Homeowner Defends Decision to Remove House's Original Spiral Staircase in Favor of Modern Farmhouse Look (Exclusive)

Brittany Bailey has received hundreds of TikTok comments accusing her of "ruining a historic home"

A homeowner is defending herself after swapping her new house's original spiral staircase for one that better fits with her modern farmhouse aesthetic.

Texas content creator Brittany Bailey and her fiancé Donny Baker purchased their home in March 2024. They knew it would require extensive renovations and the first project on their list was to modernize the home's large spiral staircase.

"At first we thought we would paint it, but after brainstorming with our contractor, we decided to take it out to open up the foyer," Bailey tells PEOPLE.

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The couple's primary concern was that the large staircase proved to be difficult to navigate around, with Bailey telling PEOPLE "you had to duck under it" before it was removed.

"Even me being 5'2", it just wasn't ideal for a family home," she says, adding that it was even more of a nuisance for her 6'2" fiancé. "And it did not match our vision for the house."

So, they had their contractor demolish the spiral staircase, replacing it with one made out of cypress wood — a material repeated throughout the home's renovations.

That choice proved to be a controversial one, with the couple receiving hundreds of social media comments accusing them of "ruining a historic home" after posting their progress.

"Why would you ruin a gorgeous home instead of just buying a modern farmhouse?" asked one.

"Replaced beautiful architecture with a ladder," wrote another.

As Bailey notes, the home was built in 1976, making it not quite old enough to be considered "historic" (a term usually used to describe a home built at least 50 years ago).

Additionally, the home had already been renovated at least twice, once in the 1980s and again in the 1990s, before Bailey bought it.

"Most people aren't watching the series of videos we post, but just looking at the staircase," she says. "The staircase was beautiful, however, it did not match any other room or parts of the house."

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Despite the outcry among TikTok commenters, Bailey says she's happy with the decision.

"Our main goal was to open up into the kitchen and open up the view to the backyard," she tells PEOPLE. "Everything seemed so crammed into such a huge house, which just didn't make sense to us. The house will now have more of an open concept."

Bailey is quick to point out that renovations remain ongoing in the 10,000-square-foot house, and that the end result, she feels, will be a jaw-dropper.

"We believe everyone will be shocked when it is complete. It's definitely a 'trust the process' experience," she says. "I respect everyone having an opinion, and I even respect that some 'historic' things should be preserved. However, the house has now had several owners, add-ons and updates. We are just trying to make a house into our home."

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