This Dreamy Bookshelf Makeover Transforms a Boring Staircase Landing
ABOUT THIS BEFORE & AFTER
HOME TYPE: Historic Home
PROJECT TYPE: Hallway, Stairs
STYLE: Colorful, Vintage
SKILL LEVEL: DIY, Professional
RENTAL FRIENDLY: No
Built-in shelving that wraps around a doorway is a special architectural detail, so it deserves special design treatment if you have it in your home. And if you don’t have it in your home, it’s possible to add.
Take a little inspiration from Natasha Lake (@homeofnatasha), who livened up a boring landing with dramatic over-the-door shelving.
“We live in a Victorian home, and the landing is very narrow, and it had no color,” Lake says. “It was quite boring! The space did not lend itself to having any other furniture in it, as it was too small.”
Built-in shelving adds drama without taking up too much floor space.
The space is, however, very tall, so Lake wanted to draw the eye upward without adding anything that would take up too much space. Enter: MDF built-in shelving, which she had a professional install, creating an accent wall.
“I saw this project as an alternative to painting the whole hallway, which I thought would be more expensive and also hard, as the ceilings are so high!” she says. If she could change one thing about the shelving, she says, she would add skirting at the bottom of the shelving for a more built-in look, plus a couple more dividers to split the top part above the door. But mostly, she’s pleased with the use of space.
Lake hired a professional to install the primed MDF shelving “as the house is Victorian, so slightly wonky,” and the shelves came prepped and ready to paint.
Green paint “adds an amazing pop of color.”
Lake painted the shelves herself using Farrow & Ball’s Bancha and a mini roller. “It was my first time painting a full shelving unit,” she says. “It took a few coats to get the finish I wanted. I used a roller to get the best finish and Frog Tape for the line where it meets the ceiling.”
Lake says taking out the shelves and putting them back as she went helped her get the best coverage. “I liked including different heights [for] the shelves so that it works for books and flowers and other decorative items,” she says.
But her favorite part is, of course, the deep green color. “The color definitely made the most difference; it really made it look finished!” she says. “It was bold but works so well in the space.”
The shelving adds storage and style.”Not only is it a practical space in terms of the use of the shelves, but it also functions as a statement in the hallway,” Lake says. “It adds an amazing pop of color.”
Inspired? Submit your own project here.
Further Reading
We Tested (and Rated!) Every Sofa at West Elm — Here Are the Best for Every Type of Need
I Just Discovered the Smartest Way to Store Paper Towels in Your Kitchen (It’s a Game-Changer!)
See How a Stager Used Paint to Transform a 1950s Living Room
