before and after: my new black door

I finally painted the back of my front door after about six weeks of planning.  Remember the inspiration photos for the project?  Well, here are the before and after shots from last night.

before...

...and after!

So what do you think?  I think I need a better camera to really capture the door and its sheen in all its glory :)  But I'm totally in love with it.  Farrow and Ball's Off Black in full gloss was the perfect choice!  

P.S. You also get a bonus sneak peek at my new paint colors for the place.  Both are by Benjamin Moore.  The top is Grey Owl and the bottom is Pebble Beach.  I'm thinking Pebble Beach for the main room and Grey Owl for my bedroom.  Those are post-election projects though.  

book worm part II

I finally finished styling my new Lack bookcase last night.  I thought I'd share a few photos of the project with you all.  It's amazing to me how much filling up this bookcase has made my little apartment start to feel like a real home.  Now all I have to do is paint the walls and door, get a new couch and TV and it will really feel like home!

all images from my own collection

my new pad: before shots

By popular demand, here are the shots of my new place before I've done anything to it.  More photos of progressive decorating to come....

my new building (I'm on the top floor!)

the entryway (and the door I'll be painting a glossy black)

The wood burning fireplace with built-ins and a marble hearth

the place gets a ton of afternoon sun

the dining area (the wall of mirrors is growing on me)

the kitchen (in need of an update next spring)

another kitchen shot

the hallway w/coat closet and linen closet

the bathroom (also getting a facelift next spring)

the bedroom

wall-o-closets in the bedroom

tons of storage for my wardrobe!

My first priority is to paint the place grey (read a little more in this post).  After that, I'll be purchasing a few new pieces of furniture (couch, bookcase, TV) and then figure out the rest as I go along.  I'm really looking forward to sharing everything I do right here with all of you, so stay tuned!

i'm off...

...to close on my condo!  Get ready for a lot of new condo decorating-related posts in the near future.

image via flickr