It isn't that hard if you approach it right. Start with a white screen and add a small logo at the top that looks OK. Use a font that you like and embellish it a bit with Photoshop. Otherwise, keep yourself to a handful of colors, maybe as few as two or three. Use variants of gray instead of pure black. Follow web conventions.

In most situations a clean design with useful content and functionality beats a pretty design that doesn't work. You can always pretty things UP later.