At Last... I Am Renovating the Final Room Of My Apartment

Let the games begin! In 2000, I bought my humble (dumpy) 940-square-foot apartment in Brooklyn Heights, knowing that I had no choice but to renovate it room by room. Twelve years later, at last, I am preparing to complete a makeover in the final room of the joint: the living room, starting on Tuesday.

2001: When I moved in, the apartment's kitchen had plywood cabinets, vinyl flooring and appliances from the '70s. That gut reno entailed blue tile flooring, all new electrical, cherry red cabinets, granite countertops and a rebuilt pantry, along with all new appliances. Love it to this day (though I still need a stainless steel microwave).

2004: A biggie. The tiny second bedroom and long hallway of my railroad apartment were gutted, and after seeing the space, I decided to leave the room open as an office, building a half wall to separate it from the hall. To this day, I think it was a primo decision. It changed the entire texture of a dark apartment, opening up the office into the rest of the space.

2008: Man, oh, man, the bathroom was as bad as the kitchen. I completely relaid out the sink, tub and toilet, requiring major reworking of the plumbing, and added elegant quartz floors. What a joy.

2011: Appearing on HGTV's "Dear Genevieve" allowed an out-of-this-world gift to have a bedroom makeover, deluxe, all over the course of five days. Pristine, perfect and not only great memories attached, but a damn TV show, to boot.

And now, at last, as 2012 begins to fade away... the grand finale. On Tuesday, I begin the renovation of the living room, comprising getting rid of the last of the hideous dark green indoor-outdoor carpet that once pervaded the entire apartment. I tell you, just pulling up pieces here and there seems to have made the (dark) room a bit brighter. Plus: all new hardwood floors, fresh moldings, skimmed walls and a raised fireplace hearth. Stay tuned to The Smoking Nun for regular updates on all the good clean fun. *