To begin, start with color. According to Glenn Currie, design instructor with The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, it's one of the easiest ways to give a room a lift. Most people are afraid to choose color, but they shouldn't be. Another idea for walls, he suggests, is to select wonderful wallpaper, cover one wall and then choose a color you like from the wallpaper to paint the other walls. Another way to add color to a room is with area rugs.
Windows offer up a great way to alter a room's appearance.
Nancy Lowe, with The Art Institute of Colorado, likes to use inexpensive and simple fabrics for draping to create window treatments with a little drama. For the rod, Lowe suggests looking for an inexpensive and unusual option such as copper piping from the plumbing section of a home improvement store. Speaking of drama, nothing changes the mood of a room like lighting. Depending on your privacy needs, consider removing curtains altogether to instantly brighten a room. To create a mood with lighting, she suggests uplighting such as a small spotlight set on the floor behind couches or sofas, picture lights, or lamps set on sideboards or within bookshelves.