This stairwell was one of the biggest eyesores in our house (see original photos below), before it was transformed into the loft/art gallery-style it is today. We made some big changes while essentially keeping the stairs in the same position they were before. The walls were made smooth and painted white, moldings removed, and the cracked travertine tile replaced with large format matte gray tile. We moved artwork around until it looked right and added extra lighting.

The biggest change though, was the addition of the modern stainless steel tube and wire handrail. While the handrail was a splurge, big savings were made by keeping the original stringers (the steel underpinnings of the stairs) and painting them gray. We tried to salvage the wooden treads once the old carpet was removed, but they had too many holes drilled into them. The new treads were stained a dark brown to match the floorboards throughout the rest of the house. The old laminated flooring downstairs was torn up and replaced with more of the gray tile.

The window halfway up the stairs was an art deco design, it was replaced with a simple pane of frosted glass.

The results? More dramatic than I ever could have imagined. I was shooting for ‘not ugly.’ The new stairwell is now one of the highlights of the house.