Val, I've been considering painting my fireplace, but not a solid color... rather an image on each side since it is a see through fireplace. I found a nice selection of rocks for one side and painting a slab of granite on the opposite side. Of course, being an artist, helps. There are some great pictures out there of different slabs if that is something that interests you. On the onyx side, I plan to put in some vague images of recognizable things, perhaps a horse climbing a mountain, etc. The human eye wants to see images. We look at clouds and want to see a face. I'll paint one side after I get the living room painted so I can work the same colors into it. Trompe L'oeil style. Already planning to use my barn door down the hall on one side and paint the rest of the wall in the same style as the door with the intent that the barn door would blend and not see where it is... in theory only. I'm sure this isn't what you had in mind, but it's my plans. Good luck with yours. I think I'd stay away from orange unless it works with the rest of your room's furniture as colors change from one year to the next. Good luck. I for one would love to see what you've done when it's finished. Xtal

Honestly, you are putting way to much into a space you will have to return back to OG when you move out. As far as the paint goes you get a color match done heck even ask the LL what color it was for touch-ups or something. Im not sure why you need to change it, and you are getting into stuff that is not really "quick rental fix" I could tell you a lot about how to do it but I really am wondering why you would want to put this much into changing 2 lights and a mirror, I think the mirror is really cute, fits the space Now you can buy plain frosted glass to put in place of that glass that is on the current light fixtures, upgrade the light bulbs and that would be a good start.

I bought a condo built in 1980 which has a fireplace which appears to have gas with wood logs. Unfortunately, this place get very cold in the winters and the burning wood logs with this setup has been pretty ineffective at heating the place (probably losing all the heat up the flue). I included a few pictures of my setup. What would be the best setup here? I looked at gas inserts but not sure that's the setup I need?

I know everyone keeps saying to 'change the shape' I do not like L or U shaped homes. Okay, so keep the simple rectangle shape ... I don't think the shape of the house is even remotely a problem. The problems are with the interior; that is, with the traffic patterns, potential for furniture layout, and natural light. Some of you are downright rude honestly. This is not a "yes board" where people look at anything and say, "Oh, wonderful, wonderful! It's going to come out great". But you can get solid advice here. Thank you Mrs Pete for your help to make my interior work slightly better Always glad to be helpful. I didnt think about the easy passage from bath to closet but yes, 100% yes. But it's things like this that'll make your house more comfortable /convenient. Look at your plan and think through your daily tasks: Bringing in groceries, taking out the trash, carrying a basket of clothes from the laundry to the closet, making a typical Tuesday night meal, etc. At every step, consider whether you're force to take extra steps, whether the things you need are stored right at hand. For example, in an ideal set-up, you'd take glassware from the dishwasher and put it in an adjacent cabinet ... which would also be next to the refrigerator so you could (later) have a glass right next to the refrigerator. Also, consider the traffic pattern once furniture is in place; for example, consider that if people are seated at the table, it'll be hard for others to reach the back door. Ditto with the bed in the master. I'm not arguing against the shape of the house AT ALL ... a farmhouse should be simple in shape. I'm pushing you to reconsider the day-to-day function of the interior space. I am curious if its a bother that people coming in the front door are stepping right into the kitchen zone. ? I've never had a kitchen right by the front door, but I don't have a problem with it ... in this house. I think it'd be odd in a suburb, but a farmhouse can pull off a front-kitchen. Chuckling because I totally get it. I’m so OCD that I have CDO (alphabetical order, you know). That's great! My daughter AMY once told me she loves her name because the letters come in alphabetical order. She was also inordinately happy when -- at her wedding reception -- we posted big balloons spelling out her name and the groom's name (TOM) flanking the difficult-to-find entrance, and we realized that it didn't matter whether the wind spun the balloons -- their letters all still read the same. Much easier to leave the dogs outside at night than to design a house around taking them out in the middle of the night. Being a dog person, I don't think a single door is "designing a house around them".