Details

In addition to painting, painting, more painting, and even more painting, I've been slowly replacing some of the 1983 brass hardware in our house in favor of new black hardware.  (And in cases where I haven't wanted to replace, I've simply spray painted.)  I think details like this really help make a home look pulled together and getting rid of rusty and dusty fixtures just makes things look clean and bright. 

Case in point:

Old Doorknobs (some were like this and others were a little less shiny)

New Doorknobs

Old window sash lock

New window sash lock

What do you think?  Better, right?  The best part is that this project isn't break-the-bank expensive and they take very little time.  Switching out a sash lock costs less than $3 and takes about 5 minutes.  Changing out a doorknob costs less than $15 and takes about 10 minutes.