Staircase Makeover

Hi everyone!

This post is so overdue, but I have been struggling with my new camera and I am not winning at the moment. I really want to share my basement stair project with you and I was hoping for breathtaking, professional looking photos. Unfortunately, instead I will be showing you the end result with photos that look like they were taken with a 1965 Kodak Instamatic! 

If the above didn't make you click to a different blog, I thank you for your loyalty (and sheer bravery)!  

So, on to the real reason for this post. This big lug of a guy is terrified of our finished lower level and has never been down there. Ever. He wants to, but he just can't muster the courage to do so. I thought it might be the wooden stairs.

Or the incredibly ugly wall color and decor.  I actually sold all of the decor LAST summer and...

The stairs have looked like this: horrifying, bare and unloved...by man and beast.

What's a girl to do? I found a terrific shade of brown to paint the cheap paneling our builder installed when we built our home.

Then I gave the stairs a painted "runner"  and added braided stair treads that I picked up for a song on Amazon. The walls got three coats of creamy white.

Mr. Bluebird put his electrical wiring skills to use and installed a super cool new light fixture. Can you say A MAY ZING????? I love this light fixture. It really adds an old time charm, combined with an industrial vibe.

This is a horrible picture with the light  on, but I wanted to try to show the cozy glow of the bare Edison bulbs. I made a coat rack with some scrap wood and clearance hooks from Menards. It will be a great place for guests to stash their coats when we entertain downstairs.

Since Mr. Bluebird is an avid outdoorsman, I've decided to embrace it in our lower level. I was trying these past few years to offset the outdoor decor  he loves by incorporating a wine theme as well. This, it goes without saying, turned out to be a hot mess and neither of us liked the way the lower level looked. So, hunting cabin,  here we go!

I bought the stack of vintage coffee tins specifically for the Parker House tin. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with the other three, but I think they make a fun look piled on top of each other. I will share soon about why I  wanted the Parker House tin.

I've had the wooden goose for ages and he has spent a long time stored away. I just never could bring myself to get rid of him. I think now he has the perfect place to nest.

This is a view looking up. The black shelf came from Hobby Lobby, but it has a very convincing vintage look. It weighs a ton! I think it's heft gives it a masculine feel.

I love the old, brown peanut butter tin I've placed on an old child's chair. The rolled rag  rug gets placed on the landing  when we are trying to entice the dog downstairs!

One last look at the new and much improved basement stair  area. I am tackling the remainder of the lower level next! I will share some of my ideas for that area soon.

And the dog?  He still hasn't ventured downstairs!

Thanks for stopping by,
Jane