i am about to move in my beautiful new apartment. it is fairly open, unadorned, and prime for me to make a few improvements.

i would love to hear some stories of little, cheap things some of you have found/done to vastly improve your places.

for example, i once found a piece of stone at a salvage yard and used it for a fireplace mantle.
the dude once had a nice rug, it really tied his room together.

this is the stuff im talking about