With the odd-shaped walls, you might need a variety of different solutions. Sheer fabric gathered on tension rods, lightweight fabric carefully thumb-tacked to the walls, and folding screens are a few things that spring to mind. If you keep your own furnishings simple, clean, and spare, that will help -- the mixed colors, patterns, and styles currently in the room fight with the wall colors. In fact, with something like all light wood furniture and white fabrics, you could wind up actually liking the paint.

Oh dear. I would just ask them to repaint. That colour combo is horrendous.

Why not compromise and pick one of the existing wall colours that you like and ask the landlord to repaint the other walls to match?

A whole lot of white! White bedding, window treatments, furniture, frame art. Then add carefully picked accents (maybe a decorative pillow or print, that might pick up one of the wall colors you like.)

Paint the walls - It's probably just a leftover from the last renter with questionable taste.

Wow. I am a color freak but this is too much even for me. Definitely do what you can with white and fabric artfully arranged across the biggest expanses of walls.

In the process you could be introducing your landlords to the fact that not everyone has the same tastes as they do, if indeed they did choose those colors. Be gentle with them but try to get your way. (Maybe you already have...) It really is a good lesson for landlords to learn not to impose color on another person. I guess that's why so many apartments are white. IF they're kind and generous people we hope they'll relax and let people paint whatever they want, it's only paint after all.

So, your walls are red, orange, yellow, and green? That's really something, although I agree not ideal for a bedroom. Would you please send after-photos? Good luck!

Aside from getting a hold of a few large white canvases and making up a bit of art to hang around the place... i'd suggest "faking a window"

Go out .. get a beautiful set of white airy curtains.. a curtain rod... and a large picture frame or mirror. Hang the frame/mirror up as if it were a window.... put the curtains over top and bobs-your-uncle. WINDOW! You could even go as far as lighting it some way perhaps with descrete LEDS so that when the curtains are closed it simulates a bright window. That or its a great place to have your mirror...

If thats your your deal.. i'd say put a cork board behind the curtain if you feel you need to put something back there at all... a corkboard is great to organize but can make things look cluttered. Curtains will tone down the room and maybe also hide some organizational busyness. There are a ton of things you can put behind a good curtain.. and it'll of course serve the purpose of reducing some of the colour

Good luck!

*If that's NOT your deal. sorry of the type-o

Get over your guilt/feeling terrible and ask to repaint.

Don't be shy! Ask the landlord about it. If they seem married to the color scheme - follow the suggestions above. If they just never got around to repainting it - volunteer to do it (for a reduction in rent to cover what you spend on supplies)?

Cool space, though - good luck! :)

I'd start by talking to the landlord - they might not mind painting (or at least letting you paint) at all. Imagine living for years in a place where you've got the constant nagging irritation of the wall colors, only to find that the landlord would have been delighted to let you paint. Good luck, it looks like a really pleasant room (otherwise).

I would also ask the landlord. He might hate the colors as much as you do.

If you can't repaint, I would suggest decorating the rest of the space with a lot of neutral colors, whites, greys etc and turning off the overhead lights in favor of lamps and other dim lighting to give the place a more relaxing feel.

Does anyone like "Design Star?" This kind of reminds me of the episode where they have to renovate a completely white room, but in reverse. They should have a challenge where you're given a really ugly canvas and you have to spruce it up to make it more relaxing. :)

I bet a previous occupant painted it those colors. If you want to "seem nicer" about it I would choose the color you like best and keep it, and ask to paint the other walls white.
Its worth asking, no feelings will be hurt. And honestly, if that space were a lighter neutral color, that room would seem much more airy, spacious, and livable. Future occupants will thank you!!

Well, if you just paint the red and orange a light yellow, then you will have all your colors in the same family and it might actually look kinda cool.

Looks like the orange and peach is the worst of it. Fortunately, those are small walls. If you can't repaint, there are other ways...

If you go with anything stark like white, all you'll do is make the contrast even more in-your-face. Plus, white reflects the tones of whatever surrounds it.

Try this - get a pale green or yellow fabric in a very muted tone - even unbleached muslin will do, and it's cheap. Do the fabric trick by creating a skirt for the desk. You can either drape the walls, or dip the fabric in liquid fabric starch, then apply like wallpaper. (It'll come off later, so no problem.)

Do your bed linens in a light, non-busy springtime floral with the pale yellows and greens on a light background. It doesn't have to be girly-girly. You can do a more Asian or abstract style if you like. That will lighten the effect without creating high contrast.

Maybe you prefer grays or blue in your bedroom because you think of it as your night space, but nobody hates spring, right? It'll be more 'afternoon nap on a pretty day'. That's also a restful theme. Living in a single room means it CAN'T just be a bedroom anyway, so go for daytime restful instead.

Ask the landlord if you can repaint the room in white or off-white. If you use the paint that already has built-in primer, you may manage it with just one gallon.
I would happily pay for the paint myself and I would paint it myself as well if I was a renter.

This happened in my rental a few years ago. I used white texture everywhere. Instead of just having white furniture (which I definitely did), I also hung white scarves in random patterns on the walls and had white throws and rugs. The unexpected textiles became the foreground and the color seemed like a nice background.

i'm with livinglean on this one - just go with all white linens, rugs, and accessories. you'd be surprised by how much this will tone down those walls (i really think that the patterned linens in there now are causing a lot of the chaos). deciding to ask to repaint all just depends on how long you're going to be renting for and how much it is worth to you: will you be there for a few years or just months?

If you are willing to paint it white at your expense, I can't see the landlord saying no.

I'm guessing your very tight landlord used the very last paint in the bottom of four different cans to create that masterpiece.

I'd be pumping the neutrals with those walls. Any more colours and I'd have an epileptic fit.

Ask, Ask, Ask! The worst they can say is "No".

I agree, ask them (nicely) to paint it for you. Or if you have some time on your hands you could try "wallpapering" your walls with fabric and liquid starch, I saw it a while back on the Nate Berkus Show and it seemed easy enough. Here's the how-to: http://www.thenateshow.com/tipsandtools/detail/fabric-wall-art
Otherwise, if it bothers you enough, be a badass and paint it yourself anyways and just count on not getting your damage deposit back!

If you can't paint, perhaps try a Moroccan look- sumptous cushions and bedspread, a big jewel-coloured rug, warm lighting, rich wood, touches of the exotic - and you could do it on the cheap.

If you can't paint, try:
several white flokati or shag rugs.
fluffy white comforter with white pillow shams
gauzy white sheer curtains
white bedframe, bookshelf, chest

you will be surprised at how much that tones things down.

Thank you, everyone, for your suggestions! I had been considering the all-white option or Moroccan-style decorating, but thanks to your support, I think I will ask the landlord about repainting. Any input on color?

whoa, wow, that looks so terrible! I agree with the white accessories thing, white bedding and white curtains...maybe simple lace. maybe decorate with smooth light colored stones, and I'm for some reason picturing drift wood ....maybe a rug like this:http://www.expressgiftservice.com/images/products/middleGifts-Floral-Design.jpg

or anything that ties in some of the color in a more subdued way.

also, I live in an attic, and I've found that putting the head of the bed on the short wall opens up a lot of the space. it seems like it would be weird, but it's actually quite comfortable and opens up more usable floor space.

Wow I LOVE color but that color combination is horrid. I always thought it was tough to work around all white walls but now you have given me an appreciation for white.

On the other hand the space is really nice and interesting. Be happy that it isn't a plain vanilla box.

Maybe plain vanilla is what you need. I would use a cream color for bedding and curtains instead of stark white. Choose one of the wall colors for your accent color for pillows and accessories. I would use one large scale fabric pattern that has several of the colors. I think if you stick to solid colors, it will just emphasize the color block theme that's there. The brick wall area at the end of the room would make a nice faux window with the mirror and curtains suggested earlier. This is a great space...you have plenty of room for a nice sitting area.

If they won't let you paint, find a fabric that you like, dip it in liquid starch, apply it to the walls & let it dry. When you want to remove it, simply peel it away and wipe the walls with a damp cloth.

Ask! For all you know, it was painted that way by a previous renter anyway. You might be saving the landlord the effort of having to do it themselves.