$100 Room Challenge: REVEAL Basement Staircase
Yay, we made it to the $100 Room Challenge: REVEAL of our Basement Staircase and we stayed in budget!
Welcome to $100 Room Challenge: REVEAL of our Basement Staircase and we stayed in budget! If this is your first time seeing the $100 Room Challenge, let me give you some background, it is a bi-annual challenge sponsored by my friend Erin, from Lemons, Lavender, & Laundry. What is the $100 Room Challenge all about? This challenge takes place twice a year, January and September. Erin invites us to redo a room in our home using a budget of only $100. As you can see the premise of this challenge is real simple: one month, one space, and $100. If you want to know more about the $100 Room Challenge, check out Erin’s post to see how the concept was inspired, and it’s colossal growth since she decided to start it!
Weeks at a Glance:
WEEK 1 WEEK 2 WEEK 3 WEEK 4 REVEAL
Since this is Reveal week let’s take a little trip down memory lane to see our before look at the landing and the steps we have been working on the last five weeks and where we started and how far we have come.These steps were a mess all paint covered with exposed nails. Even though this space was a rough finish by our builder it was not in any shape to move forward on finishing our basement. Clearly they would have been fine if we had planned to just cover them up with carpet, however I do not have a single stitch of carpet in my home, so that was not going to happen in this space. The landing was even rougher, plywood decking at best so a plank style hardwood would need to be installed to cover this unsightly space. As for the sheet rock, it was in okay shape but not the greatest, again it was an after thought for the basement. During the building process we really did not pay a lot of attention to this unfinished area. Being a hallway it gets a ton of traffic and needs a durable paint finish which is scrubbable and also cleanable.
The Proposed Schedule:
Week 1: The Plan
Week 2: Clean/Prep Steps Remove Over Spray Paint, Sand Treads, Putty Nail Holes/ Stain to Match upstairs steps
Week 3: Wainscot Chair Rail & Re Paint/ Touch up Walls, Add New Light (fixtures we already own, gathering dust for 3 years for another project)
Week 4: Install matching Hardwood on Landing (Leftover boxes found in attic from Building) Maybe Add Artwork?
Week 5: REVEAL
BUDGET:
Week 1: $0
Week 2: $3.68 Stainable Wood Putty
Week 3: 8- 8′ Chair Rail Pieces $7.02/ea= $56.16, 4- 8′ Wainscot Trim $6.84/ea= $27.36
Week 4: Stair Nosing $7.99, Liquid Nails Construction Adhesive $2.48 Quarter Round $1.22
Week 5: $0
PROJECT TOTAL: $98.89
This is our final reveal, I have added a small round table which was previously seen in the before pictures located at the bottom of the steps. Now that the landing is finished it actually warrants having a pretty feature area, as you ascend or descend the staircase.
Since it is a staircase I felt it did not really need a lot of cha cha, or pictures just a nice clean simple focal point at the landing. I also loved the way the light washed the wall, so I wanted to use some art I had with texture. This is a piece that I have had packed up since we moved which has been searching for the perfect home. It is a one of kind commissioned piece we bought almost 20 years ago at an annual art show called the Dogwood Festival in Piedmont Park. The trick with this type of art is proper lighting. Since we had already installed a wall washer style of light it was going to highlight the ridges and textural parts of the art. Making less become more.
As for the floral arrangement, nothing is going to live in this dark stairwell with no natural light. So I chose to use one of my faux orchids and just placed it in a pretty basket which was also an art festival piece that has been looking for a new feature home as well. I added in a few antique spools just to fill the basket space and carry a small amount of my farmhouse style into this very non farmhouse feeling space. I will be the first to admit that this area does not scream farmhouse, but in design it is fun to have pockets of unexpected design in your spaces. Personally when I look at this space I see hotel lobby, but then again my home is not all farmhouse, it is a mix of modern industrial with nods to farmhouse style which will be more apparent as you go into the basement. One last thing we added back to our steps is the super handy step basket. It saves us so many trips up and down the steps. It has always lived on the other side of this door and will continue too, so my trips to the basement are beneficial. I highly recommend one of these it keeps you from laying things by steps, or next to the door which drives me nuts.So this is now my view from the family room, and as we get the basement finished out we will remove the door completely and just have this as an open hallway. PIN ME for later and be sure to follow us on Pinterest at Jen @ JENRON DESIGNS
Holy canolie this is awesome! Love the light and LOVE the art! As a kid I wanted to be an Egyptologist (still kinda do) so this is giving me all the inspiration that I can incorporate my passions into my decor. Love it all, enjoy your new space!
What an amazing transformation! What a beautiful area to walk through now. The stair basket is something I have been wanting to get but instead I have been making myself walk up and down the stairs for exercise. I still want the basket though. 🙂
Great transformation! I really love that stair basket too!
This looks incredible! I love the contrast of the white paneling with the wood banister! That’s a great little table too!
-Madi xo |
Jenn your stairwell looks amazing. I love the white and the dark stain. The light fixture looks amazing. Love when you make something work with things you already have on hand. Great job transforming your stairs.
How gorgeous is this? That molding makes that stairwell. Such a great transformation.
This space is beautiful now. I love the way you styled the table and the basket is so smart. Great makeover.
Jen, really what an amazing transformation. I had no idea just how much you would be able to do with a stairwell. Great job!
That step basket is such a nice touch! Love this
It looks amazing, congratulations! I’ll bet you did a happy dance when you were done 😉
This stairwell is breathtaking. The landing, the arts, everything is perfect.
I’m convinced this is the fanciest basement staircase around! All the hardwork you put into them really shows and the final touch of that half-table is the icing on the cake. I also absolutely love that artwork and sconce!
I am in love with the stair basket and the whole look of the area. I would love to come home to this everyday. Beautiful!
WOW! That is a HUGE transformation! You did an incredible job with this space. I think you were right to keep it very clean since it’s a narrower staircase. Love it! So glad you joined in another round of the challenge! You created, yet another, amazing space!
Great job. It turned out really well. The basket at the door is genius.
Wow! Your stairs turned out amazing. Great job!!!
Well done! This is a great reference for me too.
Wow, I love what you were able to accomplish with your $100 budget! You really added so much value to your house as well.
I love that staircase.