Thrifty Thursday (Not Really)...My Foyer and Pretty Stairs Reveal

So... in the interest of trying to post something decor-related on a Thursday, I am calling this Thrifty Thursday.  But let me assure you - it was anything but thrifty!  Regardless, it was something we had wanted to do since the day we walked into our house over 10 years ago.  And we finally did something about it!

This post will be mostly pictures.  But isn't that the fun part anyway?  Here we go...

The before pics.  Below you can see the color of the honey oak floors.  This photo was snapped while we were in demo phase.  The carpet you see on the floor is because we were ripping out the (gross) carpet on the stairs.

Here are the stairs after the carpet was ripped off.  Seriously, this was a huge improvement alone.  I should have done this years ago and just painted the treads and it would have looked better than the dirty carpet.  For reals.  And do you see how the bottom step was rounded with the small little post?  We were not fans of that look.  We (really ME) tend to lean to the more modern/contemporary side.

And OK.  Here's an embarassing picture of the carpet.  See the black?  It was permanent.

But here we are now:

(Ignore the floors in the background.  We still haven't fixed them since the ceiling debacle.) Isn't that much improved?  Now, pretend you can't see that section of floor that needs to be replaced.  And even though I am not a fan of our choice of flooring, I adore the dark color!  A major improvement over the before pic.

Here is another front door shot:

I love that shot because you can see my fun light fixture peeking out at the top of the frame.

And now, if you are coming in from the garage or the half bath or laundry room, you see this view:

(I realize we still need to put down quarter round - but I couldn't wait to post these photos!)

Stepping farther into the room:

 

Here's the view from right outside the master bedroom:

I heart that rug (Crate and Barrel).  Stripes are kind of my thing!

In the shot above you can see the rug peeking out on the right hand side.  I like how it mirrors the rug in front of the door.  And also the black and white spindles and handrail.  So cool.  And aren't you supposed to decorate in threes?  I'm not sure that two rugs and a staircase equals the rule of three that experts always talk about - but I'm going to pretend yes.

Don't you love the chunky post at the bottom of the stairs?  I had an old magazine picture torn out for inspiration (from long before Pinterest) and showed it to Chad who came up with this design.  LOVE.

Below is the Ikea rast hack I showed you last week.  I die.  Every single time I look at it.  It's my favorite project yet - and there have been lots of projects.  It's the green.  I adore that emerald color.

Some details around the space:

(If you look closely above, you can see this was shot before our stairs were completely trimmed out.  It's amazing what a little trim will do!)

 

And there you have it.  The whole tour.  I'll do another post just on the stairs process - in case you're interested in that.  And one more picture of the whole foyer!

Have a fabulous weekend!

 

 

Comments

[Suzanne]

Thanks, Valentina and Lacy! I appreciate your kind words. Our house has truly been a labor of love over 10 years and it's been a blast (mostly)!

[Valentina]

Hello Suzanne! I've been reading your blog for a couple days and have to admit it's aewsome!)))
Actually, I live in Russia, love kids (have 3 daughters))) and decor issues and happen to know a little English)))
That's why I ended up stuck on your pages.
Your house is freaking awesome! Now I'm your fan)))I myself like old gold accent (especially their conbinatin with other colors of metal) neutral walls dark flooors...

[Lacy]

You're house is seriously fresh out of a magazine.