well, having lived in an apt. in NYC, and had it broken into, I'll say this: it's not as bad as you think. For one thing, it depends on how much you have, and whether it's worth stealing. My roommate and I had small amounts of cash around (they took her $10 roll of quarters), plus some electronics. They didn't want to stop long enough to unplug everything. Cops in my highly Hispanic neighborhood said the thieves were looking for cash (since many of my neighbors keep a sizable amount at home instead of in the bank) or gold. Sometimes they do try to take VCRs, CD players, electronics they could stick in a shopping bag or duffel and carry off inconspicuously. of course, in your quiet building, maybe they will TAKE the time to unplug the electronics, but.. I think you'd be better off dealing w/ the securing of your STUFF in the apartment, than in investing $$$ in perimeter reinforcement for an apartment you don't own. What do you have that's really worth $$ to a thief? And then, how can you secure it? Electronics: There used to be pads and tethers you could attach to stuff like TVs and stereos, so that if they were removed by a thief, they'd never work again (and they came w/ stickers that it was hoped would deter the thief from testing it out). (also note that many electronics stuff is really not that expensive, comparatively, so there ain't much of a market--and the days of crackheads who'd be happy w/ $10 for their next hit have sort of faded in most places) Will you keep much in the apt. in the way of cash, gold watch, stocks and bonds, etc? Get one of those Sentry fire safes, and screw it to the floor of the closet, then pile the clothes on top of it, and take the key with you--don't leave it around in the house where it's findable. (when you screw those things in place, you can't unscrew them until you unlock it; or you'd need one HELL of a pry bar!) I'd do that before I'd pay for a safety-deposit box, frankly. Bcs then you could get to that cash, papers, etc., should you need them. And most thieves don't care about stocks & bonds. Seriously, what papers do you have that a thief would care about? If you're worried he'll get your credit card number from your billing paperwork, get a two-drawer fling cabinet that locks, and get in the habit of locking it (and carrying the key in your wallet). Bearer bonds--but nobody should keep those at home anyway. Savings bonds--too much work for most thieves, and he'd need an ID to cash 'em anyway. So if someone did break in, what would/could they take? For me, it was nearly nothing. The worst part was the damage to the door jamb. Remember that, even though YOU are away at night, your neighbors are not. In fact, they're inside that same house with you, and if someone tries to kick your door down while you're away, they'll hear it!! It's probably a window thief or a lock picker that you need to worry about. For that, try these ideas: *fire escape gate on the window ($500 when I bought mine; you do need the landlord's approval bcs it srews into the window-frame studs) *Medeco-brand lock cylinder--unpickable enough for most purposes And just in case someone DOES try to kick in the door, you only need a reinforced lock inside the apartment itself. In my city, we called them "police locks"--the style popular when I rented an apt. was essentially a bar that goes into a metal "cup" fitting set into the floor (you'll need landlord permission to gouge out a hole to sink the cup into the floor). Then the key slides the 45-degree-angle bar from one side to the other, and on one side, it can slide up, and the other it cant (locked)/. I tried to find a picture but couldnÂt. ThereÂs another style of police lock in which bars go from side to side; this might be more acceptable for your landlord. Because instead of digging into the floor, youÂll drill deep into the doorway studs (through the decorative molding) to install the brackets on the side. Doorway molding is easier to replace, and in fact he may require you to leave the lock in place when you move, which might be an advantage to him (except, of course, that the mere presence of the lock will make a future tenant think the place is unsafe). http://store.yahoo.com/853111/foxstylpollo.html I donÂt think you should spend so much $$ buying such permanent stuff for a place you donÂt own. Granted, w/ that low a rent, you may stay there for a long time, long enough to justify spending it. But your landlord may not allow you to mess w/ stuff. If he does, it will be almost guaranteed that he will require you to leave it when you move out. I wonder if youÂd be better off finding a way to assuage your fear; especially if itÂs really nagging at you. After all, you called it "an all-consuming obsessive worry." That sounds like something rooted in fear, and not necessarily in evidence. So, gather some evidence. Not that you should be stupid and never lock your doors, or live w/ crummy locks and a flimsy door. But there are lots of other people that burglars are more likely to hit (figuring that the other victims will have more valuable stuff than a guy who can only afford to rent an apartment in an old house). And, nowadays, burglars are MUCH more likely to work during the day, when most people are at work. You say this is a low-crime areaÂnice, w/ lots of people paying sort of high rents, chi-chi stores, etc. If thatÂs true, then you donÂt live among lots of people who are wandering around at 3am doing drugs and getting into trouble; not w/ that rent level (of course, there are bozos in every financial level). Anybody specifically targeting the neighborhood wonÂt bother w/ youÂtheyÂll aim for folks w/ more. Maybe you should take some daytime hours (lucky youÂIÂd have to take a day off) and go to the police precinct house, and ask to speak to the Public Affairs officer. Ask him to show you the crime statistics, and focus specifically on what happens in your neighborhood after 5pm. What sorts of crimes are being reported? I bet youÂll find itÂs almost no middle-of-the-night break-ins. And when break-ins are reported, what is stolen? What do thieves in your neighborhood look for? How much damage might they do if they *do* get in. How many other homes or apartments in your area have security systems? If most of them don't have them, it's probably because they're not really necessary. (auto alarms: As someone who lives in an apartment bldg in a densely populated area, may I plead: do NOT get a car alarm! Get an ignition cut-off instead--the car-insurance benefits will be the same. But I'm telling you, the ONLY thing car alarms do is annoy the heck out of the neighbors. Nobody looks to see whose car is being broken into--they all assume it's a malfunction. And nobody wants to argue with or fight a car thief anyway, so they're not going to interrupt them) (also, as for the home alarm, you do NOT want to have one of those go off and make all sorts of alarms and flashing lights.)

I think I would also be like you and need to paint while the house is empty. I think the suggestions above are good ones. Also look at Revere Pewter, a Ben. Moore color that is very popular. It's a warm grey and you can do a search and find it here. Also, a neighbor of mine just painted her living room and hall a color called Dune Drift in the Seaside Collection by Valspar paint, sold at Lowes. It's a very calming color that is a neutral greyed green. A great Ben. Moore color that a few friends used and I love (and wish I used it in hindsight) is called Bamboo Shoot #1529. The other colors on the same strip as this that are deeper in color are also beautiful (Ocean Pebbles). My daughter just painted her bedroom BM Coventry Grey,a beautiful grey (cooler grey with a trace of blue). She says she feels like she is living in Nantucket. Beautiful with white molding. I have seen photos of most of these colors on this site. I don't like how the colors show on My Perfect Color, so don't check them out there. Sorry, I don't know any specific colors by Behr, but they will match anything because the color formulas are in their computer.

I love the clean, uncluttered look of your home and you've made some great furniture choices. My first thought, though, is that I would try to rework the sofa/sectional placement. It really is unwelcoming looking to me to have the back where it is facing a wall, when it could be oriented to look into the room and out the windows. It seems like if it were placed in the corner under the stairs that it would feel open and invite you to come in and sit. I'd hate to be cooking in the kitchen and have the family or guests with their backs to me. If you are having a TV in another room close by, do you need one in that room, too? If, so placing a 70" unit will probably only work as you have it. But, to me, it's not going to look like a living room but more like a movie theater, which is fine if that's what you're going for. It seems like it won't be a cozy conversation area, though. I might actually flip the rooms and put the dining room where you have the sofa now. I was looking at lights used with dining rooms and ghost chairs and saw this, maybe would work in the living room? Kind of fun. don't know if it would look as good without the colored walls though. And I thought something like these were interesting to consider for over your table:

Home Interiors & Jodie White, Sorry guys. I'm new to this. Obviously, i need to create an Ideabook! I tend to go more towards muted brown, red, yellow/gold, rust colors (in past), but open to other somewhat neutral palettes. I actually love the console, but was considering an antique cream color (if I could make that work?). My tastes tend to be traditional, rustic, a little farmhouse (pottery barn, restoration hardware, ballard designs) but with so many current needs, all those in a TIGHT budget! Aktillery9, i do like all of those looks. My husband did just tell me, due to wiring, there is chance we may not be able to mount on flat wall as i hoped, so i may be forced to go back to corner console again. :( When I get a chance, I'll post some of my fav looks.