I love decorating small spaces. More specifically, I love decorating small spaces that don’t actually “need” to be decorated, like the stairwell to the garage, for instance! This is more of a utility space {for getting things down to the garage from the house and/or up from the garage into the house, you get it} than a room that gets tons of visitors, but it’s such a fun surprise every time we open the door now to see the bold colors and happy birds, it always puts a smile on our faces.
With relatively minimal cost and very little work, I turned {with the help of the husband’s uncle Billy who painted & hung the light fixture} the stairwell from a super drab place you want to run out of fast to a super fab space you actually want to hang out in, and we just love it.
Here’s what we did….
First we simply painted the stairs and railings a gloss black. Even if we stopped there, it would have been an improvement from the dirty/stained peachy-taupe color they were when we moved in.
I also swapped out the random carpet pieces for a black shag rug {that used to be in our old kitchen}, and cut it into two smaller sections, one for each landing sans the bottom. I may add more, but for now I’m happy with it. They add a fun texture and are cozy as well as collect any dust/dirt from our shoes before we enter the house.
Next I purchased four packs of gray/black re-stik bird decals from Blik {6 per pack, $25 each, total spent about $100 -20% sign up bonus, woo!} then stuck them randomly over one wall, beginning at the doorway and following the stairs down {I actually have a few left}.
I wanted a black iron hanging pendant light to capture the outdoor feeling and to complement the birds and found this simple one with textured seeded glass that creates terrific shadows on the walls when lit.
Shop: Acclaim Lighting 7626 Charleston 3 Light 18″ Height Outdoor Pendant $98
I wanted more color on the lower walls and thought it would be fun for the kiddos when they visit if they could draw all over them, so I found Benjamin Moore® Chalkboard Paint (308 —Available in Any Color -one can) and asked for a medium gray so it wouldn’t feel too dark in the walkway and still contrast with the black steps as well as tie in the colors of the birds. I also chose to paint only one side of the wall, following the steps down, to give the room dimension but keep it light as well.
More Befores…
I found an old box of fun colored chalk from about one hundred years ago in my DIY supplies… Score!
I wanted to add a plant, but knowing a living one would not survive, I found this faux spiral boxwood tree for $90 at Amazon and set it in a green pot I already had for a fun pop of color and to continue the outdoor vibe. The height adds visual candy yet it’s still slim enough to not protrude into the walkway.
It’s a pretty great fake and it arrived in the mail safely!
This little always watching from the top of the stairs…
And… Voila! The Complete Room {for now at least}
***Note: the colors are true grays and black, though it was very difficult to photograph, and I had to lighten them in Photoshop so they may appear gray/blue/purple-ish and of course, it’s far superior in person 😉
I may still swap out the light-switch plate, paint the trim right above the gray wall, and even add some black and white prints/photographs in black frames, but for now, it’s perfect.
* See more of my Home Decor Projects here
