1. Paint.

2-6. Create a seating area.

7-9. Install a mural, elegant draperies and shutters.

10-12. Add more lighting.

13-14. A sturdy table with drawers can organize clutter.

15-17. Add personality with accessories.

Tell us about your design challenge: Find out how

Long has a 20-by-7-foot sitting room next to her master bedroom "that has become an impossible design task," she writes in an e-mail. "I would like it to be a quiet nook for reading... [But] it's not working," she says. Although it has three windows, the narrow room doesn't have enough light. Long is also having difficulty arranging furniture. The area should include a place for napping and a space where her dog can look out the window.

Set a tranquil tone by adding a mural on one wall, adapted from a photograph. Organize books on a built-in bookcase. Balance heavy pieces against each other so the room appears symmetrical.