The landing and stairs are perhaps one of the most used areas of any home. They serve as a gateway between the different floors and are the first thing we see when we enter our abodes. But, the sad truth is that they are the least maintained parts of our houses!
That was quite true in the case of my home as well. I was getting fed up with how dark and decrepit the area was looking, so I decided to do something about it. Let me walk you through the things I did:
I painted the walls and ceiling white
In my home, most of the rooms aren’t that big. The landing and stairs area is no different. Now, I could have gone for a bold or pastel colour in my case, but I decided not to do so. Why? Because dark colours would have made the area look even smaller!
Instead, I decided just to stick with plain old white emulsion paint courtesy of Farrow & Ball. Before I started painting, I took the opportunity to fill some holes that were annoying me for ages! Once the filler had dried, I sanded and smoothed it off for a seamless finish.
Even with dreary grey skies outside, the walls and ceiling look bright and vibrant! It also gives the landing and stairs a fresh, open feel.
I got some new carpet for the stairs and upstairs landing
Another thing I did to brighten up the area was to rip out the ten-year-old carpet and replace it with a new one! I opted for a light grey/silver colour, and I think it works well with the white walls and ceiling.
To make sure it lasts long, I had some Cloud 9 underlay fitted rather than the usual cheap and cheerful stuff. It makes such a difference to any carpet having some decent underlay!
I replaced the light bulbs with LEDs
Another thing that annoyed me about the stairs and the landing area was the fact that it was always so dark! Doing the above changed helped a lot, but the existing light bulbs were letting the side down.
I got rid of them and fitted some E14 LED bulbs in their place. They are just as bright and white as the paint! The bonus is that LEDs consume less electricity than “energy-saving” bulbs. That means my electric bill can breathe a sigh of relief!
I fitted LEDs to the staircase
Aside from replacing bulbs with LED ones, I also installed some new ones to the stairs. They are useful for times where you don’t want to leave the main lights on but want to light up the stairs at night.
If you live with someone that works shifts, doing this will be a godsend!
I hung some nice pictures on the wall
Last, but not least, I thought that adding a few select pictures on the walls would break up the walls a bit. I decided to go with some canvas prints rather than traditional paintings in frames.
Well, I hope you have enjoyed my blog post today. See you soon!
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