How To

17 Jun Stairwell Mini Makeover + The Art Of Rearranging

The stairwell in our home is right in the center of the house, and it gets a ton of traffic.  To the right of the above photo is the kitchen, and to the left is the living room.  This pass through area is small, but I see it so much that I want it to be pretty. It has gone through a few changes since I started this blog a few years ago.  First, I painted the back wall Benjamin Moore's Hale Navy for a little punch. But this setup just wasn't doing it for me, so I sold the fabulous yet bulky Dorothy Draper chest, framed out Schumacher's Chiang Mai Dragon wallpaper, moved the West Elm Parsons Console from the entry hall to this space, and hung a mirror I found at an estate sale. The stairwell has looked like the above photo for about a year and a half now, and this past weekend, I decided we were due for a change.  I liked having the big basket there for boots and other large, miscellaneous items that like to clutter this space, and of course, I love the vintage blanc de chine lamps and the antique prayer box.  With all we have had going on here lately with continued bathroom construction, and a collapsed porte cochere, this little area had gotten fairly frantic with things that needed to be put away.  Once I had gotten everything clear, it was time to figure out how to give the stairwell a fresh look. When I am rearranging a space, I try to get it as bare bones as possible so I can really see what I am accomplishing/not accomplishing.  So I cleared everything out except for the console which I knew needed to stay there.  I also find that taking photos of each look as I add/take away things is really helpful - I do this with clients, and I do this for my own home, too.  Seeing your space in a photo can really help you find the strengths and the flaws in what you are creating. For a split second, I did ponder exchanging the console with the chest in the dining room, but I decided since this area is so slim, having a piece of furniture that is open at the bottom is best as it lends a more airy overall feel. Side Note:  By the time I finished cleaning up the collected clutter, it was nighttime, so sorry these next few photos are not the best. I also thought about switching out the rug, but the vintage one I have there compliments the wallpaper so well, and I did not have another good option in my house, so that stayed, too.  After staring awhile, I decided to switch the mirror I had there with the mirror from the dining room. I liked how the black outline on the mirror picked up on the black silhouettes in the wallpaper, so I added what may be at the top of the list for greatest Craigslist finds, my newest Craigslist treasure, a vintage Sarreid chest. I originally moved it over to the far left because in my mind, I thought I could still put my big basket next to it.  It did not fit, plus it looked weird, so I decided to center it, and added the lamps from the living room.  The basket is going to go in the closet to the right of the console table for now. I thought the lamps may work, but the ivory shades were a little blah, so I switched them out with black ones I have from Target. I really really liked those lamps there, but my husband enjoys seeing the chinoiserie lamps there because of how pretty they look at night.  Therefore, the next day, I switched the lamps back, added an oval brass tray, some books, and my favorite bust, and stepped back...