My bare white walls were driving me nuts so I called up my maintenance guy to find out about the options I had for painting my apartment.
Sticking with my original theme of black, white and red, I was going to paint one of my main living room walls black… Until I chickened out. I decided that my apartment isn’t big enough for that much black, and I didn’t want to darken it too much. I have been enjoying the light that comes in though my huge window.
After much deliberation and advice from John and my friends, I decided to paint one of my living room walls red, all of my closet doors black, and some red highlights in other areas. 
This way, I can still incorporate black without it getting too dark.
Since my walls are shaped with odd nooks and extremely high ceilings, I realized that it would be nearly impossible for me to paint them myself, even with help of family/friends. When I called my go-to maintenance guy, I explained to him what I wanted and I asked him if I should hire a painter. He offered to do the entire job for me for just $300, so I decided to let him do it. If I’d hired anyone else for the job it would have cost much more.
Once I bought the paint, he was able to do the job within a week, which worked for me because I’m not exactly patient.
All in all, I love how it looks! I’ll admit it’s not the neatest paint job I’ve seen, but it’s really unique and exactly what I wanted!
So here is what I’ve learned: if a maintenance person in your building offers to do your painting, you’ll have to let them paint when they’re free and hope that they take the time to do quality work. You can pretty much get a sense of the quality you’ll get by speaking with them about it and letting them know exactly what you’re looking for.
If you’re willing to do this, then you can save a lot of money on a paint job for your new home!
PS: Make sure you give your maintenance worker a decent tip if they do the paint job for you. It will pay off when you need them for something else!
Are any of you in the process of painting?
Check back soon for a fun DIY centerpiece tutorial!
Very bold, and still VERY VERY cute. The roommate is oozing with a vibrant atmosphere. You’re right – too much dark colors is fatal. Anyway, I want those pillows and that mirror.