Inspire me - Purple and Gold

One of the great things about moving is the opportunity to decorate. I am not one of those lucky beings who managed to get herself into an apartment complex that encourages free color expression on their walls.  No, no, I am one of those sad sad little people forced to live with beige walls.  Contractor beige.  Even better, some of the touch up paint between us and the previous tenant was done using a single coat of flat contractor beige.

But, I like a challenge. I've turned my attention to our "study" where we need some curtains in a pretty bad way.  First, the windows are kind of drafty so the extra layer would be nice.  Second, the walls are beige and the floor-to-ceiling bookcases are espresso so we pretty much have a brown and beige room with draft windows.  Doesn't that sound delightful? I am leaning toward brightening the space with curtains in a spring green, but a recent post by Amy has stuck me with purple on the brain. That might explain why I am suddenly drawn to these updated uses for the Mardi Gras color scheme:

and

Both photos can be found at Apartment Therapy. What about you?  How would you add a little something to a brown and beige room?