Kids of the young and elder persuasion, lend me your eyeholes! The first time we ever stepped heel and toe into what would become our future home and live-in pet project, the staircase you see before you was interior feature numero uno to draw our attention. There was a LOT going on around this staircase; some of it good (built-in bookshelves of questionable craftsmanship), some of it none-so-much-as-good (pastel floral print wallpaper trim, anyone?). The above photo really does not do justice to how truly unflattering much of the scene was upon entry...
Or maybe it does.
I don't know what you're into, you weirdo.
Here's MJ be-bopping up the stairs with tiny Nolan in her arms. Our ole pal Phil, who helped us purchase this blessed beast, leads the climb onward and upward to the second floor. Is he peering back at me to suggest that perhaps we might be slightly off our rockers to consider this new adventure?
Time will tell...
or perhaps she has told already.
Once inside the stairwell, the walls looked an awful lot like this...
Despite, the jovial posture of my face muscles in the above photo, The stucco-textured walls were not our fave. No doubt that look upon my face is one of maniacal delight as I prepare to bring down my mighty paint-scraping utensil upon thy walls to make smooth(er) their surfaces and straight their paths.
After hanging a sharp right up the second set of stairs, one would find the second floor. Here's ole blurry Phil taking a glance back down into the stairwell. If you look close you can see the busted drywall/plaster situation on the wall. You might also notice that their was a doorway at the top of the stairs to close off the second floor from the ground floor on account of it having been previously used as a rental. Needless to say, that doorway is LOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG GOOOOOOOOONE. Hey now, don't y'all go shedding salty tears over that door. It was rehung as our bedroom door. You can revisit that story by clickity clacking RIGHT HERE !!!
Peep that same view after heaping on a whole truckload o' love, sweat, and beers...
We scored that hanging lamp from Midland Antiques in downtown Indy and the new handrail for about five bones at a Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Whiteland.
As for the lowercase portion of stair steps & co., we slopped a whole lot o' fresh paint on the bannister and risers, stripped and stained the handrail and treads to match our tasty refinished floor, and repaired and painted the built-ins along the wall. Here's a little before...
and after...
The preceding was taken well before we recently finished the dining room floor picture in the background (more on that in a future episode).
Everything still turns to gold.
