DIY
How to Install a Stair Runner and Rods
I’ve been wanting to add a stair runner to our back hallway/mudroom staircase for a while now, and we finally had a couple of days set aside to do it! Chris did a lot of research on how to install a stair runner and stair rods, and we’re going to share every step we took […]
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August 5, 2024
Renovations
Building a Staircase Vs. Removing a Staircase (How Much Did It Cost?)
The very first time Chris and I took a tour of this house, I was alarmed at the open sawtooth stringer on the staircase. There were too many jagged lines, and my eyes couldn’t handle it wrapping around the whole entry when you come in the house! This began the start of the staircase renovation, […]
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January 16, 2023
Renovations
Removing a Staircase Connecting the Bunk Room to the Home Gym
This is something we've never ever done before and something we didn't even plan to do! But as we were talking through our hopes and dreams for the bunk room, Chris brought up removing the staircase entirely, and suddenly everything clicked! Pendants The entrance into the bunk room/play room is through a breezeway from the […]
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December 9, 2022
North Carolina Home
Changes in the Front Entry: Black Balusters and Black Front Door
We have a lot of stair railings in our house. We have the grand staircase in the front entry, a staircase leading up into the bonus room, a staircase in the home gym, and a staircase on the second floor leading up into the attic. Every staircase in our house has black painted balusters, except […]
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August 29, 2022
North Carolina Home
A Fresh Look at the Entry
I've been shopping my house to outfit the entry since we moved here. At one point the media console was placed in the hallway which was great for storage but it felt so heavy. I've had several things in the little stair nook, including a vintage table around Christmas time and most recently, this pedestal. […]
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May 23, 2022
Design
The New Entryway Chandelier Makes an Entrance
The chandelier that's currently in the living room, we actually brought with us in the move. We originally bought it for out last living room but ultimately decided to go without a chandelier for that space. I was so excited to finally hang it! I love the black and brass look with the linen-like shades […]
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March 29, 2022
DIY
The New Balusters are Painted Black... And White!
Last week I took some time to slow down and this week I'm hitting the ground running, or rather the stairs. When I shared an update on the grand staircase and entryway, I mentioned that I might want to paint the balusters black and we even did a fun mock-up. Well, the entryway got painted, […]
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October 5, 2021
Design
Progress on The Grand Staircase and Herringbone Floors!
This is not a reveal post. We did that yesterday. But I couldn't wait another day to update you on the staircase and herringbone floor progress. Remember when it looked like this?? Before I redesigned this entire staircase and entry before we moved and shared all about that process here. And it looked like this […]
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September 15, 2021
Projects
Designing A New Staircase (Everything you should ask yourself!)
Designing our main staircase was something that crept up suddenly, but I am so honored and happy I am able to do! The original plan was just to swap out the treads and handrail for oak to match our new floors that will be going in, but when our contractor said, "anything else? now is the time […]
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May 18, 2021
Design
Progress in the Entry + My favorite Bottom of the Staircase Styling Inspo!
We have walls! Well sort of. It's been 2 weeks since our last entry progress update and a lot has happened since then. The floors have been filled and the studs for the new walls are in! If you've been following my stories on Instagram, you've likely seen how daunting the task of patching these […]
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February 22, 2021
DIY
"Why Is This Taking So Long?": An Update on our Renovation + A Hard Deadline
When last Friday afternoon rolled around, I had a lump in my throat. Looking around, there wasn't a lot of visual progress made in the house last week despite workers being on site every day. And being on month 7 of this (and 2 months over schedule), it's not all rainbows of positivity. That being […]
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February 10, 2020
Projects
A Check-In on Our Pre-Christmas Checklist + Will We Be Home For Christmas?
Last month, November 13th, we laid out all the projects we had lined up to complete before Christmas in this post. At the time, we were making plans to move out for two weeks and group a lot of these tasks together to really expedite things. I didn't realize how much time had passed since […]
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December 19, 2019
DIY
To Baby Gate, or Not? (Plus, 18 Stylish Baby Gates)
We have a crawler, and she's getting fast! Polly is 8 months old now and I actually feel like she might be running before too long. The girl loves to move. She takes after our oldest in that respect. Greta (8) was a mover and an adventurer as a baby. She started climbing out of […]
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April 3, 2018
Design
All the Details on our New Horizontal Stair Railing!
It's hard to believe these stairs have been in limbo since March when we tore out all the carpet and hand rail in anticipation of getting a new one--see this post for those details. Although, that span of time was never the plan and I would never recommend going 7 months without a handrail (like, […]
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November 1, 2016
DIY
Stairwell Lighting : Drum Vs. Cube
Ah, I am coming up for air after a bout of food poisoning. Glad to be on the mend! During my down time, I think I finally nailed down a fixture for our stairwell. Well, top two at least. We have been on the hunt for the past 3 months and I wasn't in a […]
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January 14, 2015
DIY
A DIY Baby Gate
When we moved into our first home, Greta was about 14 months old and we used one of those cheap baby gates for a brief period of time--maybe a month?--before she got the hang of the stairs. I was so happy to put that thing away! Now, Faye is 8 months old and getting very […]
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December 15, 2014
DIY
Painting The Stairwell + Plans
Even when we painted the great room the first time around, we never painted the stairwell for some reason. Well, actually, the reason is probably that it required major ladder acrobatics and I'm not too keen on heights. I guess it all worked out because we ended up repainting the great room and now that […]
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December 11, 2014
DIY
The Banister is Painted!
We're back with pictures of our staircase railings actually painted and not just photoshopped. We could not believe how divided the vote on this post was! Nearly 50/50. And the comment section was brimming with ideas that we hadn't even thought of. Here's a reminder of what the railing looked like beforehand. This photo was […]
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November 13, 2014
DIY
The Orange Elephant in the Room
Now that the entry is taking shape, there are a few elements that are sticking out in a not-so-good way. We haven't touched the stairwell. The light, walls, stairs themselves and the railings are all just as they were when we moved in. You can't tell in pictures, but the paint job is done in […]
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November 3, 2014
