Entryway + Stairs + Landing

The landing, shown with our Dash & Albert rug

My new favorite $15 poster. I love Maine. I love their lobsters, their corn on the cob and their blueberry pie.

When we moved in to the house, the entryway, stairs and landing left a lot to be desired. As shown below, every surface {molding, trim, walls} was covered in a faded light blue paint. The stairs were covered in a brown carpet that had been mauled, and urinated on, by the animals living in the house.

Before:

In the course of renovations on this area, we've done the following:

1. Ripped out the staircase carpet. We have yet to replace the runner {but hope to do so someday} and instead have simply left the stairs as-is. The Dash & Albert rug shown up top sits upstairs in the landing area. We felt lucky to score this rug at a going-out-of-business sale.

2. Added wainscoting. Courtesy of the husband. I think he did a brilliant job and he saved us thousands of dollars by doing it himself. It definitely needs some decor on the walls, but that's in progress.

3. Created an entryway closet. I've blogged about it before {here} but am tossing in a picture because the paisley fabric makes me happy and because the closet is a big part of our entryway.

Next steps? Frames, frames, frames. Over the years, we've accumulated a number of frames and paintings from flea markets, antique shops and good ol' Ikea. I'm working on getting these organized and hung all over the walls.