Color decisions
There are four sets of stairs in our quirky cottage and three of them needed an update – a color change and a coat of paint to freshen them up. The fourth set of stairs will be tackled another day because, unfortunately, they still have carpet on them. With the stairway walls and upstairs hall recently painted in Stonington Gray mixed at 50% which we really like, I planned to use Stonington Gray at full strength on the stairs as a neutral.
I was so mistaken! They looked blah. I was used to seeing color on the steps and this lighter color was difficult on the eyes when we walked down. So, I took the paint back to have it darkened and we still didn’t like the subtle color.
Looking for color inspiration I placed our antique toddler high chair painted with Miss Mustard Seed milk paint next to the stairs. I’m telling you the lightbulbs went on and the chorus sang! This Boxwood Green color was going on our stairs! I sent a picture to my friend, Marian, the creator of this amazing color to ask her opinion and we both determined it was worth a try … after all, it’s only paint, and I had already tried two other colors that I didn’t like.
I used Rust Scat paint as recommended by my local paint store for the steps.
Turns out the Boxwood Green is fabulous on the steps! Both Kirk and I have repeatedly commented on how we really like the color.
With these steps painted, I went on to paint two other stairways. The steps from the front door and foyer up to the great room are now show-stoppers. With so much white on the walls, this green is a perfect contrast and gives the cottage look I love to our space.
The back stairs from the garage/laundry area look so much brighter and cleaner. I forgot to take a before photo of the previous red stairs, but I can tell you it wasn’t my best decorating decision. Also, that “orangey” door, it’s going to get a new look soon too.
It feels so good to have these stairs done with a color we really like.
Note: When we moved into our cottage in 2004 all the stairs were covered in Berber carpet. The great room flooring was Berber and the kitchen/dining area was linoleum. Replacing stairs is very expensive so we opted to paint them and I’m so glad we did. It is the perfect cottage look!
I never expected to live in a multi-level home, yet here I am living in the unexpected! Our home was built-in 1978 when multi-level homes in the ’70s were all the rage. We actually downsized to this home over 15 years ago from a large two-story home because we loved this 2.5-acre property and we have never regretted our decision.
Anyone else living with the challenges of a multi-level home?
I’ll be sharing more small home improvements here in the coming weeks that have really have made a difference in our home.
