ORC Reveal: The Entryway Makeover
The reveal of the Entryway Makeover is here! Huge thanks to the team at One Room Challenge and Apartment Therapy for this amazing opportunity. I look forward to this event each spring and fall. I love the inspiration and friendships I’ve gained along the way. Now…let’s get to it!
Before the Makeover
We had moved into this house just a week before the One Room Challenge began–and this photo was taken. The orange-colored stairs of the nineties were calling for a makeover.
After the (Almost Done) Makeover
Eight weeks later, the staircase project isn’t quite finished. This was a big project! Scraping, sanding, sanding some more, bleaching, whitewashing and staining has led us to a beautiful result that’s so close to being done. The final stain I used was Rustic Beige from Minwax.
We still have to cut down the newel posts for the bottom, cut the iron balusters to fit, and attach everything together…and we have to do it twice.
The Second Floor Progress
We tackled the newel posts and balusters last weekend for the second floor, and I am thrilled with how they turned out. Here’s a peek at the before. (And, I also painted these peach walls and ceiling!)
I painted the ceiling and walls using a Little Giant ladder. This process is not for anyone who’s afraid of heights. Phew.Don’t worry–I do have my neighbor holding the ladder steady on the stairs. I still have a six inch section that NO MATTER what I did, I couldn’t get to. But, I have a plan.
The Staircase Elements, Featuring LJ Smith Stairs
In an upcoming blog post, I will showcase the final stair project of installing the new staircase elements. This project was sponsored by LJ Smith Stairs, who sent me the Box Newels, Iron Balusters and Flat Shoes for the installation. Luckily, we have an amazing friend who came over to help us get started with one side of the stairs. He helped us so much that we were able to do the longer side the next day.
We still have some holes to fill in the base of the newel posts and washboards. In the next few days, I also plan to stain and seal the banister railings and the box newels on both sides of the staircase at the top. Look forward to seeing the finish of this project in an upcoming blog post when we complete the bottom of the stairs.
Some of My Favorite Design Elements
Let’s take a look at the doors, the casings around the doors and the lights. Such a big change. I painted the white doors and trim with the Intellectual paint color from Behr…and turned it all into a moody design moment.
The black lighting was the perfect way to complement the design. I love the diffused glass with soft white bulbs in this space.
The Wall Elements
I had to remove the original board and batten to achieve the look I wanted. Was it worth it? Absolutely.
The peel and stick wallpaper from Tempaper combined with the board and batten half wall for a beautiful statement. I hung our family photos on each side to line the hallway–the perfect element of happiness to make it feel more like home here.
The board and batten is painted in Creek Bend by Behr.
Look forward to more updates on progress as time goes by…we have gotten so much done, but we still have a lot left to do!
