A Black Front Door...(Made By Girl)

Hello everyone & welcome back!! This weekend we decided it was time to pull the PAINT brush out & do some work on our front DOOR!

You see, when we're about to walk our DOGS they tend to brush their DIRTY little noses onto the front door. Of course, with this habit comes a lot of CLEANING & wiping down! Know what I mean?!?  I always spot dirt marks on the front & side of the door...DRIVES ME CRAZY!! 

Sooo, painting the door BLACK was an attractive option. We chose a black from the Martha Stewart Living Paints - and decided to go with a more semi-gloss feel. I've been thinking about this idea for quite some time so it was awesome to see it come to fruition! 

Unfortunately.... we can't paint the outside of the door too because we have a strict HOA. Anyone else on the same boat with that?!?!?!?!!?

We were also thinking of placing a stainless steel KICK PLATE on the outside & (MAYBE) inside of the door....or something else to add more interest!!  Any ideas??!?

what do you think??

BEFORE

AFTER

-above images by jen ramos

Below were a few of the photos I gathered for inspiration! Enjoy!

 via the stamford wife

via elle decor

via houzz

via Erica George Dines Photography

My NEW home office.... finally complete !!

My home OFFICE renovation is now complete & I am so ECSTATIC with the results! It feels bright & calming...two things I was aiming for throughout the whole process.  I really hope my new home office will inspire you to perhaps re-decorate your own!  For those of you who are NEW to my blog, you can see the before pics here as well as the renovation in progress here. 

 Please let me know what you think...

(click photos for larger image)

 

parsons desk & lamp by west elm

my inspiration board

bookshelf built by my husband where my desk used to be

business cards by pixel impress

macintosh rose wallpaper by graham and brown

curtains by west elm

storage containers and storage unit by west elm

markers by martha stewart

white 15 inch tv/dvd by target

images by jen ramos

Renovation in exchange for lower rent ?

That's right! I thought this was a pretty fantastic read on the NY Times website. (One of my favorites)! Talk about a renovation decision (in a rental) that is worth your while!  

With the economy being so shaky these days, Todd & Marlene Capron decided to renovate a run-down apartment in Prospect heights, Brooklyn all by themselves in exchange for a rent reduction for their landlord. Now that is a deal! Here are pics of the reno, but you can read all about this genius idea here!

I love how they brightened the walls behind the mantle! So, what do you think of renovation in exchange for rent reduction?