Where do i begin with unappealing bare bulb lighting?

[shamilton]

https://imgur.com/a/UrPTwlz

I'm very new, let me know if that link works.

This is the ceiling light in my basement. It technically works but I just think there's got to be something I can do to make it look nicer.

[Jon Bon]

Light fixtures are about the cheapest thing out there, and super easy to do. You can pick on near anything at a big box store to replace that fixture if it bothers you.

Here is a secret. All light fixtures are the same, black and white make a light. Odds are a $3 garage fixtures and a $300 living room fixture have the same guts just a slightly different exterior.

[lthenderson]

I agree, just go get a light fixture of your choice. They are cheap and it would be much less time consuming that wasting time and energy trying to "put lipstick on a pig". You can also save money by going LED.

[crocheted_stache]

The super-cheap answer is that most hardware stores should be able to sell you a small sheet of textured plastic "diffuser" material. Cut to size, mount it over the edges of the sheet metal enclosure thing, and call it good enough for a basement.

The other choice I've been pretty happy with in my garage is the LED shop lights from Costco and elsewhere. They look like the old 4' fluorescent ones, but they don't buzz or flicker, and they have a slimmer enclosure. Still bare bulbs, but meant to be that way. Basic, inexpensive, easy to install.

If you're looking to finish or otherwise improve the decor in this basement, I'm with everybody else. Get a different fixture anywhere, new or used, and replace the whole business.