to really make a difference and don't rely on on small paint chips. Hope this helps you make this a warm and comfortable place to relax!

How about Benjamin Moore "Barley" (CC-199); Laura Ashley Gold #2.

OR: Benjamin Moore "Gray Mist" (CC-962)

And add brightness and warmth by adding LOTS of lamps (a couple of table lamps and a standing lamp or two) and lighting options.

Add warm textures by adding bookshelves with wicker baskets.

Add color and pattern with an area rug from Target and cushions in patterned fabric.

Add artworks -- or simply take an even number of family photos -- re-do them into the same size -- mat them in a warm color like dark red or dark pumpkin -- and frame them alike in dark chocolate brown or black. Then hang them in a grid pattern on the wall. Instant family artwork!