Simple Sprucing Up

Over the weekend I completed a few little projects to help spiff things up a bit around the house. First of all, I replaced a couple of these dated brass switchplate covers that we have in a few rooms of our house. I'm trying to get rid of all the traces of brass we have that were so popular in the 90s when our house was built 15 years ago. I still have a long way to go with doorknobs and light fixtures, but it's a place to start.



I found these covers at Target for $7.99 and $5.99.



I made quick work of taking off the old ones and popping on the new ones using hubby's cordless Dewalt drill.(And living dangerously by not following the safety instructions to wear eye goggles and turn off the power.)

I added the silver toned plate in the kitchen.



I used the bronze plate in the bedroom to go with the greens and browns of the room.



My other weekend project involved painting my nightstand. My nightstand is actually an old end table that belonged to my great-grandmother. It's probably from the 50s or 60s. The finish was really bad on it, but I forgot to take a picture of the table before I primed it. Here is what the drawer looked like:



I sanded down the table and drawer and applied a coat of oil-based Kilz primer.



Then I applied two coats of Behr semi-gloss laytex paint. However, I wanted the color to be darker and it ended up looking quite a bit lighter than the paint chip. So now I'm not sure what to do. Should I leave it alone, paint it darker, or go the opposite and paint it white? I also changed out the handle for this one I found at Home Depot for $4.99. Here it is in my bedroom. (Ignore the ugly cords and random cat toys please.)





I guess it is cat approved though:



I'm also not sure what to do with the rest of the furniture. Paint it the same color or a darker, deeper brown? Paint it white or a lighter cream/tan color? Leave it alone? (My hubby likes this option, I'm not so crazy about it!) I know I'm going to change the hardware either way. What do you think? Not to mention the unattractive headboard. That needs to be painted or replaced also.









So please help with your opinions!