Who's there? A cheap, dull front door that's been driving me nuts ever since I moved in!

I've been living in my Chicago apartment for a little more than two years now, which has given me plenty of time to make it look and feel like my home. Even on a tight budget, I've managed to add some pizzazz to my bare-bones place. Every time I see a piece of expensive furniture or home decor item I just know I can DIY, I snap a photo of it with my phone and attempt to recreate it with cheaper materials at home.

I've found painting the walls or a banged up piece of furniture is one of the cheapest and most dramatic ways to change a room. Panting my walls was the first thing I did when I moved in, and it instantly added a personal and cozy touch... but the dang front door is still a flat, blank plank of wood. If I had it my way, I'd tear it out and add a beautiful heavy door with decorative panels, but of course, this plan is not within my budget.

I don't now why it never occurred to me to treat my door like a piece of old furniture and renew it with some fresh paint. It's such a simple (and cheap!) way to improve its appearance while adding a pop of color to my room. When I saw this blog post from Merideth & Gweneth, the New Yorkie, suddenly everything clicked. This clever gal painted her New York studio apartment door a bright pink and gave it faux panels. It is amazing, and I think even I, with zero handy-woman experience, can pull it off.

Here's how you can transform a flat, boring door from eyesore to showstopper. All you need is a paint brush, painters tape and Benjamin Moore Paint (Save $5 on any gallon of Benjamin Moore premium paint or stain!)

1. Mark a spot 5 inches down from the top of the door and 5 inches in from the side of the door with the hinges.
2. Mark another spot 5 inches down from the top of the door and 5 inches in from the side of the door without the hinges.
3. Connect the two dots with wide painters tape. Use a level to make sure it's straight.
4. Create another straight horizontal line about 2/3 of the way down from the top of the door.
5. Connect the two lines to create a rectangle.
6. Create a second rectangle for the bottom of the door using the same technique as the first rectangle.
7. Once you have two rectangles, put a thin layer of painters tape right next to the thick layer of tape on the inside of both rectangles.
8. Then, put another thin layer of painters tape next to that, and peel off the first layer of painters tape to create a double line design.
9. Using a ruler, mark the areas where excess tape reaches beyond the lines creating the rectangles.
10. Peel back the tape and cut along the lines; do this until all the lines have perfect edges.
11. Cover the door's hardware and trim with painters tape.
12. Paint on a coat of Benjamin Moore paint (get a coupon!)
13. Let dry and then paint on a second coat.
14. Let dry and then peel off the tape.