My place needs a lot of work. A LOT. And to be honest, it was bringing me down.

Built in 1989, it is clear that save the pedestal sinks in the bathrooms (don't even get me started), recessed lighting and popcorn free ceilings, this condo has never been blessed by the renovation goddess. Peach color walls and tile (that was not so expertly laid) and the worst kitchen cabinets known to mankind dominate the space. The bathrooms are tiny and have fiberglass tub/shower combos with rusted slider doors and the aforementioned STUPID, no storage pedestal sinks. The non-functioning fireplace is (well was) a weird combo of traditional fluted surround and more ugly peach tile. Horrible.

But honestly, it's a designer's dream....IF you have the budget to fix it. So my friends, here's the kicker...I don't. I know what you are thinking... Why, oh why did I choose this place to live??? Well, it's a 10 minute drive to the beach and it has a killer view of the ocean and Channel Islands on a clear day. Yeah, nuff said.

Even with the great location, coming home to this place was, well, a bummer and it made me feel bad about myself.

So, a little about me- I'm a total homebody and it's my favorite place to be. So if my home isn't nice and not the sanctuary that I crave, I start to get grumpy. And when I'm grumpy at home, I get grumpy at work. And grumpy at the store. And grumpy in restaurants. And grumpy when I...you get what I'm saying here. The grumpiness starts to spill over into other parts of my life. And anyone who knows me can tell you, I'm no fun grumpy.

So one day, I decided to get a consult from my friend and colleague Nancy (aka the Design Doctor). She's been around the design block once or twice before, so she always has good advice. After lamenting about how unhappy I was with my space and life in general, Nancy reminded me of something that I have known for a long time- our surroundings have a massive impact on the way we feel and the way we feel has a massive impact on our lives. How so? Well, it's a little thing called Law of Attraction. Meaning, we live in an attraction based universe- so basically, you get what you think about. So as Nancy says, it's incredibly important to design with intention. Look, I'm not going to get it to all that stuff here because what you really want to know about is a cheap and easy makeover, right? But, just know that it is super important and I will be expanding on it more in the future. Until then, let's get back to the design of the matter...

So, after to talking to Nancy, I knew that I had to take action. But what was I going to do??? Well, there is always one go-to where you can get the most bang for your buck. Yep, you guessed it. Paint. But looking around at the walls, I realized that I just didn't have it in me to conquer such a large task. Scanning my surroundings, my eyes fell on the fireplace. I pretty much hated everything about it, but of course, there was no money in the budget to rip it out and start over fresh, like I had dreamed of doing. So how could I make it better? I mean, IT HAD PEACH TILES, for fuck's sake. Then it came to me (cue the Rolling Stones) PAINT IT BLACK!

But can you paint tile? I had no idea, so I used the Google machine and started searching. Upon investigation, seemed like some people were doing it with success, so I decided to give it a go. Besides, it was just a vertical surface and really wouldn't suffer from any wear and tear. I headed over to my local Sherwin-Williams paint store and started scouring the blacks. Now, some of you might be saying, "Isn't black, black?" NO! Far from it. Blacks can have brown, blue, and gray undertones which give varying effects. Some blacks are super deep and dark as the night, while others have a bit more lightness to them, something you might call "off black". I decided to go with a semi-deep, charcoal undertoned black called Black Magic. I prepped the fireplace by first cleaning, sanding, taping off and then priming the mantel and surround.

GET SKOOLED: When using a deep, dark color like black, have your primer tinted with the top coat color or a shade of gray. By doing this, you're going to get to the true color faster, saving you time, money, and a lot of headache since you won't have to paint 10 coats for your color to look like the paint chip you picked out. **FYI- I didn't realize it until after the fact, but Sherwin-Williams has a system where they can tell you the exact gray to use for your primer depending on the color you pick**

After the primer was dry, I started painting. It took a couple of coats to get it where I wanted it to be, but I didn't spend more than 2 hours on it (start to finish).

WHAT A TRANSFORMATION! And it only took 40 bucks that I spent on quarter gallon paint and supplies! Really, I could have stopped there and just added a vase of flowers or something. But I am a designer, so you I had to style, right? Of course. Unfortunately for me, I didn't have much to work with, so I bought a couple of things to help out the sitch. See the breakdown of what I purchased below.

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Buy Number 1

Mirror- West Elm
Price- $199

Now I'm going to admit here, that I don't love this mirror. I mean, it's aiiight. But to me, it's one of those items that looked better online than in person. And since I've purchased, I've seen a lot cheaper mirrors that I like a lot better. But it's okay, I'm not bitter.

Buy Number 2

Vintage African Antelopes - Wooden Nickel Home
Walnut figurines
Price- $50 (if I remember correctly)

Ok, I love, love, love these guys! Best purchase that I've made in a long time. They really are the frosting on the fireplace cake.

Buy Number 3

Candlestick holders-Project 62 for Target
Price- $32

I bought these at Christmas time for the coffee table, which looked nice, but when I lit the candles, I notice they dripped on the table. No Bueno. They were kind of in the way of t.v. watching anyway, so I relocated them to the fireplace, which I love and think should have been there home all the while.

Buy Number 4

Firewood- Garden Store
Price-$4

Ok, this I'm on the fence about and I'll tell you why. First off, it's not a wood burning fireplace, so it seems a bit disingenuous (lame, poser-y) to have the wood for the "fire". Secondly, I've heard that having piles of wood in the house is an open invitation for rodents, which can be a problem in Ventura. Being the good vegan that I am, I think rats and mice are cute, but I don't want wild ones living and breeding in my house. Also, sometimes there can be bugs that are living in the wood, that will come out and invade your space (eww). At this point, I'm not sure what to do..it looks cute and could fill that awkward space if I bought more and stacked it high, but is it stupid? And if it is, do I care? Cause I like the look. I don't know. We'll have to wait and see what I come up with for this one...

For the rest, I just scavenged from some stuff I already had, like a couple of old vases and a lantern from Target, along with some old books and a plant and then styled accordingly. I also used a piece of homemade ahem, "art" that I originally planned on putting in my bedroom (another cheap + easy transformation). I painted over a blue canvas, totally generic (I could never find the right spot for ) picture with white paint and used the leftover black paint from the fireplace to add some abstract strokes. One day, I set it in front of the fireplace box just to get it out of the way of what I was doing and when I stepped back and looked at it, decided that I liked what I was seeing. So, there it stayed.

So what was the outcome of my fireplace makeover?

Not to be dramatic, but it changed everything! After the transformation, the fireplace became the rightful focal point of the room and it made everything look better. Suddenly, the peachy paint and the floors didn't bother me so much. Before the transformation, I felt a constant nagging to paint my walls white, now that nagging is gone! Magically, my place felt fresh and new with minimal effort and cost. And now when I walk through my door, I don't cringe. Instead, I think to myself you know, my place is kind of cute. And just like that, my grumpiness has been relieved.

Do I still want to paint my walls, change the floors, get a beautiful rug and all those other little touches to make my space truly shine? Of course I do... and I will. But the big takeaway from all this is sometimes just little changes can have a huge impact. By sprucing up my fireplace, I totally changed the vibe of the room and it really made me appreciate the space. Does it change my stupid situation in the bathroom? No. But it gave me the notion that I could make some small changes there too to make it feel better and you know what? It does. It may sound silly and like a no-brainer, but I think a lot of times, people (like I did) forget- surroundings matter. Because our surroundings affect the way we feel... and the way we feel affects our lives.... surroundings...feelings....matter... Okay, got it? Good.

Am I saying to forget big renovations and always do the bare minimum? God no- what I am saying is, if you are a little light on cash or tight on time, all hope is not lost. Start small and build from there. You will start to see your space transform into something you love and more importantly, you'll quickly begin to realize how much better you feel when you do it. It can be as small as keeping fresh cut flowers on your bedroom nightstand, just do something that is going to make you smile and give you those warm and fuzzy feels.

Okay, to wrap this up, I'm going to leave you with my Top 5 Ways to Transform Your Space For Maximum Impact and Minimal Cost:

FOCUS ON THE FOCAL POINT- every room should have a place where people's eyes are drawn (aka a focal point). So concentrate on the money spot. Mine was the fireplace, yours may be a window with an amazing view. If it is, frame it with some beautiful curtains and a kick-ass rod, paint the moldings so it stands out or put a beautiful chaise in front of it. There a ton of options you could consider. Just remember that whatever you do, make it undeniable that that window (or that door or that bed, or that whatever) is absolutely what people should be focusing on when they walk into the room. You get the idea.
SHOP TARGET- #notsponsored, but let's be honest, Target is kind of awesome, right? TargetStyle, Project 62- cool stuff with a little bit for everybody and it is very affordable. Seriously, if you need new stuff on the cheap, hightail it to Target.
LOOK FOR THAT SOMETHING SPECIAL- This kind of goes along with number one, but it doesn't necessarily have to be a major focal point. Maybe you have an unusual chair that if you just changed out the fabric, could be something really spectacular. Or you have a dresser that would be really beautiful if you just switched out those basic knobs for some that are more intricate and detailed. Look for the special and highlight it.
SWAP IT OUT- Sometimes, you don't have to shop Target (or wherever), all you have to do is shop your own house. There have been many of times when I have bought something for myself or a client for a certain spot in whatever space I am designing and it will be fine in that place... then, when I'm designing another space and looking around for something to use, I will move said object, put it in the new area and quickly realize that this was actually its intended home all along (see candlesticks above). So take a look around to see what you can swap out...it's kind of fun, like solving a puzzle.
PAINT, PAINT, PAINT- It's so cliche, but paint really is the thing that can give you the biggest bang for your buck. Go from white to black, black to white, or paint your kitchen cabinets an amazingly deep, emerald green color and see how your space transforms. What a 40 dollar gallon of paint has the potential to do is MAGIC.

**Extra Credit**

STYLE IT!- Take a second look at those shelves, bookcases and table tops and give them a good re-vamp. Free your bookcases from clutter, stack a few books here, add a picture there -add fresh flowers to your table, a tray with a coffee table book and a candle. Then, stand back, take a look and re-style until your heart's content.

So go on, add molding to your entryway, put up that funky wallpaper inside your bookcase, hang that vintage, over-sized piece of art that grandma gave you....as long as it makes you feel good, like my fireplace.

If you want more details about the Law of Attraction and Designing with Intention, check out what my friend Nancy has to say over at The Design Doctor website here.