How to create the modern cottage?

Well, the DC/Northern Virginia move will take place in 5 days, which is frightening to me.  I've also discovered-- of course-- that DC and Cleveland have absolutely no banks in common, which means that I will have to drain my account on Thursday (because of the 4th of July, stupid bank holiday), get a cashier's check for the [very small] amount in there, find a bank that is prevalent in both NoVa and DC, open said new account, and deposit not only the remainder of my Chase balance but also the bonds that have been accruing interest since my birth.  That money is definitely needed now, since there is no word on my loans yet and I will not start getting my monthly stipend money from the Fairfax County schools until September.  Never mind that I start taking classes in August.

The last few weeks have been occupied by the thought that my bedroom is depressing.  Before I was worrying more about the shared areas in the apartment, since that's what guests will be seeing most of the time.  But then with a flash I thought, what about me??  I'm so used to having a studio that the concept of "bedroom" is still very new to me.  My old studio (see below) was a refuge-- albeit a messy one in these pictures.  But my new bedroom is very, well, beige.  Wall to wall carpet in beige.  Vanilla walls.  Doors on two walls that make furniture placement difficult.  And a resolution not to paint the walls a pretty green shade since I don't know how long I'll be in this place and I don't want the hassle of painting it back. 

My old bedding was a typical shabby chic white (you know, brushed with gray, or "tea staining") with washed out blue roses with equally washed out green leaves.  But in my little sleeping loft, especially nestled between green walls, it never felt depressing.  But transplant that washed-out bedspread into a washed out, relatively large room...not too pretty, and pretty much a guarantee for year-round Seasonal Affective Disorder.

So, for cure number 1, we have new bedding, which didn't break the bank due to being on sale at Crate and Barrel and paid for with a gift card that my mom would have otherwise never used.  I think it is quite cottage like!

Then we have the matter of what to do to create visual interest without shelling out the money for a headboard...will the pink painting that I had over my couch work?  Or should I give in and shell out the money for a headboard?  Making an upholstered headboard-- in a white or beige-- will just end more of the blahs.  The next problem, however, is how to mix up these linens so that they don't look so "matchy-matchy."  And to add some more color-- without spending money.  I'm thinking one or two of these?  Or attempting to recreate them myself.  The main idea is that things should look playful and elegant, yet quirky and quaint.  I'm so clueless!!