apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Beautiful. It isn't that it was too red, it was overdecorated and dated that made it ugly.

So they took an interesting space and made it look like average, boring American home. Ok, the red might have been a bit much (I kind of like that stuff though) but at least it had some personality. Now it just looks like something from a catalog.

That is one of the scariest befores I have ever seen. Thank goodness for the after.

Nice job. Mine was just as ugly, but in a different, more gold-and-brown kind of way -
before:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46175655@N00/3639167814/in/set-72157620391287414/

after:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46175655@N00/3654454298/in/set-72157620391287414/

From Granny shriek to sleek--I guess there is a landing, and did she entirely replace the window?

A really good example of bad wallpaper. Nice to see that the dark wood was left alone. The window looks great.

Nice job!

The pendent lighting fixture choice seems off to me I know this is a very common/popular and the go to pendent lighting fixture but style is wrong for this foyer.

Cute dog.

Wow! The before looked like a sinister funeral home. Amazing work refreshing the space!

That red junk isn't 'personality'. It's how a lot of people of a certain class and in certain regions decorate their homes. Just because you don't see it featured in design mags or whatever doesn't mean it's unusual or striking. It's just bad taste. I feel like the previous homeowner was trying to suffocate the house under all those layers.

It looks 100% better now.

@bullyproofvest - Beautiful makeover! And your KITCHEN!!!

i know i can't see the pattern up close, but it seems to me that the wallpaper could have stayed. take away those frightening curtains and stair runner, and add a few cool mod elements like that great light fixture in the after, and i think the space could have been cute.

i'm with aemorgan - it's very calm now, but it's just... white.

OMG...it looks like Cruella was the previous owner !!

An improvement, no doubt. But the only changes I see are a can of paint and refinished steps. What is so impressive?

I must agree w/ aemorgan--

The only things that the old staircase needed removing were the old carpet runner and the draperies - the wallpaper wasn't at all bad and the newel post needed a bit of touching up, but overall it was workable and had character.

Now it's bland with a clutter of "Family Gallery" mismatched and randomly-hung picture frames, a cheap plastic light fixture, a backpack on the newel post and kiddy gates.

I'm sort of with @LaurenAdel and some others. Its a great improvement from its original look, but other than some paint changes and removing the awful carpeting on the steps, the owners didn't do much else. I think so more modern changes to the staircase (maybe repaiting the steps in a unique way as a reflection of their personal style) would have made for a better wow factor. Still a great improvement, but I can't say my jaw dropped.

A bit on the boring side now, I think, in spite of the great woodwork. The "grandmother's" arrangement of small pictures up the steps is too small in detail and fussy. Enlarge some of those pictures and create a dramatic graphic that gives the space some excitement. Or make sure the very attractive dog always sits on the stair landing as a piece of living sculptpure.

I agree with the comments that the after is bland. Cruella De ville's funeral parlor was far more interesting.

This is just like in the women's mags when they take a good-looking woman who wears too much makeup and take some off. However, in this case, perhaps they should have left a little eyeliner.

Wonderful! But now the frames in the hallway look a little sad. UPGRADE your frames and MATCH THEM to EMBRACE the gorgeous job you did on the stair renewal!!

ugh, bullyproofvest, I ache for the wood you covered up!

Great job! Is there a blog so we can see more of this house?

What an amazing, vast improvement.

Emily

Did they replace the stained-glass window? I think that would have been lovely in the new white space rather than being choked by those drapes.

What happened to the stained glass window. Is it just cut off in the picture?

A vast improvement over what it originally looked like, but I must admit, it's a little bland now. Perhaps painting the risers a different color than white will add some punch to the space. I also wonder what happened to the stained glass window...it was pretty (but hidden under the dreadful red window treatment) and that would be where I would have taken my color cue for painting the risers.

Cute dog.

I can see where the criticisms are coming from, and have to agree with them to a degree. I really dislike beige walls, and felt that there was a lot of dynamic potential lost in the interior. Photograph walls like that need to be really filled-up to look good -- these are hung too sparsely and too carefully.

The idea that came to me was wallpapering the wall with sage green blowsy chintz -- like this

http://www.carletonvarneybytheyard.com/Carolina-Blue.jpg

or this

http://www.annafrench.co.uk/collections/wild-flora/bouquet/bou_05.shtml

With woven sea grass or sisal on the floor -- as a runner, as carpeting in the entry -- to modernize it. Then, I would add MCM pieces as contrast.

Sorry, couldn't resist adding my .02 worth...

I like the white but the wallpaper could have stayed...I agree with aemorgan.

bullyproofvest: love love love your place. I'm swooning over your kitchen-- can you give some source info? And the shelving in the sitting room-- is that vintage?

I think it's 1000 times better, and while it isn't bold and highly designed, its a comfortable space that, I'd guess (based on the traditional style of the railing), fits the the house. But I have to agree with two points: 1/ the photos on the landing don't work whatsoever; 2/ did you really remove that lovely stained glass window?

I'm with the Hideous before but nothing worth showing in the after. Taking the white paint off of the stair treads had to be awful.

It doesn't seem like they really did much but remove the wallpaper and stair runner. Obviously it looks much better now, but now it's sort of generic.

I don't think the stained glass window was removed.... I'm pretty sure the "after" picture is of a different window. In the stained glass picture, you can see the bottom of the window is almost touching the staircase/molding. The second window picture seems to have been taken at the top of the staircase.

I'm not sure why having a gate in your home to keep your child off the stairs is something to be sneered at. I can't wait for the day I don't need one of those gates in my house anymore, but in the meantime it serves a purpose and I could care less what it looks like. When Babies R Us starts selling super stylish baby gates, maybe I'll pick one up.

Anyway...good job! It's not easy to get work done in a stairway. I think the makeover looks nice and fresh. I have similar red and white wallpaper in my foyer and stairway so I sympathize. I would actually be partial to keeping it if it were in better condition but the plaster needs repair in quite a few places behind the paper and it's ripped in a few spots -- doesn't look so hot close up. We'll put new paper up when we can afford it, I guess.

Have you considered a runner? It might be that little extra thing you need to add some more color/pattern.

Yowza! The after shots are like a breath of fresh air. Nice work! One question though... what happend to the red drapes?

Definite improvement!! And not boring, either.
The before looked like an 1890's brothel....

Thank you for not painting the wood. I don't know what the obsession is lately with painting everything white.

A lot of comments over a staircase! So I'm adding my two cents worth: The re-do makes me think this place was coached by a real estate agent for sale. Where's the little occasional table with the vase of super market flowers?
Don't we get in decoration ruts? Maybe the new neutrality is just a relief after many years of "I love red".
Personally, I'd like to see the first floor beneath the stairway elegantly wallpapered, because I'm guessing this was what they were aiming at with the puffy window treatment and match stairway runner.

I kinda liked the wallpaper, but I appreciate the desire to make things new and fresh, and very much "your own." Good job of getting the paint of the stair steps. Love the coffin window.

That wallpaper was great . . . if you want your home to look like a frontier whorehouse that was the scene of a desperado shootout and subsequent bloodbath.

The space is now calm and harmonious, and looks to be inhabited by adults. It doesn't need "more color" - those of you calling for "more color" should take your Crayolas and color the walls of your own playpens.

About the only valid criticism I've seen in this thread pertains to the framed pictures, namely that the landing probably needs more of them (or, perhaps, one large framed picture to replace the teeny-tiny one that's there now).

I hope you donated those big red tasselled 80s curtains to your local bordello. Recycling is good :)

I can see why the wallpaper had to go - there are too many angles and walls surrounding the stairs to find an appropriate place to stop wallpapering. It would have been too much of a (questionably) good thing.

I like the fact that the dual wood tones in the stairs match the dual wood tones in the floors. I covet those floors.

Wow people. This is someone's home. I know that posting your pictures on this site leaves you open to criticism, but come on. I'm sure it took alot of hard work and time and blood, sweat and tears to turn the Victorian nightmare into the calm, comfy home they have now. They are obviously proud of their home and accomplishment. And maybe they LOVE white paint! There is a difference between respectful comments and suggestions and outright meanness.

I love how fresh and clean it looks.

That red carpet was like a horrible, horrible Cosby sweater.

Anyway, it looks like a gorgeous, welcoming home now. Well done!

The red looked(no pun intended) Bloody awful. I half expected Herman Munster to jump out from the corner. Nice update

I don't understand why you were "shocked" to see the walls, woodwork, stairs, bannister, windows, etc. remained intact after removing carpet, wallpaper and window treatments. It's rather common.