Get in over your head with color. "If your walls are any shade of white, get an edgy, dramatic look by using an espresso brown or dusky purple paint on the ceiling. It will make it seem higher but still make the place feel warmer and cozier."
Treat your windows better. "A lot of people have neutral off-white or khaki panel curtains, which is fine. But if you take them down and sew a band of bold fabric—anything from ultra-suede to faux leather to silk—along the vertical edges, it becomes a phenomenal point of interest in the room."
Get in the right frame of mind. "Take all those pictures you've got three deep on a shelf in mismatched frames—the ones no one looks at—to a framer and have her do an aqua-colored matting. Then buy black frames for $9 or so and line them up in a hallway on the way to the bathroom. People will look at those pictures."
Rip off Rothko. "Brights are a big trend this season—blame the long winter and bleak economy. Add some in a fun, unkitschy way by getting two big wrapped canvases at your local art shop, painting one in a glossy red and one in a glossy pink, and hanging them side by side. They're bold and beautiful, and people will think you paid $10,000 at a gallery for them."
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