SIL Sept/Oct 2019
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Special Section: Home Improvement<br />
shops for unique and affordable pieces for<br />
your space. You can easily customize furniture<br />
with a quick coat of paint, and still<br />
spend only a fraction of the cost of new<br />
items.<br />
We saved our largest paint makeover<br />
until only recently, putting off what<br />
we feared to be an expensive and insurmountable<br />
task: painting our exterior<br />
brick. While our 1990s ranch was starting<br />
to look like modern-day HGTV inside, it<br />
still looked like an outdated sitcom on the<br />
outside. The pink-and-tan brick had been<br />
bothering us from the moment we moved<br />
in, and we were finally ready to change it.<br />
I, of course, thought we should paint the<br />
entire exterior white for a clean, timeless<br />
vibe to really brighten up the brick and<br />
add some serious curb appeal. Once my<br />
husband got a few professional painting<br />
quotes, I knew my vision just wasn’t within<br />
our budget. We settled on painting the<br />
brick a neutral tan ourselves, matching<br />
the existing vinyl siding on the rest of the<br />
house, saving us a few thousand dollars.<br />
We also added some inexpensive black reversible<br />
shutters, and I hand-painted our<br />
door and mailbox black to match. Within<br />
only a few days, we had what looked like<br />
a new home! The painted brick completely<br />
changed the look of our home and was<br />
exactly the refresh I desperately wanted.<br />
In addition to paint, there are several<br />
other inexpensive ways to update your<br />
home. While some people overlook the<br />
fixtures in their home, focusing solely on<br />
their functionality, I feel they can really<br />
bring a space up to date. We swapped out<br />
several of the brass light fixtures original<br />
to our house for modern black and<br />
brushed nickel options. Don’t be afraid to<br />
look at display and clearance light fixtures<br />
in your local home improvement stores.<br />
We have replaced almost every fixture<br />
on the interior and exterior of our home<br />
slowly over time by shopping open-box,<br />
display and clearance items, and have<br />
only spent a few hundred dollars total!<br />
Following a light fixture upgrade, you can<br />
also consider switching out your hardware<br />
for a simple and inexpensive way to<br />
update the cabinets and drawers in your<br />
home. Hardware options can be found at<br />
nearly any home improvement store in a<br />
variety of finishes and styles. We matched<br />
While our 1990s ranch was starting to look like<br />
modern-day HGTV inside, it still looked like<br />
an outdated sitcom on the outside. The pinkand-tan<br />
brick had been bothering us from the<br />
moment we moved in, and we were finally ready<br />
to change it.<br />
our hardware to the new or existing light<br />
fixtures in each room to really tie all of the<br />
accents together.<br />
No matter your style or budget, you<br />
deserve to love your home. There are an<br />
endless number of ways to update your<br />
space, with little more than a trip to your<br />
local flea market and Lowe’s. I hope that<br />
these tips and tricks make you feel more<br />
comfortable tackling your next home project.<br />
•<br />
Pictured: (this page, top) The updated exterior of author Allie Webb’s house, with painted brick, shutters, and a new garage<br />
door. (this page, right) the original exterior before updates. // Photos by Allie Webb<br />
Southern Indiana Living • <strong>Sept</strong>/<strong>Oct</strong> <strong>2019</strong> • 25
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