The stairs leading to the second-floor hallway at our Chester Court home in Brooklyn"before" the Madcap Cottage boys tackled the space. The whole house was glaringly white and antiseptic.
Gang:
When John and I moved into our Chester Court pad, we were thrilled to have gobs of wall space that we could enliven with wallpaper and cover with artwork. The house was so white-white-white that it was almost blinding to walk from the ground floor up to what would become the master bedroom.
The goal was to create a sense of adventure, to make the journey up the stairs as fun, whimsical, and enjoyable as possible. So we employed lots of artwork and added a jaunty carpet runner from Dash & Albert, and we papered the walls with a richly textured grass cloth.
The result is really engaging and, often, exuberant.
Here are a few “before” and “after” shots to inspire you to create some magic in your own home. Take a space that you pass right through and give it some passion.
Here's our second-floor hallway "after." We purchased the vintage scarf celebrating the coronation of King George and Queen Mary on eBay UK, and most of the prints hail from London's Portobello Road antiques market.
Here are the stairs leading up to our master bedroom "before." Dull, dull, dull, n'est-ce pas?
Here's that same stairway "after." Many of these prints were collected upon our far-flung travels. Artwork doesn't have to be expensive: Why not turn to Internet-based sources such as Zatista.com or Art.com or take vintage photographs and frame them...
Tags: Art.com, Before & After, Brooklyn, Chester Court, Dash & Albert, Madcap Cottage, Stairway, Zatista