Tripod member DaFoxy1 asks:
My room looks really plain and boring. I have a futon instead of a bed. It is a really little room. On my futon I have a leopard-print blanket which is OK but my walls are white and plain, and I have hardwood floors that clash with the bed. I was wondering if you could give me some edvice on making my room look better?

Handy Girl Bernadette suggests:
You don't really provide me with many details but I'm going to guess that your futon frame is wooden. Surely you've heard the Stones' song, "Paint it Black"? Sing along, "I see a wood bed and I want to paint it black..." If leopard print is the theme upon which you'd like to base all your other decor, I suggest looking for a super high gloss black paint and covering up that old wood frame. What about your wooden floor? What condition is it in? Do you dare paint it? How about painting a nice 12-inch border of that same black around the permimeter of the room? Or go with a super high gloss white for the entire floor? That, with your black bed and black trim would fit your jungle motif.

You say your walls are white and plain? You could dress them up by painting the trim a contrasting color or, if your walls are without trim, you could do a border at ceiling height with stencils of some kind. You can create your own design or buy stencils in your favorite paint or home store. Perhaps a jungle green ivy stencil around the doors and windows? At spots have it go right down the wall to the floor. Just remember that with stenciling, less is more.

If this sounds like too much work, you could go with some real plants. These are a welcome addition to most any room. Finally, my favorite decorating feature — tiny christmas lights. Go with the plain white for a formal look or get a little crazier with a multi-colored strand. Do the perimeter of the room or around the window frames or your dresser or hang them on your ceiling like tiny stars. A cheap hundred-light strand goes a long way and is a fine example of form meeting function. When decorating, the best advice I can give you is make it yours. Follow someone else's ideas if you need to, but change them enough to make them your own.

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