I have been taking my home one room at a time and trying to make it modern.
The hallway I am really impressed with.
It was a disaster before. There was carpet, wallpaper, busted doors and wood. Now it is a modern masterpiece. I scraped the popcorn ceiling, mudded and sanded it smooth. I added recessed lighting and a LED fire detector. I also repaired, sanded and painted all the wood doors in the hallway and gave them new knobs. The walls were painted grey and I changed over the thermostat. It was a beige thermostat with a plastic tile and now it is a smart device. The surround is silver with a black innerface. I can control my thermostat with my phone, computer or ipad if I want to. As I walk by I can see the outdoor temperature. It even alerts me on air filter changes, humidity issues and energy efficient settings. It really has changed the way I live my life. It was the most expensive touch up to the hallway but it makes the most difference. Everyone comments on my cool looking thermostat. The older model was a pain. I was constantly bumping the toggle and would accidentally heat my home to 90 degrees. My husband couldn’t even read the numbers. Now I can be in bed and just adjust the thermostat a few notches if I want to. Eventually I want to upgrade more equipment to smart products. I would like to be able to control lights, security features, HVAC and locks all on the same smart pad. One thing at a time though.