When you walk into our home, we want it to feel like you are stepping out of Columbus, Ohio, and into just about anyplace else! Whether that be a tropical island getaway, someplace along the Medditeranien, or just your Pinterest dream home, it all starts with the front entryway. Because our home is a split level (which presents its own unique renovation challenges, but is the perfect starter home for us) this also means first impressions begin with the stairway. B's style is very beachy, vibrant, and tropical, while mine is overall more Bohemian and minimal, but these styles coexist very nicely together. We both love light-toned natural wood elements, white walls, plants, intricate patterns, and rich cozy textures.
* I have included a shoppable gallery of all the products mentioned in this post at the vert end. This post contains my personal opinions about products I have purchased and used. This is not a sponsored post, however, this post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase. No pressure. It helps keep my blog running so it is much appreciated :) *
Nothing about our home (except the wooden butcher's block in the kitchen) was how we wanted it. After completing the upper-level remodel (blog post soon to come) it was time to move onto the stairs. The first thing we had to do was remove the carpeting from the stairs, and the "wood" floor from the entryway. I detest carpet and you will only find area rugs in my home. Carpet, in my personal opinion, is gross, traps dust/smells and it seems like you can never really get it clean. Ripping out the old carpet in this house only confirmed my worse germaphobe fears. We had originally planned to just use our flooring on top of the steps, but when we ripped out the carpet, we discovered something amazing! The steps underneath were made from beautiful oak wood. The wood such character and beautiful design I couldn't cover it up! Even if that meant more work for us. We decided the best thing to do would be to stain the steps so we could still showcase the beauty of the wood while making them a color that fit our aesthetic better. So I began researching stain and clear finish/varnish that was good for high traffic areas, wouldn't yellow over time and was a color that would compliment our flooring. We decided to go with a stain from Lowes that was the exact color of the middle grey/beige tone in our floor. The color is really a bit darker and more grey in person. I have been living with it for several months, and while I was at first a bit hesitant to use such a light color here because I am able to clean the house every day, the lighter color hasn't been an issue. We also do not wear shoes in the house and I am very strict about this! The clear varnish from Amazon, while pricy, is the best kind for high traffic areas such as stairs, isn't terribly slick, and will not yellow with age. During this time I also removed all the tiny nails and staples from the steps that had been used to hold the carpet down.
Before we could stain the steps, we still had to remove the awful 1970s looking wood paneling from the walls, re-drywall them, and then paint the walls. Drywalling and mudding is a pain in the ass process that involves layering on the drywall mud, letting it dry, sanding it down, and repeating this process. There are also metal edges that had to be put in. It is a very messy and dusty process. Honestly, B did the majority (all) of this for us. In all this process took about a week and several days to complete. After the dust had settled, we gave the area a good clean, painted the walls, and began to sand the steps. B used a Dremel electric sander and started going over the steps with p60 grit paper, then p120, finishing with p240 grit sandpaper (once again all the products I mention are in a shoppable gallery at the bottom of the post:). It took around a full day to sand all the steps. The sanding also produced a ton of dust that needed to be thoroughly cleaned so that dust wouldn't get into the stain. Once the area was free from dust, we started staining! Using medium and small-sized paintbrushes to apply the stain, and wiping the excess stain away with a rag. We repeated this process with the varnish.
Because each coat of the stain takes at least 6 hours to dry completely, the clear finish takes 72, and we did several coats of each, this process took several days. We did the top steps first, blocking them off from the dogs, and then moved on to the bottom steps. Since we couldn't walk on the stairs while they dried, we had to go out our back door and run around the house to our garage to get from the upstairs to the downstairs. We definitely got our exercise that week! While we waited on the steps, we painted all the trim and molding. We bought all the baseboard, trim, and molding raw so we could make sure it was the exact shade of white we wanted. We painted the inside of our front door the same color as the upstairs accent wall it faces adding a pop of color in an otherwise white space. We also installed a beautiful all-natural Jute chandelier from Serena & Lilly, that really helps fill the space and perfectly complements our round woven rattan mirror. It is one of my favorite pieces we have bought for the house so far.
Something I have always known I wanted to do was tile the back of the steps. I had been searching and searching for the perfect easy application tile for the backing when I finally came across it on Wayfair! The tin tiles are really more like thick wallpaper and are the same pattern as our light switch covers and curtains.
This is a pattern we carry throughout the house. They are also the same colors as our walls and have a splash of the "patina esq" green that is on our accent wall and door. B attached a cut sheet of drywall to the back of each step, cut the tiles, and applied them to the drywall. The tiles are "peel and stick" but we also used liquid nails to ensure they wouldn't move. B installed the painted molding up the stairs and floored the landing. Since it was such a small and square area, it did not take him more than a few hours to lay the floor here.
We still have a few decorations we want to put here, maybe a potted plant in the corner, and the railing to install. B is making the railing and it is going to be completely custom to our house and a surprise for me! But overall the project is completed, and we have moved on to the lower level! I am super excited to get it done because that is where my office and yoga studio will be! We have a long way to go, but I cannot wait to share the process with you!
Everything you need to recreate this project is linked in the shoppable carousel below!
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Happy home designing!
