My boyfriend and I have rented our flat for about a year, and we'll be here for another year. There are lots of restrictions on what we can do with the space - no blu tack, no nails etc. in the walls (unless we fill them and repaint when we leave), no alterations.

Unfortunately, the bedroom furniture is all dark wood (the bed is dark faux leather) and it's rubbish. The back of the bookcase and chest of drawers have warped and the desk is just a basic wooden rectangle with legs. The feet soon fell off the bed, leaving us with a mattress on the floor with the frame around it purely for show. We're students, so the budget is pretty tight (most of the time non existent, esp. as we are in London), which means we can't afford to replace any of this stuff.

Add in dark navy curtains, because anything lighter wouldn't block out the fluorescent car park lighting at night, and the room is really dark and dingy. Plus the walls and carpet are dull old magnolia, with several stains/scratches/gummy patches from previous tenants' sticky hooks.

I really want to make our bedroom into a pleasant space but I've run out of ideas. How can we decorate it without changing the furniture or putting anything on the walls? I hate feeling like a scruffy student and wish our flat was a bit more grown up and less cobbled together.