My condominium has been stuck in the 1980s. That was fine because I didn't have to deal with any prior owner "upgrades" I disagreed with. I liked the majority of the wood trim and could live with the hollow core doors (with some future changes), but there were things I needed to change for it to feel like me:
The Goals
No wallpaper border in the primary bedroom - remove and repaint - DONE
No brass door knobs - change out to sleek matte black - PURCHASED
No half melamine/half wood cabinets - paint them a solid color
No bent vinyl blinds - either curtains or roller shades
No wooden bathroom accessories (including the toilet seat!) - change them out
No messy paint job on the loft stairs - use a straight edge, maybe a stencil
No patterned globe bulbs in the bathroom light fixture - frosted globes or ribbed glass
These are my marching orders.
The Plan
Primed
Painted, part 1- I plan to create a border of a different type. After painting the walls, (Behr Establish Mint in eggshell at 50%) to replicate my inspiration pic, I'll tape off the wall using the straight bottom edge of the border and paint the top 5 inches of the wall a crisp border of white paint. A fresh coat of white on the ceiling will wait until later.
- I immediately bought new matte black doorknobs with one of the Big Box home store gift cards from my realtor. (Kwikset Cove and Casey styles in matte black)
- I copied from the family home bathroom by using the same leftover paint for these bathroom cabinets (Behr Coco Malt in satin.)
- The blinds will stay until I decide what to do. If I got curtains now, they'll probably be white, but if I wait, maybe a color scheme or patterned fabric will come to me. I have found these green linen drapes that seem that they would work with the green of the sofa. The color is cilantro (which tastes like soap to me) but I won't hold that against them if they work.
- I am changing the wooden bathroom hardware using the same basic set we used in the family home en-suite bathroom (Lowes Project Source set in Seton) but in brushed nickel, not chrome, to match the sink faucet.
- I will use a straight edge and leftover door paint to clean up the black edge of the stair treads, but I might also try using a stencil on the risers.
- The floral etched globes came from Lowes. They do have them in a solid white and a clear ribbed glass version. I might change them one day, but for now, it is okay. Another option is spraying these bulbs solid white.