Valances add architectural interest to an apartment's windows

Apartment dwellers can create instant architectural interest in their homes by installing a valance that will complement a number of window coverings, from curtains to woven wood shades.

A valance can come in a variety of materials. Wood tones can be matched to furniture in the apartment, or a cloth-covered valance can be coordinated with prints, patterns and colors used in a room's soft furnishings.

One way to decide how to incorporate a valance into one's design scheme is to get ideas from magazines and bring tear sheets along on shopping trips. According to HGTV, renters shouldn't feel confined by the neutral colors on walls, floors and tiling that are common in rentals.

Lighting is one area in which apartment dwellers can bring in their own taste by removing standard issue ceiling lights and replacing them with stylish chandeliers that can be removed when they move on to their next home.

Window treatments can be treated the same way - valance and accompanying window coverings are things that can go with the renter when they move to a new place.