Hall and Main Stairs as they are now
Our hallway certainly was. As we moved in circa 2006, our builder proudly showed off the wooden staircase which had been lovingly varnished. What had been a thing of potential wooden beauty was preserved and made 'hard waring' by its coats of varnish in a light orange, a colour that shall remain unnamed - really does it matter? I knew even then it was too orange. But faced with the huge, newly finished stair case (it's a three storey house) and plenty of other fish to fry, I was not going to mention it, let alone tackle it. From then until now, the varnish darkened and our stairs stuck themselves in an orange wood 90s time warp. That is until this year, when, faced with yet another lockdown, I could stand it no longer. I tackled the hall, stairs and landing.
A glimpse of the 90s orange staircase
It is no small task. I started out with the ceilings. Sticking to a traditional white and having performed acrobatic feats across the double height hall way, I managed to complete that task with the help of an extra long handled roller. In hind sight mind you, I would have matched the ceiling colour with that of the walls for a couple of reasons. One, purely practical, it is very difficult to cut in a wall colour against a white ceiling whilst teetering at the top of a ladder or at full stretch with a brush on the end of stick. Two, I think the white ceiling is entirely unnecessary in this space. Our hall has a huge double height window which is south facing, there is no lack of light in this space. White ceilings do not necessary bounce light as everyone thinks they do anyway and given I chose a light wall colour, there was no chance of this area feeling dingy.
Landing and Staircase to Top Floor in Progress
I had chosen Skimming Stone by Farrow and Ball for the walls. It is essentially a neutral and possibly a grey but in the warm light of our hall way, it looks like a very pale grey/beige. Perfect to tone with a multiple of colours, light and airy and a simple background for artwork and pictures which I have good intentions of putting up - eventually. By now you'll understand I'm nearing two full weeks into the job allowing for multiple coats and ladder work. I'm not a speedy decorator either, especially when it comes to holding my arms over my head for long periods of time.
Time to tackle those stairs. I started with those to the top floor - less footfall and traffic. I plunged straight in. Handy hints of painting every other step and allowing to dry before tackling the rest were followed. Undercoat from Farrow and Ball for dark finishes followed by at least two coats of Railings (a very dark navy blue, sometimes described as nearly black but for me it is most definitely a navy) Modern Eggshell. The paint finish has a slight sheen, reflecting light and makes for a surface less likely to be marked. It is pretty hard wearing. I did need to repaint when my daughter hurt her leg and had to drag herself up and down stairs on her backside but normal wear and tear are pretty tolerable. A quick top up coat is easy enough actually. And yes, it does show the dust, but then you know its there so its easily tackled with a damp cloth.
Panelling Waiting to be Painted and Stairs in Progress
There are many, many spindles within our two staircases and it was taking some time to get through them. By now lockdown 3 was coming to an end of sorts and we were able to welcome a local carpenter who had agreed to make some MDF panelling for the hall and first staircase. My thinking here was to break up the potentially cavernous space, providing some much needed texture and additional colour to define the area. My brief was to provide a basic Shaker like shape panelling to approximately dado-rail height. With the right skills and tools this was a fairly swift job completed single handed within four or five days. I began the task of prepping the panelling for painting, filling and lightly sanding. When it came to the undercoat, I was struck by the pleasant colour contrast or the off white undercoat with the grey/beige Skimming Stone walls. I admit I was distracted and allowed the (by now long suffering) husband known on Instagram as Other Half (OH), to suggest the panelling was painted off white, I think Wevet by Farrow and Ball was used as I had some left from another project. This was not the original plan in my head but nonetheless I went with it. However, after about a month or so, I realised I had created a light box! Remember our hallway faces south and has a huge double height window. The space felt over bright and characterless again.
Hallway with the Panelling in Wevet and Walls in Skimming Stone
(Farrow & Ball)
It was back to plan A. Out came the paint brushes again and I set about repainting the panelling according to my original plan. I chose sulking room pink a gorgeous dusky colour with enough warmth to stand up against the dark Railings stairs and not look purple or beige. I Initially used a very matt finish but quickly realised that this was a mistake and have since moved to an eggshell. The slight sheen providing not only touch/fingerprint protection but also complimenting the texture used on the stairs.
With the Panelling in Sulking Room Pink
Final touches. I've yet to finish the space entirely. There are pictures to select for the stairs and landings. But I did indulge my creative self on the lesser used staircase to the top floor. The long term plan for the stairs is to have a runner, at least it is for the main staircase to the first landing. There were no such plans for the second staircase. I decided that the risers of that staircase would look rather special if they were gold leafed! I set about gluing the gold leaf in place. This is a fiddly, long process. It took several 'coats' going back over the small gaps left by the sheets of gold leaf. It's messy and not for those who want the perfect smooth look either - try gold paint for that. I varnished over with clear varnish several times to seal but also to stop little bits from flaking off. I'm left with a very unique staircase and certainly some character.
My Gold Leaf Risers on the Stairs to the Top Floor
The orange wood or our 90s staircase is no more and I couldn't be happier with that. It remains an epic job to tackle the hall, stairs and landing and I won't be tackling ours again for a while. Perhaps until it becomes about the dark staircase of the 20s...
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