$100 Room Challenge: Hallway and Staircase Makeover {Week Two}

Adding personality to a home can happen in every space, even a staircase makeover.  Painting risers is a great way to accomplish this!

It was a great week in this $100 Room Challenge.  My focus was on the staircase makeover.  And the idea I had to give it a little personality has happened and I love it!

Let’s take a quick peek at the before.  {Click HERE for all the before photos and my “plan.”}

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Week one was the most time-consuming, but completely worth it.  I love how light and bright the space is now after painting the walls, baseboard, trim, and door.  {Click HERE for more details on that week’s progress.}

WEEK TWO UPDATE

My idea for this staircase makeover was to add a pop of color to the risers.  By doing this, the wood floors would really stand out.  Plus it would break up the cream color on the walls and the white of the trim.

Confession time: I almost painted the entire staircase…treads too!  Well, almost might be a bit dramatic.  But as I was looking for inspiration on Pinterest, I found myself more and more drawn to fully painted staircases.  They just really caught my eye.  So why didn’t I do that here?  A few reasons, but the top one being that I spent hours sanding these stair treads before we moved in.  I couldn’t undo the work I had done.  {Click HERE for that crazy, but oh so worth it project of refinishing our floors.}

{Oh and the color is Fusion Mineral Paint’s “Bayberry.”}

NEWEL POST/BANISTER/RAILING

While the paint dried, I set to work on my idea of bringing back some beauty to the newel post and banister.  And try to make the upper hand railing look not so “standard.”  {Fun fact: the top piece of this newel post used to come off anytime someone touched it.  It was so odd that so many people would rest their hand on it, feel it wiggle, and lift it up.  James even did it on our first tour of the house.  A few months ago, I used wood glue to secure the piece and it no longer lifts up.  And then we watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” over Christmas and it made me wishing I had left it loose and wiggly.  Why?  To remind us of how much we love this home.}

My supplies for this task are: General Finishes Gel Stain in Antique Walnut, latex gloves, and an old t-shirt.

The gel stain is so easy to use and a little goes a long way.  While I had it out, I decided to add it to a board that will be a part of our coat rack.

COAT RACK

Having our jackets out works best for our family. We’ve tried a few different arrangements in this space, but this one works best.  {It’s not my favorite, but it’s a season in life.}  If I can create functional beauty with it, then all the better.

I decided to add a thicker board as the base of our coat rack.  The other one was too small in scale to the space.  James used the holes from the previous board to hang this one up.  And then he hung the same hooks we had up been using.  {Fun fact: these were from my grandparents home and this is the third house I’ve had them hanging up in!}

THE AFTER

Our hallway and staircase makeover is really coming together and I love how this space is beginning to feel like us. ♥

I just knew there was beauty hiding under this worn newel post.

Because the floor and banister are different wood tones, I tied in the coat rack to the darker shade so the room felt more cohesive.  I like how it isn’t all matchy-matchy to the floor and stair treads.

These old hooks get me every time.  Love them and the memories they hold for my family.  {Fun fact: I used them in my first $100 Room Challenge at our farmhouse…click HERE to see!}

Curious about what’s behind this door?  Click HERE to see.

I’ve got an idea for the staircase wall that will pull this green together and add more of “us” into our hallway and staircase makeover.  Stay tuned!

PROJECT CHECKLIST

√Paint staircase risers

√Stain banister and rehang upper railing

√Build and hang new coat rack base

BUDGET

Coat rack board: $9.73

Green paint: $5.00

Week One: $23.17

Total Spent: $37.90

Remaining Budget: $62.10

FUTURE TO DO LIST

Paint bench

Change out light fixture

Decorate the walls

I am so excited about how this is all coming together.  Our entryway, hallway, and staircase will no longer be an eyesore as guests come and go from our home.  Green as an accent color has become my favorite.  This green actually matches a dresser that I have in our kitchen.  My goal is to continue using this {and the green on our kitchen cabinets and front door} to pull our home together with one cohesive feel.

Next week, the details will begin to come together!

$100 Room Challenge: BEFORE  /  WEEK ONE  /  WEEK TWO  /  WEEK THREE  /  REVEAL

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