Small Project ~ Big Bang!!

    I love the front door on our house - but, the color? Not so much. It's a sort of brick red. Very muted, almost brown, not very welcoming. I wanted to paint that door before we even bought the house and now that we've started a few outdoor projects I REALLY want to paint the door!

    Something about the color makes the house look very neutral, very one tone. I think that the color of the front door is pretty important. It's the first thing people see as they drive up or walk by. This is a really nice door. It has some uncommon features - the window (which is also on the remake list!), the ledge - they need some attention!

    We built the bench from a kit we purchased at Costo. I love the planters. I'll be able to change them seasonally but the entry still needed that wow factor. So, for under $50 and about and hours worth of work I got this:

    

The dark teal is so perfect against the stone. It really makes the blue colors in the stone stand out. The whole house cooled off and now feels like a calm, welcoming place. The brushed brass kickplate at the bottom adds a little style while being a practical solution for protecting my new amazing door!

I'm all about these little projects... so satisfying!

 New Lights - Small Project - Big Impact!

    We love our new house. Plenty of room, lots of windows, big kitchen etc... What we don't love are a lot of the design choices.

     For example, the gigantic gothic looking hanging light fixture in our foyer! I shudder every time I look at it! Definitely on the hunt for something more our style. Also, not a fan of the ugly pendant lights over the kitchen island.

Ew! Really? Who thought this tiny light was going to work in this huge kitchen? Their solution? Put the brightest bulb you can find in it - no, no this didn't help.

We have big plans for updating the kitchen including changing the counter and backsplash, painting the island and getting new knobs. None of this is happening soon, there are lots of projects ahead of this - but - I happened to get a really great deal on two pendants that were on clearance. Couldn't pass them up!

Nice, right? So much better than the dinky ones and the light is really lovely - soft and diffused but plenty bright enough to work under. Sometimes a little change can have a really huge impact!