An easy way to color a room without painting it is to have the plasterer add a little lime-fast colored cement powder (available from hardware stores) to the plaster. This is faster and easier than painting, and the effect will last a long time on low-use areas such as ceilings. The technique is good for walls, too. Tinting doesn’t create a washable surface, though, so fingerprints and other stray marks will eventually have to be painted over.

Stencils: A Traditional Treatment
Stenciling is an inexpensive, attractive, traditional way to decorate walls and floors. It’s easy to create your own patterns. Work on scratch paper until you have a geometric or decorative design you like. The goal is to create a short series of fairly simple design elements that you can repeat along the edges of the wall or floor. Once you’re satisfied with your design, use a pencil to copy it onto manila folder material, and then cut it out with an X-Acto knife. Your stencil works just like the store-bought stencils you used as a child; the color of the design goes in the cutouts. Cover your pattern with boiled linseed oil and let it dry. Then varnish it to keep the paint from soaking in when you dab it over the stencil.
For bigger stenciling jobs, cut your pattern from oak tag (available from art supply stores) instead of manila folder material. The oak tag is stiffer and will hold up better.
If you’re in a hurry when you’re creating a stencil, you can coat the stencil with shellac instead of boiled linseed oil. Shellac is faster to use, but it won’t last as long.

Note
This technique is not appropriate in the unlikely event that you’re stenciling with an alcohol-based paint.

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