@abasket - they will look like this.
http://www.allthosedetails.com/repainting-brass-fireplace-doors/
I believe coralbrook did the same thing with a fireplace in one of her flips. It looked great!
Interesting! I’m having f a little trouble getting sold on black though I wouldn’t want a “color” - I’ll have to look at more photos- and not in my phone so I can see it better!
Since retirement I am actually able to look around the house and figure out what needs done and what is something we are able to tackle. Looking the problem up online I then decide if it is fixable. Utubes and Pinterest are great sites.
I almost used the stick and peel tiles for my old Hon file cabinets that are cream institutional colored but the handle openings would have been too hard, so I used the contact paper from target instead and they look great.
We fixed the ice maker on the refrigerator with a $5 part I bought on line and used their utube video to fix it.
I just programed (never noticed the option) the timers on our evaporative coolers after 10 years.
We bought a repair kit online and repaired a small section of our rubber roof proactively.
We moved the router from the desk to above the main TV and after all these years Netflix streams without rebuffing.
I did a backsplash border this summer and I am real pleased with how it turned out. I used the little rectangular glass pieces that have a meshed back. I bought a tile cutter to get little pieces when needed. I used premixed grout that I got off of Amazon. The easiest and most useful thing I used was Musselbiund double stick adhesive. You cut it to size and stick it on the wall. It turned out great and I got it done in no time.
A DIY project that we undertook was to upgrade all the doors and doorknobs in our home. Although we did have help with the hanging of the doors. We installed solid wood raised panel doors with high quality knobs throughout the interior of the house. You would be surprised at the difference that upgrade made in the “feel” of our home. Small details like that help define the quality of a home.
Our friends mosaiced (is this a word?) the top of their little round garden table. It looks very expensive even though they used random pieces of tiles and other glass.
I renewed the bottoms of our icky drawers with sticky paper that looks like wood laminate:
Things that you need a little expertise…
- Replacement of light fixtures. We replaced our DR one, and it made a huge difference....but DH was an electrician in a past life.
- Faucet replacements. We are getting ready to do the bathrooms upstairs.
- Replacement of dated towel bars in the bathrooms. Out with the white...in with something else...but we haven’t picked what yet.
- Area rug changes. I would love to do this...and think it would make a huge difference in our LR and DR. Same with window treatments if you have them.
- New bathroom stuff...shower curtain, rugs, towels, even artwork on the walls.
- Bedrooms...we swap bed cover linens periodically to give a different look.
My mother just replaced her kitchen faucet with a new champagne gold faucet (brushed gold) and all her kitchen cabinet knobs. Now if I can just get her to take down her wallpaper. and paint her golden oak cabinets.
^^^ Brass (or in your mom’s case champagne gold) is back in terms of kitchen hardware!
We’re not great DIYers in the least so paid someone to paint our kitchen cabinets but we also updated the hardware and it made a world of difference.
I think we may pay someone to paint our cabinets too. But we have also considered refacing and new doors. That would not be a DIY project.
Tiling a backsplash isn’t that hard and tile cutters can be rented. I wouldn’t use the peel & stick faux tiles since they don’t protect against water and could be dangerous behind a range or cooktop.
If you have recessed lights, you could easily update them with LED fixtures that simply screw into the bulb socket and cover the old ones. The LED light is integrated into the fixture for a clean look. They’ve eliminated the problem of spider webs on recessed lights, too.
New pillow covers provide a very inexpensive update. If you don’t sew, you can often find covers on sale at Ballard, Amazon and other online stores. I’ve been lucky to find nice quality covers at a deep discount on Amazon.We now have one set for spring and summer and another set for fall and winter.
If you do sew, there are deals to be had online for fabric remnants that are perfect for pillow covers, table runners, napkins, etc. Over the years, dh and I have recovered dining room chair seats many times. Some fabric stores offer a deeper discount if you buy whatever is left on the bolt. I did that the last time we recovered chair seats, and was happy to have enough to redo seats stained by some red wine a year later.
A huge PSA to all DIY cabinet painters: please, please, please do not use trim and millwork paint for your cabinets! There are special paints that are more like epoxy specifically used for painting cabinetry. Regular “house paint” is not suitable for kitchen environment and will begin to peel. Repainting will require stripping old paint off which is ungodly messy and tedious (or expensive if hired out).
We put a bigger crown molding in our living room (not huge maybe 3-4 inches), but it looks so much better than the one inch stuff that had been there when we moved in.
Yes to MY drill/screwdriver, MY sander, etc. I couldn’t do it without the former.
I did reupholster a sofa, piping around cushions, and all. Don’t, just don’t. By the end, it was torture. But at the time I didn’t like the work/cost of the pros I looked at.
Adding to BB, you need serious prep before painting kitchen cabinets due to grease.
On the other hand, I’ve put new coverings on our dining room seats. They have plywood bottoms and foam. All it takes is a good staple gun to change them out. It’s actually high time to do it again, but I can’t find fabric I like as much as what is there now.
Yes to great staple gun! Makes you want to run around and staple everything! 
Contemplating a new headboard for guest room if I can find suitable fabric.
Several years ago I refinished chairs with a staple gun, too. I als spray painted some inside chairs black, and outdoor chairs blue, they still look great. It made the chairs usable.
@Silpat can you provide a link to the LED lights that can go in recessed light fixtures? I have two recessed lights over my kitchen sink and I’d love to get a different look there!
We have refinished A LOT of furniture over the years. And many a chair/stool with a staple gun and new fabric. I’ve also recovered a window seat cushion that I had made many years ago - the cushion was fine but the fabric had faded. Good fabric, wrap and pull tight and tuck the edges/corners good and big safety pins underneath to hold it all together! (you never see the underside!)