Author: milimansaray

By: Mili Mansaray, Apartment Therapy.

The most magical thing about a new coat of paint is its ability to switch up your home’s aesthetic, and in certain cases, its overall curb appeal. When it comes to the front of your house, both cases prove to be true. 

The front door acts as the centerpiece of a home, so while it may seem like a minor detail, the color you choose to paint it may make or break things in the eyes of guests — or potential buyers. If you’re looking to shake things up but have no idea where to start, worry not, as I’ve asked real estate experts across the country to weigh in on the most stylish colors to paint your front door. Here’s what they had to say. 

By: Mili Mansaray, Apartment Therapy

Racial segregation in cities and towns across America is not a relic of the past — it’s an issue with roots that sink deep into the country’s foundation, leaving behind a legacy of discrimination and inequality that continues to the present day. One very visible part of its legacy is red-lining: Look at a demographic map of the United States and you’ll notice that American cities are littered with invisible and not-so-invisible borders, dividing neighborhoods into enclaves of those with privilege and opportunities and those left struggling to survive. 

By: Mili Mansaray, Apartment Therapy.

Depending on where you live, having a basement might be as commonplace as having a bathroom. These underground spaces are multipurpose and can be transformed into many things, such as laundry rooms, bedrooms, or additional living spaces. Regardless of its use, a basement can also attract a host of issues if not taken care of properly. Here are three things you shouldn’t have in your basement, according to real estate experts.  

By: Mili Mansaray, Apartment Therapy.

May marks the celebration of National Preservation Month, an annual observance dedicated to celebrating the historic places that hold our nation’s history. Across the country, preservation groups on local, state, and national levels organize activities and events to relay the significance of historic preservation, highlighting its social, economic, and cultural importance. 

Do you consider yourself a history lover, old house lover, or, perhaps, both? Here are five things historic home lovers can do to cheer on Preservation Month this year.

By: Mili Mansaray, Apartment Therapy.

For those looking to shake things up in the curb appeal department, a can of paint is usually a good place to start. But if repainting your home’s entire exterior seems like too big of an undertaking, giving the front porch a makeover is a solid weekend project. After all, the porch is the first thing people see — from a random jogger to a prospective buyer — so it can really set the tone for the rest of your house.

While there are endless paint colors to choose from, it’s important to ensure that the color you pick doesn’t send the wrong message. Here’s what real estate professionals believe are the colors you should avoid for your porch front porch. 

By: Mili Mansaray, Apartment Therapy.

Hallways weren’t designed to host parties of 10. Still, a quick trip from your living room to the bathroom shouldn’t make you feel like the walls are closing in. While cramped feelings in a hallway can usually be chalked up to the tightness of the space, the feeling can be intensified with the wrong choices in decor.

Are your design decisions making your hallway feel smaller than it is? Two real estate agents revealed the three things they say make hallways appear unreasonably tiny. 

By: Mili Mansaray, Apartment Therapy.

Your front porch is much more than a buffer between your front door and the outside world. The porch — and the color that you choose to paint it — acts as the first impression of your home. And when it comes to selling the place, first impressions are everything. But what colors are best to paint a front porch? I posed this question to real estate experts across the country and found that the answer can vary. 

Local jazz musicians have lost a large part of their income to the continued spread of COVID-19, leaving them to look to new ways of making money and playing for audiences.

By: Mili Mansaray, The Beacon.

Kansas City, while famous for football and barbecue, is arguably most known for its contributions to jazz. The genre originated among the Black community of New Orleans in the early 20th century before becoming popular among the African American community of Kansas City in the 1920s. 

Since then, it’s become a cultural pillar of the city, with more than 40 venues regularly hosting jazz music — at least before the pandemic.

Before loosening some restrictions on Feb. 19, the City Council limited indoor gatherings to a maximum of 10 people in response to COVID-19. Event spaces had to submit a waiver to be granted a 50-person maximum. The result? Many jazz clubs stopped live performances or closed indefinitely, ending gigs for many local jazz musicians. It’s still unclear how many will survive the pandemic.

Voter ID laws in both states require eligible voters to present specific identification at the polls, complicating the electoral experience for trans and nonbinary voters.

By: Mili Mansaray, The Beacon.

Like many others, Adria Berryhill’s gameplan for Election Day has been abruptly shaken up by the coronavirus pandemic. 

But the possibility of exposure to the virus is not all that she’s worried about. 

“I want to avoid showing my ID,” she said. 

As a transgender woman, the prospect of presenting photo identification that doesn’t align with her identity is a daunting task. In Missouri, voters are required to show state-issued ID at the polls. Accepted forms of ID do not have to have a photograph. In Kansas, voters are required to present photo identification at the polls, with acceptable documents ranging from a driver’s license to a concealed-carry license. 

Still, in both states, legal name changes and gender marker alterations can be long, tedious and costly processes, discouraging many trans and nonbinary voters from casting a ballot and barring the most financially disadvantaged from participating in elections altogether. 

By: Mili Mansaray, The Beacon.

Last fall, when Lyndsey Gruber-Chatfield launched a service called PEPPR that connects parties to caterers and event spaces, she never imagined there would come a day when dine-in eating would be virtually obsolete. 

But as COVID-19 shut down social gatherings, Gruber-Chatfield was suddenly met with no business.

“No one thinks there’s going to be a global pandemic, even when you’re planning worst-case scenarios,” she said.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has ravaged the country for six months, impacting various facets of life, from the economy to the U.S. Postal Service to the labor force. As COVID-19 continues to spread in Kansas and Missouri, many small businesses have had to swiftly pivot their business plans to avoid shutting down. And some now see their prepandemic operations as a thing of the past.