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Home Decor

Our new staircase

This weekend as I was putting away the kids’ new Halloween costumes (they’ve been running around in them all week so excited for Halloween) I suddenly flashed back to this week last October.  Around this time one year ago we moved into our new house.  I truly can’t believe we have been in the house a year!  I still feel like we just moved in.  I use that excuse all the time when people come over to explain away the state of my home.  Ignore the mess and the empty rooms!  We just moved in.  A year ago!  Ha!  Might have to come up with a new excuse.  :)  I decided in honor of our one year house anniversary I should finally show you our stairs!  (If interested you can see the beginning stages of these stairs here.)
I don’t know why I have such a fascination with stairs but I do.  I had almost every detail of this staircase already designed in my head before we even met our architect (Coastal/Craftsman with a modern twist!).  First of all – that runner!  Chosen by some of you!  I love it.  So thank you to all of you who voiced your opinion in this trendy vs. safe post and helped me make this decision.  I’m so glad I listened to all of you!  (And to my husband who likes to remind me that he chose that runner too – I just didn’t really listen to him until all of you agreed.)  :)  I love this view of the stair runner because it ties in so nicely with the mudroom baskets you can see down the hall.  Not really planned but I’ll take it!
I wanted to do something unique that I hadn’t seen before so we came up with this fun detail on the side of the stairs.  I worried that it might be too busy, but everything else is so clean and simple that I think it works.  I’m excited to dress these stairs up for the holidays!
Simple inset panels that match the molding throughout the house.  My favorite look.  :)
This is a view of the hallway with the formal dining room on the left.

You come to the stairs  quickly after entering the house through the garage.  Mudroom, laundry room, and powder bathroom are on the left.

Then my office (dutch door you can see on the right).  The main living areas (kitchen and family room) are across from the stairs.
I decided to stain the top of the molding to match the treads and railing.
Sorry.  Just realizing now I took way too many pictures of the stairs.
One of every view from every angle apparently.
Obviously they take me to a happy place.  Mostly happy that they are actually finished and we can enjoy them.  When you’re building it feels like you’ll never reach that point!

I loved this modern light fixture and knew early on that I wanted to use it somewhere in the house so I was thrilled when I realized it fit perfectly over our stair landing.

I think it works with all of the clean lines in the molding.  And I love how pretty it is at night!  It really lights up the staircase.

It also ties in nicely with the black and white striped rug in the upstairs laundry room.  The only thing in the upstairs laundry room!  Other than hampers full of dirty clothes of course.

I’m planning on bringing more black in the upstairs hallway at some point next year when I get around to finishing the upstairs.  I’ve made a lot of progress in the girls’ rooms!  But at the rate I’m going I’ll have pictures ready to share with all of you around 2016.
You’ll have to cut me some slack because after all,
we did just move in.
:)
xoxo, Erin
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29 thoughts on “Our new staircase

  1. The attention to detail in your home is beautiful. In the picture at the top of the landing it looks like you go down a few steps to get into the room with the closed door. Such a neat idea.

    From what you have shown I think you are making great progress. :)

    Hope your foot/leg is feeling better.

  2. Beautiful home! I love seeing all of the pictures that you post. If you remember, I emailed you a lifetime ago, telling you we were going to build soon. Our styles are totally different, but I love yours just the same! After ten months we are finally able to see the light at the end of this tunnel, and should be finished with everything this week! So when you wrote “Mostly happy that they are actually finished and we can enjoy them. When you’re building it feels like you’ll never reach that point!” I just had to laugh. It is SO true! Now comes the cleaning before the move in!

  3. I love your blog and adore your house! :) I am in the middle of choosing flooring for our new house and would love to know what brand/color wood flooring you have? We were also debating whether we go with carpeted stairs (i have three kids too) or go wood floors with the runner. Can you tell me where you got your runner as well? Thanks so much!

  4. Hi Erin! I love the way your stairs turned out! I have a question and it’s not meant to bash. I have noticed in many high end homes prefinished hardwood floors being used. If you are spending a good amount of money on high end finishes why not spend the extra money and put in the unfinished wood and stain? It’s what we had done in our home (low end build) and I love them! Thanks! PS I really enjoy seeing your home and the decor please don’t make me wait till 2020! ;-)

  5. I just moved in our place. FIVE years ago. ;). In my defense, I have had 3 babies and am pregnant with # 4. That is a valid defense, riiiigggghhhttt? Oh – and I have 4 pets which is like 4 permanent toddlers.

    Love the stairs!!!!
    JC

  6. I love your stairs! They will be so extra beautiful dressed up for Christmas! But what I love most it that they are an easy access for the kids to take straight into the living part of the house and not into an entryway foyer. Nothing like having to sneak past company in your nightgown! Well done!

  7. Thank you Cathy! xo

    Thanks Chris! That is the kids’ playroom. I wanted it right off the stairs – easy access because that is the room they are in and out of the most!

    Thank you Jboo! So glad you like it!

    YEA! Marcia I’m so happy you are nearing the finish line! Congratulations! Such an exciting time. Enjoy the cleaning before moving in. I knew that was the cleanest my house would ever be again!

    Thank you Gina and Danielle!

    Hi Helen! I wrote a post all about our wood floors here:

    https://www.thesunnysideupblog.com/2013/11/the-scoop-on-my-hardwood-floors.html

    As far as the runner – it’s actually carpet. I decided to just do carpet stairs vs. the wood with runner because of the kids. And I know that when the kids are older someday we’ll have grandkids! Plus I like carpet on stairs. Nice and soft for me too. :) We got the carpet runner at the same store we got our other carpet for bedrooms here in San Diego. Email me if you want specific info!

  8. Very pretty! I love your attention to detail by staining the molding to match the stairs; it really looks high end. The carpet runner looks nice and is practical. P.S. I moved in my new place last April and is hard to believe I’ve been here over a year as well :-)

  9. Anonymous – not bashing at all! :) I think it just comes down to how you want to spend your money. Our floors were custom so they already cost a lot more than we originally thought we’d spend, plus doing it the way you suggested you are limited in the type of distressing (and I wanted mine distressed). Also I think a lot of people don’t go that route in my area because everyone tries to be so environmentally friendly and that takes a lot thicker wood which means more dead trees. :) I bet your floors are beautiful though! And I won’t make you wait until 2020! :) xo

    JC – You SO get a pass!! :)

    Thank you Courtney and Jess! Courtney I thought of that very thing. I like the stairs away from the front entrance. :)

    Thank you Cathy! So fun to hear from you!

  10. Well, I’m just in love with everything you’ve shared about your new home, Erin! The stairs are beautiful, and I adore your attention to detail. I think the runner is perfect. I am just a wee-bit “jealous” of that turquoise laundry room, because I’m totally crushing on that color and trying to add it wherever I can in our home. You are doing such an amazing job of decorating your home, but I admire that you have your priorities in order with those young children — they do grow up so very fast.

    1. Hi Robyn! The molding paint is Arothane White 001 by Frazee. We used a flat finish that I wouldn’t recommend! Looks great but doesn’t work well with little kids’ finger prints. :)

  11. Hi Erin! I loooove your staircase! I was hoping you could share with me where you got your light over the landing. I thought it was the one from Ballard Designs, but I see that light only has 3 bulbs and yours appears to have 5. Also, would you be able to share the source for the carpet on your stairs? I love that you went the carpet route! Thank you so much! Enjoy summer break with your kiddos!

    1. Hi Lisa! Thank you so much! Shoot! I don’t have a carpet source for you. I wish I would have paid more attention because I get asked this question a lot and I have no clue what it’s called! I just picked the carpet out of a local store and they installed it. Feel free to take a pic of it from my blog into a carpet store and they might be able to match it. I know other readers have done that. My stair light was from Artcraft. :) xo

    1. Thank you Cami! I don’t know! So sorry I don’t have that info. for you! I chose it out of a few options my painter had but I didn’t write down the name. xo

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