Look at other sites for inspiration. At least once a month i'll spend a good part of a day just browsing the internet in search for a well designed site.

Some good sites to look at would be any website directory such as:

www.cssbeauty.com
www.bestwebgallery.com
www.styleboost.com

etc..

But remember your only looking for some inspiration and guidance. Don't COPY!

Hope you overcome your slum.