Ask HN: How do you make your personal projects look nice?

I've nearly finished writing the main functionality of a Rails project, and I have to start thinking about how to actually design the site, if I'm going to use a CSS framework, etc.

I typically have the most trouble with this part. If I use Bootstrap, I end up with an ugly Bootstrap-looking interface, or a badly customized one. And if I write css by hand, I have no concept of how to make a button or content area look nice. Typically it's white square boxes with a black border and a #eee page background.

How do you go about designing and styling your projects? Do you use a css framework or any design tools? Examples and links would be welcome as well.