ok here are some tips.
If it your own home then nothing works like a charm like coloring an accent wall. Please avoid coloring all walls with extreme colors. Splash of an exotic color like orange/red/green/grey goes a long way.
Minimalist is
"IN" than over decorating with all the tacky gaudy clutters.
Use Lamp shades and Picture frames.
use accent pillows with complementing fabrics but lighter colored furnitures are better if u have bright walls.
Try to shop everything at once rather than piece by piece so that everything is coharent with the theme. I mean the key pieces.
Two of my favourite places to buy home goods are IKEA and Pier 1 for decoratives ( but dont over spend in Pier 1) as a lot of things are imported and can be found in india/ nepal.
Remember you dont have to spend fortune to achieve classy place. You can also visit local goodwill and garage sales to collect some pieces here and there. And you can donate yours... you get the idea..
But dont jump into decorating before Planning well. Consult magazines and HGTV and make a blue print. You'll have to live with the furnitures for a long time.