BY CAROLYN CAMILLERI
Mirror Makeover
Revamp your bathroom with one simple change — the mirror. It is surprising how a mirror can change the room, especially if you have been living with a builder-grade mirror. Depending on what you do have, you may need to patch a few holes or repaint. If that is a bigger project than you want to undertake, choose a mirror large enough to cover whatever you may discover behind the old one. The fun part is choosing the mirror. Do you go with a more traditional framed mirror? Or something sleek and modern?
Knock, knock
Here is a quirky fact: the tradition of hanging door knockers with gruesome faces — gargoyles, dragons and other beasts — can be traced to the Middle Ages when they were believed to ward off evil spirits. Tamer designs — lions, garlands, faces, hands, birds — reflected the fashions of the times and the skills of the makers.
Today, door knockers are less about evil spirits and more about adding a beautiful finishing touch to the entrance to your home. Choose from contemporary designs or more traditional. Or go really traditional and put up a gargoyle.
Feel the Pull
The fastest kitchen upgrade ever is changing your cabinet hardware. It may seem like a small change (until you count how many you need), but the difference can be amazing. The choices abound, traditional and modern — but do think ahead. Choose replacement pulls with fasteners that match what you have now if you want to reuse the existing drill holes.
Of course, the holes left behind can be filled with wood putty and painted over, but it will make your relatively quick afternoon project more complicated. You can also choose pulls with back plates that cover the old holes, but it is a chunkier look and you will need to drill new holes — very straight.
