A Very ’70s Dark Wood-Paneled Hallway Got a Butter Yellow Revamp (for Cheap!)
Awkward spaces are common in older houses, and in Steffy Degreff’s 1954 home it was the staircase spandrel — the small triangular part of the wall created by the stairs. The space was along a very 1970s wood-panelled hallway — which, for her colorful, cottage-like style, just wouldn’t do.
“My goal was to take a forgotten [moment] and turn it into something that would make someone stop and pause, and think ‘Wow, that looks so cute!’” Steffy says.
Steffy is a DIY, seasonal decor, and craft influencer who used her passions to turn this tiny two-foot-wide space into a vibrant spring hallway moment that’s a breath of fresh air.
Butter Yellow Makes a Dreamy Striped Moment
The hardest part of this DIY project? Getting the lines crisp and straight. Steffy has painted stripes before, and she says it’s harder than you think because so many things can go wrong. So she used the ’70s paneling as a guide and knew to use a laser level, which made the process so much easier.
Then Steffy painted over the dark paneling with white paint. “A great hack is to paint white paint over each layer before you paint the color to seal it in,” she shares.
Because she was alternating the pops of yellow with white anyway, Steffy painted everything white first and then went back and painted stripes in a butter yellow she had from a previous project. For a similar look, use Sherwin-Williams’ Venetian Yellow, Sherwin-Williams’ Friendly Yellow, or Benjamin Moore’s Hawthorne Yellow.
Slow and Steady Creates the Perfect Stripe
After everything was painted white, Steffy taped out the lines and then began painting yellow. When one stripe was complete, and the paint was dry, she peeled off the tape and taped over the stripe she had just finished, switching to the other color.
The process might seem tedious, but taking your time is key because you want to achieve crisp lines and vibrant colors, and sometimes paint can bleed through the tape — creating uneven lines or patchy spots if you rip the tape off too quickly.
“Go slow, and make sure the lines are level! If they are not, it really messes with the final look,” Steffy explains.
This Hallway Moment Is Under $100 to DIY
“All I needed was some painter’s tape and paint!” Steffy says. Because she already had some of the supplies on hand, it was quick to get started.
But Steffy also added Polyurethane Flower Stair Bracket Molding. She painted them a mossy green (think: Benjamin Moore’s Regal Urban Nature) and used Command Strips to attach them to the corners of the stairs’ stringer.
Decorating the small space with vintage art (hung using more Command Strips) and a small wooden stool that she already had, the once-forgettable area quickly became a vibrant hallway moment with renter-friendly hacks.
It’s the perfect spring refresh for any forgotten nooks or corners — bringing fun details and a vibrant yellow to your home.
Inspired? Submit your own project here.