This will be a quick post about painting my entryway. This is the second time I have painted this space since we moved in. I doubt that I have pictures of the original, original paint job. I know that the previous owners were going for a colonial period look since our house is about 150 years old. The walls were flat white and the trim was sort of a gray/green. Sounds cool but really didn’t fit my style.
Every other riser on the steps was stenciled. Everyone commented on it but it looked so country and I’ve never liked it.
Ugh…COUNTRY!
When I painted the hallway the first time around, I didn’t paint the stairs. I had it in the brain that I had to strip the stairs. That seemed like the only choice. Clearly, the steps were so banged up that I had to do something. I literally was just psyching myself up to start stripping the stairs a little at a time (I despise stripping wood) when I stumbled upon this post by Rhoda over at “Southern Hospitality” about how she repaired and completely transformed a set of stairs that had been covered by carpet. It had never occurred to me before to paint the stairs black and the risers white. I loved the look.
Once I decided to go with that look, I knew I needed to change the wall color. Here are a few before photos of the wall color
Pretty boring beige
Do you see that gray/green color on the floors? Picture that on the baseboards and on the molding trim pieces. It really was pretty hideous originally. I guess it was cool if you’re running a living history museum but we aren’t.
I decided on a light blue for the walls. That was tricky to get right. The first color I picked looked too baby boy room.
Here, you can sort of get an idea of the tone I was looking for.
I painted 3 coats of black on the floor and stairs. So far, it’s holding up fine. I did paint every other step so that we wouldn’t get trapped anywhere.
As you may be able to tell, I’m not a perfectionist and this paint job shows the age of the house. I don’t sand or repair before I paint-I just slap it on, baby. As a result, it’s a little bumpy in places. It suits me fine, though. Rhoda installed shoe molding where the riser meets the stair which looks great under her runner but I’m not going with the runner yet. Instead, I picked 2 indoor/outdoor rugs from Ballard Design in the same pattern.
So, here’s the “After”
My only complaint is that the stairs show dust and dirt and I have to wipe or vacuum them more often. Overall, I’m happy with the look of the room.
I’m linking to Chris’ “
Show and Share” Day at “Just a Girl”. She’s been busy but it’s back. Go be inspired!
Really nice and much more of a modern look! Love that damask rug too!
Oh MY! It looks dramatically different! I’m so glad you linked this. I love it!
Thanks, Chris. I thought I had taken an after photo looking up the main part of the stairs. But it is a nice change.
Beth, thanks for letting me know about your project! The stairs look great, love the new look. You have a beautiful older house. Love those rugs too, just perfect. I know what you mean about dust showing up more. It does. But, that’s OK!