Project Hallway

I have a confession to make. We hoard junk in our entryway stairwell. My sister-in-law recently remarked she had no idea we had an entryway stairwell. There was a good reason she (and many others) didn't realize this. Without further ado, I introduce you to our stairwell:

It's become a catch-all for a lot of our junk--speakers, wood filler, old paint, privacy film for our glass-front kitchen cabinets (that never quite made it onto the cabinets), mirrors, some Goodwill finds, a collection of pens & pencils (that I'm pretty sure haven't been used in nearly 5 years), and the circa 1985 Tunturi exercise bike we confiscated from my in-law's (don't judge--that thing gives a good workout!).

The stairwell has been the unfortunate recepient of our junk for 3 years now. We're either too lazy to walk things up to the attic, or the two flights down to the basement. The doorbell to the front of our house is located on the inside of the foyer entry doors, so for obvious security reasons we keep the entryway locked (using our side door instead). Actually, I take that back. The husband once invited his beer club buddies to the house and had the nerve to welcome them through the front door & up the stairwell. Thankfully guys don't notice junk. And if they do, they just don't care.

But you know what? I care! It's taken me this long & I'm doing something about it! So this past weekend I finally tackled the hallway. I decided several months ago on a color--Amherst Gray by Benjamin Moore--and shortly thereafter I read that it's one of the most neutral grays out there. But just to be sure, I tested it out first. Better safe than sorry!



Beautiful. Perfect. It was a match made in paint heaven! Thankfully the color was just dark enough that I didn't need primer OR a second coat. Don't you just love paint that doesn't require any more work than you're willing to give?! 

I also started painting the $39.99 HomeGoods mirror that will hang in the upper landing of the stairwell. I severely underestimated the amount of work involved when I purchased it. I mean, it was going to look super cute after a simple paint job, right? Well, 30 minutes into taping the stupid thing, I was only half done and had totally lost track of time. Not to mention, my mind.

Instead of several coats of spray paint (which would have been A LOT easier!), I opted to paint it instead--3 coats of high gloss paint (Alabaster by Sherwin Williams). Here it is in all it's glory...2 coats to be exact. One more to go!

So there you have it! The hallway is breathing a sigh of relief...we've rid it of it's junk (without the crew of TLC's "Hoarders: Buried Alive" thank you very much) & it's well on it's way to becoming an extention of our home. I'll be sure to post more pics as we make progress!