Snazzing up the upstairs hallway...a lot!
Our upstairs hallway has been in project zone for a little while now but is finally in presentable shape again. I wouldn't call it complete, but it is getting there. The first thing we did in this area was to take off the linen closet doors- which you can read all about in this post. While the doors were nice because they concealed whatever was inside, they happened to be in pretty rough shape. We had attempted to strip them in order to restore them but they were damaged enough that the efforts weren't worthwhile.
Backtracking a bit- here is the hallway on the day that we moved in:
It wasn't unbearable but it wasn't eye catching either. I felt like this space had a lot of potential with the combination of the shelving and the upstairs balcony.
The general list of what we hope to accomplish/have accomplished is as follows: The Hall/Linen Closet To Do (Phase 1):
Here is what this space looks like with the current updates:
The general list of what we hope to accomplish/have accomplished is as follows: The Hall/Linen Closet To Do (Phase 1):
- Change wall color to Comfort Gray by Sherwin Williams (same as entryway and stairwell).
- Sand, strip, and refinish the doors to their natural state. IMPROVISED :)!
- Paint the inside of the closet with a fresh coat of white paint, and the backs of each shelf a bold color, probably Cooled Blue by Sherwin Williams if there is any left over from the kitchen!
- Repaint the white in all areas for freshness. ALMOST DONE!
- Add a light fixture that bring life and character to the hall, maybe something like this or this?
- Add new knobs and pulls...maybe something along the lines of this, this or this.
- Tear up the carpet and refinish the hardwoods that are beneath.
Here is what this space looks like with the current updates:
One of the biggest changes in this space is the flooring. It isn't perfect but its original to the home which was built in 1930. I had to do some filling, sanding, and polishing, in addition to tearing up the carpet and staples but for the most part it was preserved pretty well. There was one spot where a previous owner's pet had done some damage and that area had to be replaced. You can only imagine Josh's face when he came upstairs and saw that I had ripped out of piece of the floor :). Luckily, it was just the stair nose- which is the piece at the top of the stairs- and we were able to get a replacement piece at Home Depot. After matching the stain the best we could, it doesn't look too bad, and it sure looks A LOT better than it did. I didn't take any pictures of the damaged area because I was working as fast as I could. Especially since this is an area that we walk through multiple times a day.
After the floor was fixed up, I primed and painted the trim to give a crisp edge. In fact, now that I look at these pictures more closely, I realized that these were taken in the primed stage...so just imagine the trim to be an even crisper white.
The balcony door got a fresh coat of paint, Watery by Sherwin Williams, but now that I have lived with it for a little while, I think that the door either needs to be painted white to match the trim or a saturated color to stand out more. I'm thinking maybe the color of Asa's bedroom would work well.
The white and yellow rug was purchased at IKEA a few years ago and made the journey from the old house over to this spot. The Navajo-inspired rug was something that I picked up at a flea market earlier this summer for $9! I couldn't believe the price! The artwork in the hall includes two prints by the French Paper Company, two photographs of Josh and I, and a cute mirror from Hobby Lobby.
The shelves right now are home to some of our linens, a host of my paperback books that are in the reading queue (mostly quick-read suspense and murder mystery), a few picture frames, and a few decorative pieces. I have been trying to use things that we already owned in this space since it will most likely be transient space as our storage needs change. For example, the shelf of picture frames will most likely turn into additional storage for linens if we ever have a reason to move a new human into our guest room (catch my drift?!).
A few of the undone items that are on hold but that I am still looking forward to are adding in a fun light fixture and updating the hardware on the linen drawers. I keep going back and forth whether we should add hardware that is closer to what was originally there, or if we should do something a bit wild. I guess time and money will tell! I still need to put a fresh coat of white paint on the wainscoting and the doors but I will probably wait a few weeks. No one wants to be too productive... :).
And with all of that out of the way, here is how the budget for this room hashes out:
Hall/Linen Closet Source List Costs (So Far)
-Comfort Gray by Sherwin Williams, $25 (also used in the stairwell and entry-way)
-Cooled Blue by Sherwin Williams (Back of Shelves), $0...leftover from the first paint color in the kitchen
Watery by Sherwin Williams (door), $0....leftover from living room
Yellow and white rug, IKEA, $0, already owned
Navajo rug, flea market, $9
Artwork, $0, already owned, from old house
Decor/shelf items, $0 already owned
Sandpaper, Stain, Replacement Wood, White Trim Paint, approximately $50
Primer, $0, leftover from other projects
Total: $84
Until next time :)!
After the floor was fixed up, I primed and painted the trim to give a crisp edge. In fact, now that I look at these pictures more closely, I realized that these were taken in the primed stage...so just imagine the trim to be an even crisper white.
The balcony door got a fresh coat of paint, Watery by Sherwin Williams, but now that I have lived with it for a little while, I think that the door either needs to be painted white to match the trim or a saturated color to stand out more. I'm thinking maybe the color of Asa's bedroom would work well.
The white and yellow rug was purchased at IKEA a few years ago and made the journey from the old house over to this spot. The Navajo-inspired rug was something that I picked up at a flea market earlier this summer for $9! I couldn't believe the price! The artwork in the hall includes two prints by the French Paper Company, two photographs of Josh and I, and a cute mirror from Hobby Lobby.
The shelves right now are home to some of our linens, a host of my paperback books that are in the reading queue (mostly quick-read suspense and murder mystery), a few picture frames, and a few decorative pieces. I have been trying to use things that we already owned in this space since it will most likely be transient space as our storage needs change. For example, the shelf of picture frames will most likely turn into additional storage for linens if we ever have a reason to move a new human into our guest room (catch my drift?!).
A few of the undone items that are on hold but that I am still looking forward to are adding in a fun light fixture and updating the hardware on the linen drawers. I keep going back and forth whether we should add hardware that is closer to what was originally there, or if we should do something a bit wild. I guess time and money will tell! I still need to put a fresh coat of white paint on the wainscoting and the doors but I will probably wait a few weeks. No one wants to be too productive... :).
And with all of that out of the way, here is how the budget for this room hashes out:
Hall/Linen Closet Source List Costs (So Far)
-Comfort Gray by Sherwin Williams, $25 (also used in the stairwell and entry-way)
-Cooled Blue by Sherwin Williams (Back of Shelves), $0...leftover from the first paint color in the kitchen
Watery by Sherwin Williams (door), $0....leftover from living room
Yellow and white rug, IKEA, $0, already owned
Navajo rug, flea market, $9
Artwork, $0, already owned, from old house
Decor/shelf items, $0 already owned
Sandpaper, Stain, Replacement Wood, White Trim Paint, approximately $50
Primer, $0, leftover from other projects
Total: $84
Until next time :)!
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