Miche L's Profile

Definitely don't stop.... instead, look at the remaining tasks and break them down into their constituent pieces. Look at your calendar and start parceling the tasks out into manageable, non-overwhelming chunks. And, if things go easier (or harder) than expected make sure to retriage the tasks.

Sometimes you can make simplifying design decisions that save you a lot of short-term time while enabling you to enjoy a livable space until you have time for the perfect solution.

The trick is just to always do things one step at a time. Don't bite off the whole thing at once.

We recently replaced the bifold doors on the closet of our office with a curtain -- no regrets! It's much more visually interesting, and works better with the room's flow. Plus, we can keep the catbox in that closet now, visually hidden by the curtain, without having to leave a door wide open.

I had cabinets just like that when I bought my condo 2 years ago. I immediately opted to stain them a darker color using the Minwax all-in-one stain and ployurethane, going for a darker color (I can't say how well the lighter all-in-ones would work).

It involved minimal sanding, took really well, and hasn't worn down in the time since.

I recently painted my office "Pothole"..... which confuses me, since the color is nowhere near pavement color. It's really a brown, not a gray...

As others have said, it depends a lot on the quality of the wood and the wear of it. I recently bought an old hand-carved newspaper stand with hopes of refinishing the beautiful wood. But unfortuantely there were far too many gouges and breaks on it, and although the intricate woodwork could be filled other parts could not be smoothed out while maintaining structural integrity.

In the end, I decided to paint it since it'd be a better way to preserve the intricacy of the piece. I have no regrets.

I'm not sure about all this swiffer business, but from a purely aesthetic standpoint.....

I think it would work well. Especially if you work in lighter area rugs for color, interest and to define unique spaces

In addition to the great stuff above.... Have you thought about getting colorful pots and pans? There seem to be a lot of really cool cookware these days with brightly colored/patterned handles and bases.

Hey there -- original asker here :) Thanks so much for the responses so far!

We're definitely looking for something around half-wall height, since there's a thermostat (yuck) on the wall above where it will be. And we want to put decorative items on top of it.

We're also a litle limitted in width, since there's a breakfast bar to the right. We're drawn to the expandable top of the Kenton since it'll be compact for every day use but can be reconfigured for entertaining.

Dark wood is definitely preferable, but I'm no stranger to busting out wood stain.

We already have a wine cabinet on the other side of the room, so we're looking for something that is spirits oriented.

Thanks again for all the comments so far! I really appreciate the insight of the community here :)