Something that appears differently in a dream than in real life, such as a woman who appears as a man or a blue room that appears as beige, can mean:
You perceive the different characteristic in the real life person or thing (such as feeling that a real-life woman exhibits a role or characteristic that you associate with masculine energy)
You wish the person or thing had more of the different characteristic
The person or thing represents the different characteristic (such as a bold red vase representing a bold design sense, rather than a vase specifically)