Well, it honestly felt like this day would never come. After what has been literally months of work, I am so pleased to finally (FINALLY!!) say that the stair and hallway makeover reveal is ready to go!
This project was a mammoth task from the very beginning. For those of you who have been following along, you may remember the balustrade stripping fiasco (see here) and the soul destroying task of removing over a century of wallpaper. You would think that would be it, eh?
No.
No, I decided that I didn’t have enough to do so pretty much went out of my way to create extra jobs to do. It was almost like I wanted to delay the hallway reveal. Trust me, this was not the case. Among this list of extra jobs, I decided to refinish a vintage cabinet, strip, sand and refinish a bentwood chair, build a bench, and create pretty much half of the artwork for a massive gallery wall and panel
Don’t get me wrong… I do it ‘cos I luv it! It’s just that it makes for a long wait in blogging years!
Before The Hallway Makeover Reveal.
A reminder.
It’s clear to see now, why the walls were covered in ridiculously thick, textured wallpaper. The walls underneath were a fucking disaster. Seriously. With no budget to re-plaster, I tried my best to even out the awful finish using skim, then lining paper. In general, it’s fine… but in certain lights, I can still see the scars.
Everywhere that wasn’t carpeted or wallpapered, was covered in thick gloss paint, so most of my time was spent stripping over a century of thick, lead-filled paint layers. Balustrade, doors, mouldings, stair treads… all got the treatment. Then there was the magic cupboard on the upstairs landing.
I loved this weird little stairs/storage combo, but it needed a bit of work to get it looking like it hadn’t just been cobbled together. Last time you saw it, it looked like this…
All in all, this makeover had to have maximum impact, with minimum outlay. If I cant ‘charity shop’ it, I’ll make it. As fun as this approach is, it’s time consuming.
Drumroll Please…. For The Hallway Makeover Reveal!
So this whole makeover played out over a looong period of time. As much as the preparation took ages, so did the faffing. However, starting with the big ‘obvious’ changes; the flooring.
Having over-ordered on the living room flooring, I decided to make the best out of my stupidity and carry it through into the hallway. Instead of ‘herringbone’ however, I decided to go ‘diagonal’. As it’s a large scale board, I felt that the herringbone would be lost in the hallway, but the diagonal would still allow the line of the living room boards to flow through. Plus i wouldn’t have all those buggery wee angles to cut. All round win!
The entryway tiles, you’ve seen before. The busy pattern has proven as practical as it is beautiful even though they are fairly light in colour. I’ve deliberately avoided showing pictures of this area, as we are still not 100% on the colour. It’ll be dealt with over the next couple of weeks… but for now, it stays.
The Rugs
Initially I was just going to use a runner that I had purchased from the holy land that is TK Maxx, for the bargain sum of £30. It was beautiful. But for some reason, it just left me… flat.
Then I saw this baby.
COLOUR!
It completely threw me. I wasn’t expecting to NEED a pink rug. But I did. Desperately.
In an attempt to throw myself off the idea, I sent the image to Brian, who I had hoped would say no. He didn’t. In fact, I think his reply to the image was “YES!!”. It was meant to be.
Having just bought the ‘lil pink number, I really didn’t want to have to fork out for a second rug. Also, I hadn’t really seen anything narrow enough, nor pretty enough to suit. Until last night.
I found this amazing place that stocks heaps of items that I LOVE but had never thought of looking before. Normally i just go directly to the usual online stores to browse, but decided to give this place a try… and it came up trumps. You won’t have heard of it, it’s called ‘my spare room’. *facepalm.
Yup, I bought this rug about 4 years ago from Ebay for £20. It was too small and completely the wrong colour when it arrived. How ridiculously perfect is it now?! Granted, a wee bit of fuchsia in it would be lovely, but for something that I already had, I cannot complain!
The Walls
The most obvious change in the hallway makeover, would be the panelling. The whole idea behind this was to create more of a ‘stairwell’ feel to this section of the hallway, rather than just a ‘staircase’. I know it’s not something that would be original to the house, but I don’t care. I wanted panelling, so I panelled. And I love it.
For those of you who love the make-do part, here are some progress shots;
Both the panelling and staircase are painted in Empirical grey by Valspar. This grey/green/blue shade takes on different tones in different lights and is a lovely (dare i say ‘neutral’) shade that makes any bright colour ‘pop’. I opted for Premium Blend v700 in matt on the walls and Premium Blend v700 in Satin finish on the stairs and skirting. I should add, I’m in no way affiliated with Valspar, I just really love their paint. In fact, so much so, that I chose Farrow and Ball ‘Pavilion Grey’ for the rest of the walls, ceiling and mouldings, and had it colour matched in Valspar. Unless you’re a die-hard Farrow and Ball fan, I would totally recommend doing this if you want to save money, but still want a good quality paint. In my opinion, of course.
Stair and Hallway Makeover Reveal; Upstairs.
I’m not quite sure which part I love more… the gallery wall, the cupboard, or the chandelier. I know Brian’s answer; the chandelier. Bought for the bargain sum of £100 from Ebay, I absolutely love the scale in this space. I love the contrast of the grandeur of the crystal, with the slightly humble, make-do-and-mend stair/cupboard. Contrast like this pleases me.
Then there’s the gallery wall. This was a labour of love. There are a few paintings on here that I absolutely love, four of which were painted by former students. I’ll have these for life. However, in between, you’ll find an array of ‘space fillers’ produced by myself to… well, fill the space. I’ll be talking about this in an upcoming post though, so more of that later. As much as I love a gallery wall, I don’t love having to balance on a ladder, hanging over a balcony. My palms are sweaty at the memory.
Then There’s The Magic Cupboard/Stairs.
One of my favourite features of the house received the biggest of all the makeovers. The addition of glass, and a mix of original and new knobs and handles, has helped upgrade this functional vintage DIY to a quirky and eye-catching centrepiece. By removing the carpet and painting the treads, the stairs become handy display shelves. The colours used downstairs have been carried up, to help unify the space.
Oh, and for those of you who are wondering, I only have to move two objects to be able to use the ‘shelves’ as stairs. Not as daft as I look!
I would say, apart from the colour in the front entryway, I’m very very happy with the end result of this hallway makeover. The lighter colour makes for a nice transition between the darker bedroom and living room, whilst the darker stairwell area creates a bit of drama, and provides a gorgeous background for gilded and brass accessories.
AND PINK! I love pink! Brian loves Pink! Who knew? (See what I did there Pink fans?)
Whilst I have you here…
There’s less than a week left to vote for DesignSixtyNine in the Amara Interior Blog Awards. If you’ve enjoyed the hallway makeover then please, click the link below and pop in a vote for DesignSixtyNine in the Best DIY and Home Blog category. It would mean an awful lot. X
Looks fabulous! I love the colors and attention to detail. Two questions:
1) Did you mention the paint color. It is perfect!
2) I must have the etre poster! Where can I find that??
Hi, third time lucky sending message. Love your blog and the hallway looks beautiful. Could you tell me the name and colour/source of the stair carpet/runner and also the wooden flooring? Is the carpet wearing well?
Hi Karen,
Got your messages, but hadn’t seen my emails to approve them until now 😀
I’m afraid I no longer have the details of the colour/source as this was finished a couple of years ago. The carpet was bought locally. It is wool and is wearing well. The rods were bought on eBay as was the flooring. If you search eBay for schoolhouse oak flooring, it is the first on the list. Hope this helps.
Hello Malcolm
I love what you’ve done with the Hall. I’m just about to embark on mt Edwardian hallway but I’ve been quoted £3400 to strip off the old paper and redecorate. This seems really high? I would love to know what you think of this quote if you don’t mind. Our hallway is narrower than yours with wooden balustrades. Thank you and well done you on a fantastic achievement, so stylish – I shall be using the same Valsper paint colour.
Hello Susannah,
Many apologies for the delay in response. I’ll be honest, I have no idea what is a reasonable quote as I always DIY these things… but it does seem high! I’m sure you have moved on from this stage by now, but I would always get a few quotes. 🙂
It seems frankly ridiculous. I’ve just stripped down a 5 bedroom Edwardian house (with multiple layers of paint/wallpaper etc). Did it myself using a Black and Decker steamer and a scraper (search ‘heavy duty scraper’ on Screwfix). It really is quite easy once you get the hang of it. Took around half a day per room.
Not sure where you live but decorators around Manchester charge between £70 and £150 per day (ex-materials).
Even if it needs plastering after removing the paper,, an average hallway should cost around £500 or less to skim.
Dear David
Thank you, I think so too! I live in Bath and decorators think we’re all very wealthy here (we’re not!) believe it or not, the two other quotes were in the same league in terms of price so I’m shelving the idea until I can find someone sensible who perhaps comes from outside of Bath!
Thanks for your good advice.
Susannah
Hi Malcolm,
Just come across your blog after weeks and weeks of looking for hallway inspiration. (Just bought a Victorian property I am currently renovating it🤦🏻♀️) just wanted to say what a stunning transformation you did in the hallway! Wow! definitely worth the hours of hard work. Was going to ask you what colour you painted the doors. Unfortunately I don’t have a gorgeous big hallway like you do to play with both grey colours. So, I am thinking I might choose your darker wood grey for doors and stairs, but the dark colour you used on the doors just adds such a beautiful touch of elegance that I might go for it anyway, even if only on the front door. Is it railings from F&B? Thanks and please do keep posting upadates and ideas.
Hi Eli,
The colour I used was Empirical Grey by Valspar UK. Apologies for the delay in response, I’ve only just seen your message as my notifications stopped working. I hope your hallway is turning out well
Dear Malcolm
Congratulations on your hallway. It is truly magnificent. I’m a bit confused though. In the article you said you used Empirical Grey on the panelling and staircase.
The doors look a bit darker to me than the panelling. Yet in the response to the query above you said you used Empiracal Grey on the doors too.
I’m sure its not just me. Commentor above thinks the doors are darker too. Can you confirm colours of panelling/staircase and, if different, doors. Its so lovely and such a good choice. Would love to know.
Hi David,
Thank you so much. It feels like I completed it a lifetime ago… almost time for an update! Haha! You are right, the doors are darker. I’ve no idea how I managed to misread the question above. The doors are in fact Downing Street by Valspar Uk and the panelling and stairs are Empirical Grey. Thank you for getting in touch, I’ll add that into the post… along with my tip: if you’re painting doors dark, use satin finish rather than eggshell. Eggshell seems to pick up fingerprints. I ended up top-coating in Satin after discovering this. Hope this is of help.
Hi Malcolm
Thanks ever so much for the confirmation and quick response. And thanks for the tip about the satin finish. I suspected it was a different finish. Sorry for copying you, but it’s such a good mix of colours.
What kind of grey are you using on the walls and what kind of white/finish are you using on the coving/skirting in this photo https://i2.wp.com/designsixtynine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/new.jpg
Says FB Pavilion grey in the article but looks different to FB website swatch.
ps Fairly amazed how you remember the colours so far.
You’re welcome. These were painted in FB Pavilion grey.
This is beautiful! I’m currently renovating and looking to do some panelling in one of the bedrooms. I’m also replacing the skirting throughout which isn’t tall enough for the walls -where did you find yours?
Thanks so much!
Gemma
Thank you! The skirting is original to the house.
Love, love, love your hallway! The paint colors, the new rad, the paneling, the brass shelf, the beautiful wood and glass cabinet, all of it. So classy with such attention to every little detail. The work you put into this is mind boggling. The metal railing posts alone and then the wall paper removal (excavation is probably more apt). Your commentary on all you went through was hilarious. What a change from the before – that carpet – whatever possessed anyone to put such busy stuff in a hallway and up the stairs (it so totally covers up the treads and risers you can hardly tell there any stairs there at all – how could anyone walk up the stairs without getting vertigo?). The upstairs landing area is now so totally charming and I just adore what you did with the little under stair cabinet area and gallery wall. What an artistic re-do. I read in earlier comment that you had received an award. Congrats, you certainly deserve it.
Thank you so much 🙂 I have to say, coming down the stairs, you had to be very careful!
It’s near impossible not to be blown away by the quality of the work you have undertaken by yourself and the end result. I find you have impeccable taste.
I am very envious. How did you become such a confident DIY’er? Read, read, read? Start small and keep going? It’s very impressive.
Wow! Thank you so much for such a lovely comment. A lot of my skills were passed down from my dad, watching him DIY everything as I was growing up. Others…trial and error. 🙂
F’ me! That hallway is amazing. Love that brass/gold shelf too. You need to do a post about that soon….
Just spent two hours reading your blog *following now*
Haha! Thank you so much for following! Yes, the brass shelf post is one I’ve been meaning to do for a while. 🙂
H Malcolm. After revisiting this post last night to see how you panelled your hall (read steal your idea here) and watching the Amara awards at the same time…. huge Congrats on the award by the way…. if you haven’t decided on the final colourway for the entryway then I’m sure there would be some lovely wallpaper companies that would love to work with you 😀 Just a thought. We wallpapered our entryway (storm porch here in Wales 😂) in Cole & Son Flamingos and whilst It is a bit dated now it makes me smile every time I come home! Hope heads are not too sore this morning!
We may have been a little worse for wear in the following days.. but not too bad! 😂 I love Cole and son wallpapers and would love to use some somewhere. I would probably consider it after the extension was built actually… I wouldn’t want it ruined as there is no other access to the back garden.
Jesus this make over is insane!!! Amazing work well done!!!!
Haha!! I love this comment! Thank you so much 😀❤️
What an amazing transformation! So so beautiful. I have only just discovered your blog and love every single last thing in your home ☺ Oh to be creative 😁
Can I ask about your radiators? I can’t tell from the before pics if you kept and repainted the originals or if they are new. I’m hoping new and if so, could you share a source? Also, is the demilune on the landing the same that was by the front door but now with a gorgeous new color? That teal is fantastic!
The hallway radiators were bought new, sourced on ebay. It was a while back so i don’t have the source. However, if you search ‘black traditional radiator’ they should come up. The table was actually a charity purchase as the one in the original photo belonged to the previous owner. It was a similar colour to begin with but in poor condition. We love the colour now 🙂
Such a nice space! Hallways are so easy to treat as necessary evils to move from one space to another,. This is a wonderful welcome to your home or to the day as you step out from the bedroom. I had to go through it a couple times to figure out that the teal table is on the landing. What a happy little surprise to find it there as you walk past. Really nicely done.
I’m still in love with the vestibule tiles, so looking forward to your color choice out there.
Thank you so much 🙂
Hi Malcolm, would you remind me the source for that beautiful metal shelf? i know you posted about it previsously, beut i cannot see where…
There isn’t actually a direct source for it as I made it. It will be a blog post in the near future. 🙂
Joder!!! Impressive!
thank you so much 🙂
Well done Malcolm! I have loved watching the transformation from afar and voted for you weeks ago; I sure hope you win! When I am tempted to stray from my own dark navy walls into white coastal casual (I do live in California) I revisit your bedroom and living room posts and am inspired anew. I am in awe of your drawing talents too and await your proposed kitchen with baited breath! 😉
Hi Phyllisa,
thank you so much for such a lovely comment… and thank you for the vote! Very much appreciated! It’s so nice to hear that I am providing some inspiration too. Unfortunately the kitchen will be quite a while off as we need to gather the funds, but in the meantime, I have another couple of rooms that I’m hoping to be able to renovate. 🙂
It’s all stunning! Well done. I was even inspired to click through to the blog award and vote for you.
Have to ask where you got the amazing ‘Etre’ poster/print please?
Thank you so much for voting, really appreciated! 😊 The print was from ‘made in design’ but it was about ten years ago. This is the first place I’ve really had a chance to hang it. It came as a roll, like wallpaper. There’s about a metre more that I need to frame up.
Malcom it is stunning ! Love …every …single …little…. bit !
Aw thank you so much Jane!! 😊
Absolutely fantastic!! I love the panelling and the balustrade! I cannot begin to imagine how much time and effort it took you to strip the paint but what an amazing result and well worth it! How did you deal with the fact that the paint may have contained lead? It is not super dangerous?
I don’t understand why so many people completely neglect their hallways – such an exciting area which is not easy to get right. Like you I have spent hours on pinterest trying to get some inspiration and did not find much. I also really like the hallway make over by Fiona from aroundthehouses blog! Your and her makeovers are by far the best! I am yet to do mine!
Thank you so much for leaving such a lovely comment! I absolutely love Fiona’s transformation. Her diy’s are genius/beautiful too! It’s bizarre how little hallway inspiration there is on Pinterest! Seriously lacking. So glad you like mine though 😊 As far as the lead paint, I just really ventilated the area and wore a mask. And kept my fingers crossed. Haha!
Holy Cow!
This is a beautiful transformation!
I can’t see one part I’d change, it’s all exquisite.
I’m off to follow you on insta now 🙂
Yay!! Thank you so much for such a lovely comment! im so glad you’ve enjoyed it 😊
This is an EPIC makeover, Malcolm! Wow, I’m blown away! 😍👏👏👏 I can see a lot of love and attention has gone into your hall and stairwell and the result is so so beautiful! The panelling is stunning, so clever! The colours, cupboard, gorgeous gallery… they’re all wonderful and the pink rug looks amazing there! Would love to pay your spare room a visit, sounds like a treasure trove 😂
Haha!! That spare room is like steptoes yard right now! 😂 Thank you so much for such a lovely, thoughtful comment. And for your ongoing support. Really appreciate it coming from you. 😊❤️
Oh my God!!!! It’s not only GREAT, it’s a magical metamorphosis!!! It was worth wait to see what you’ve done with stairs and hallway!!! Great great job,……Oh and as for you…. talented talented talented
Wow!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a lovely comment!! So pleased you like it. Just a couple of little areas to tweak (over time) but very happy with the end result.
Wow!!! It looks beautiful; all that hard work paid off. That banister is stunning.
thank you so much! Delighted with the banister, the detail really stands out now. 🙂
Malcolm – I am awed by All you have done to create a place of beauty in the entryway, hall and stairs area. There is so much at which to marvel, and you seem to have no fear of any decorating challenge….no matter what!! Thank you for one of the most astounding “Before and After” transformations…ever! You deserve to win the award!
Kudos to you –
Sandy McGuigan
Hi Sandy, Thank you so much for leaving one of the loveliest comments ever!! It’s so nice to read that you’ve enjoyed the makeover and the previous ones! Your very kind words have made me very happy! 🙂
Oh, Malcolm! Exquisite, amazing , awesome…the paneling, the stair runner, the wall colours, the gallery, the tile, the flooring, the accessories, the cupboard…all perfection!
Libby
Thank you so much Libby! It’s lovely to hear that you’ve enjoyed the makeover. I really appreciate you taking the time to comment. I’ll hopefully get the front entryway completely finished in the next week or so and get a ‘mini-reveal- uploaded 🙂
well done its beautiful x
thank you so much Jennifer. 🙂 x
love the picture wall and china cabinet it all melts into one another really well, i saw handles in range like a diamond one would be really nice on dark grey drawer lol , you have done a fantastic job on the hallway its just beautiful x
Ooh! I’ve never looked for handles in the range, I must have a look. Thank you for that tip-off! And thank you for such a lovely comment! 🙂
Just gorgeous, love love love it , recently found your blog and just love your style, can’t wait to see the rest of your renovations.
Hi Gaynor, welcome to the blog! So lovely to get new followers… and thank you for leaving such a lovely comment! 🙂