Attic Entryway Hallway One Room Challenge The Victorian House Upgrades and Maintenance

One Room Challenge: Week 4 (Those Stairs, That Hall)

Some things look better (the ceiling and the third floor doors), most things look worse (everything else).

Stairs and Floor After Pulling Up Carpet

It’s gotta get worse before it gets better! It will all come together in these last two weeks. I’m so grateful to my sponsors (denoted with asterisks) for providing many of the physical goods needed for this makeover. That has allowed us to allocate our budget toward labor and hire out some of the other jobs that were either over our heads (framing and hanging the drywall that is literally over our heads) or too time-intensive to finish by the One Room Challenge deadline (skim coating the back entry and stairway, and custom binding and installing stair runners). Knowing that those jobs are being taken care of, I dedicated myself last week to repairs and properly prepping surfaces before painting, and Brandon removed a bunch of the stairs’ old carpeting.

We’re working on the front and back entryways, four flights of stairs, and two hallways, but I think the biggest impact for us will be in the second floor hall. We are remodeling this home slowly as we’re able to devote time and money to doing it properly, and the hall is probably the most visible record of that work.

Hallway Changes Over Three Years

The house has been through many changes in its 125 years. The front half of the house was separated from the back when we moved in, and you had to walk through the former kitchen on the second floor to get to the back bedroom. We removed a built-in that was probably added in the 30s (which was a little sad), taking the hall back to its original layout and gaining daylight from a window that was blocked off in the process. A doorway was moved, the walls were fixed, and the former kitchen turned into a nursery. We also ripped up the damaged old flooring and replaced it with new hardwood. The hall was painted, and all was well for about two years. Then we rewired the second and third floors, and we lived with conduit pipes and plenty of holes for the past year. Now we have a ceiling again! The holes have been patched! And in the next couple of weeks? All of that wood trim is going white, the doors are getting painted black, the temporary lights will be replaced, wallpaper will be hung, the window will get a roman shade, and sconces will be installed where there were never sconces before. It’s all pretty exciting.

There isn’t much else that needs to happen in the hall as far as decorating goes. I like gallery walls in other people’s homes, but I want to let the wallpaper stand on its own here. There is a spot tucked away next to the bump-out for the chimney that will get a new dresser* for extra bathroom storage (it’s just across the hall and down a few feet). That little brass lamp* will stay with the dresser, and maybe the tray* too if I don’t use it elsewhere. Then something will go above, either art or a mirror, but I haven’t decided what yet.

Tall White Dresser

Here’s how some of the other details look together!

Making it Lovely's One Room Challenge Design Details

I’m so eager to get those sconces* installed. The tassels relate to the tassel sconces on the first floor, and the rope detail relates to the new hardware* on the third. The trim needs to be painted first and then the walls papered, and all of that’s waiting on the other work that’s underway.

The new stair runners are waiting on that work, too. We’re going to have them bound on-site and installed by a pro because there are a lot of twists and turns over the course of four very old flights of stairs. That carpet is on sale right now for National Karastan Month, FYI, in case you’re looking to do the same. Karastan is holding a big sweepstakes for an area rug and $1000 off, and there’s also up to a $1000 cash back coupon as part of the sale.

I have a lot of stair prep ahead of me before our installation happens! Black treads, white risers, and you know… not gross.

Stairs Under Old Carpeting

Gross Old Stairs

It looks so bad right now. But we’re getting closer!


Follow along with the One Room Challenge participants!

One Room Challenge• Jana Bek • Chris Loves Julia • Shannon Claire • Coco.Kelley • The Curated House • Driven by Décor • The English Room • From the Right Bank • Sherry Hart • Hi Sugarplum • House of Jade • Hunted Interior • The Makerista • Making it Lovely • Marcus Design • Pencil & Paper Co. • Megan Pflug • Place of My Taste • Suburban B’s • Waiting on Martha • Media Partner House Beautiful • TM by CIH

My One Room Challenge Posts

Follow along from the beginning!
• Week 1: The Before Shots • Week 2: The Design Plan • Week 3: Work Very Much in Progress • Week 4: Those Stairs, That Hall • Week 5: When it Rains, it Pours • Weed 6: Final Reveal!

* Asterisks indicate that an item was provided by a sponsor.

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  • JOANNA SOOPER
    October 26, 2016 at 9:51 am

    You are a bad-ass! I love seeing everything you can do! I am always inspired :)

  • doodletllc
    October 26, 2016 at 10:06 am

    Nicole – I love the wallpaper choice…I love gallery walls too but it makes me crazy to see the pictures hanging wonky when they get “bumped”…and those tassel sconces are dreamy. WoW!

  • Amy Wadley
    October 26, 2016 at 11:11 am

    It’s amazing. And I have to say that seeing that you’re still in the middle of all of the work makes me feel a little better about where I am, (where I just pulled the bathroom down to the studs on Saturday and am starting to put it back together this week).

  • Amy
    October 26, 2016 at 2:36 pm

    I think this project is so exciting!! Love the way you showed the progress in this post – – and the light coming in from the window in the 5th photograph… just love it. It’s going to look so awesome!

  • sherry hart
    October 26, 2016 at 5:26 pm

    You guys are incredible…so much hard work goes into rehabbing and old house but when it’s finished I know it will be so good! Can’t wait for the reveal:)

  • Nicole Torres (@DesignItVintage)
    October 26, 2016 at 8:37 pm

    Wow, you definitely have a lot of work ahead, but it’s looking really pretty so far. I love all the wood detail. It lightened up the space, what a transformation.

  • Zoe Borrowdale
    October 26, 2016 at 11:12 pm

    Lovely to see a ‘ proper’ house . Many of the blogs I follow seem to feature houses with flimsy walls that look like they d blow down in a strong wind ! Yours looks sturdy and well built . Looking forward to seeing the end result

  • Cynthia
    October 27, 2016 at 10:36 am

    I love that you’ve chosen the back alleys to finish properly and show us the process…indeed, a lot of ugly. I have no doubt these areas will simply glow when you’re finished. And that pic of you on the ladder hugely pregnant belongs right up there with the famous Rosie the Riveter poster. You are amazing and such an inspiration!

  • Celeste
    October 27, 2016 at 11:05 am

    These are my favorite posts! So much perspective to offer. It’s cool to see the layers peeled back on a home and I’m excited to see how it progresses.

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  • Linda
    October 29, 2016 at 5:51 pm

    I feel like I need to send you dinner so I know you will stop to eat? I hope the worst is over and you are turning the corner. This was a huge job.

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