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bluelady

I hate my entry hall. Please help!

4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago

It's dark, it's small, it's ugly because there's so much visible wood. The door at the back is a steel fire door to the garage. It has no panels as the other doors have. This entire floor of the house is simply an entry. I want it to look nice, but I don't want to spend a ton. I like the console table and I like the mirror above it. I think I'd like to focus on painting the stair bannister, changing the rug, or doing something to that hideous back door. Any ideas?





Comments (21)

  • 4 years ago

    i think it is lovely, especially that console table. what if you painted or tiled the step risers? add wood strips to that door to give it a paneled look, and painted it? maybe new door knob/lock-in-one hardware that is the same style as the console? (Asian or arts/crafts or something modern)?

  • 4 years ago

    Have you considered painting the stair risers the trim color instead of the stair railings? I think it's a very classic look to have wood treads and white risers. You could mock it up with white poster paper to see if you like it before you paint.


    This is an example I found online (not mine).


    You might also consider changing out the rug by the garage door to coordinate better with the rug in front of the console.


    Overall I think what you have is quite nice and has good bones.

  • 4 years ago

    The first thing on my to do list when I bought this place was to paint those stair risers. But after living here for a few years I realized why I wouldn’t want to do it. The stairs are very steep and narrow. So at least once a day the back of someone’s heel scrapes down the riser. If I had painted them I would constantly be repainting them.
    The rug- as soon as I posted the pic I thought “ that rug has to go!” Why am I so blind to it in person??
    The back door - I considered adding wood trim but it still wouldn’t match the other paneled doors. Wouldn’t the raised panels have to match when in such close proximity?
    I do usually hang a seasonal wreath on that door, but I don’t have one for this season. I have spring, summer, fall, holiday, but no Feb/March wreath.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    the table is nice. (I'd prob do a diff rug to get some color and more pattern )

    Love the idea of the painted risers. or, have you though about doing a runner up the stairs? I know it can be a little pricey, but they do have a DIY tutorial on how to do it yourself.

    painted newel posts, spindles, and a runner.

    shiplap walls


    otherwise, try painting the wall, or the doors, the baseboard/trim or the bannister/risers. (not all of these, pick one or two)

    the current wall color is kind of blah, and blends w/the trim.

    what about this look? You could easily pull this off. notice the beadboard up the stairs and on the ceiling. also notice the darker trim color w/the white walls. and the bold rug.


    I like this idea^

    diff color walls/door, a more colorful rug, some texture, and a cool pendant light


    you could do a wainscot or board/batten, paint it or the wall above.

    The blue/white rug, wainscot around the walls, a nice light fixture, white risers/runner


    paint the walls a dark color, bright white trim. or paint the doors a dark color



    painted bannister, risers, shiplap on the walls


  • 4 years ago

    Definitely a runner up the stairs and a bigger rug will eliminate enough of the wood that it's no longer overwhelming. 
    Paint the wall and door to garage a dramatic color, trim and all to make the door disappear.
    We have a door to a storage room we didn't want anyone to see. We're lucky because we put it on a magnet closure, thus no door knob. Then we wallpapered the entire wall, door and wall. It's the mystery door friends think is so cool.

  • 4 years ago

    Totally get the heel marks on the risers. I have the same problem. Do you like black accents? Why not paint the risers and the banister black?


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    Then paint the closet door black and ignore the steel door. With a lot more to catch the eye in the foyer, you won't even notice a flat white panel. It will fade into the wall. Dressing it up only draws the eye toward it.


    Get some attractive carpet treads (Wayfair has a lot of them) that coordinate with a rug.


    Runner is ideal if you can't paint the risers but I think that gets a little pricey.





  • 4 years ago

    I love your “all wood stairs”! They look to be in great shape. If you want to brighten it up, add a stair runner like Beth H suggested. I had new oak stairs installed last year and love them.

  • 4 years ago

    A colorful runner, staple gun and a friend will get your staircase looking great. Measure the steps and risers to see how long a runner you need, and start looking for one with color. Then get a complementary rug for the floor. Your cabinet and mirror are already wonderful, but they need their neighbors to look as good.

    Paint the walls and the offensive door all one color and the door you hate disappears. It is not that expensive to do these small ideas. Beth gave you more ideas that add some pizzazz. This area doesn’t need much. Consider “the hunt” for the runner and rug a fun activity.

  • 4 years ago

    Add a beautiful large rug in front of both doors. Put up some attention-getting wallpaper on the mirror and stairway wall. There will be no need to do anything to the stairs or the other wood features: they'll be supporting players to the star wallpaper.

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  • 4 years ago

    @RedRyder I always enjoy reading your comments but I'm going to add a footnote to the above. Stair runners need to be really secure or it becomes a major safety hazard. Not sure what kind of staple gun you're recommending, maybe one with heavy staples driven in by a compressor strength but anything other than that would concern me.

    Most carpet does not bend and shape easily unless you have the right tools or have chosen a carpet that is made for the function.

  • 4 years ago

    I think adding a runner would be nice and solve several issues. I know you're hyperfixated on the door that is different, but I would say to me it doesn't stand out much at all. I wouldn't worry so much about it until you address some of the other things mentioned. What more stands out to me are those little pads on the stairs - I understand their function, but think a runner would look nicer and be less choppy, then some rugs that coordinate with the runner. If you are up to it painting the walls could make a huge difference to make the space feel more welcoming. You have a bunch of wood in the same color and a bunch of paint in the same color so there isn't much contrast on anything, but in the absence of that some other ways to bring color in such as rugs/art/accessories would help.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Eliminate the darkness by upgrading the lighting to 3500-4000K LEDs, and then running a strip of soft LED lights on top of the skirt board on the right wall to help illuminate and feature the stairs. These below are concealed under the top of the skirt board, but I think you'll find strips that could attach to the top or side of it. Pick up the"bluish" color of the tread pads in your new rugs and some accessories for the table. In the corner opposite the garage door, place a tall faux plant or a real one if feasible.



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  • 4 years ago

    I'd first price out doors--see how much it would hurt to get matching ones. They might end up a little different from the rest if the house but I bet you can get them close enough.

  • 4 years ago

    Great feedback! Yes I am starting to realize how ugly those stair treads are. I have a dog who suddenly avoided the stairs, so I did something kind of quick. I like that they have a rubber/silicone backing so you can pick them up and throw them in the wash as needed. Unfortunately that’s a new enough feature that there are not any nice designs with that feature yet, but I will keep looking. For the same reason, that’s why I don’t want a full runner - need to be able to clean dog tracks.

    I love the part about hyperfixating! Yes! That’s exactly what I’m doing! Haha.

    I considered beadboard or board & batten. My home is a federal style row home and the original ones have an enclosed space (two sets of doors) often with tile between the inner and outer doors. I considered trying to recreate a look like that (without extra doors) by doing beadboard for a small entry with some coat hooks, etc. then I thought about pulling the beadboard all along the left wall and to the back garage door to disguise it, but that may not be a good solution either. The right wall that goes up the stairs is part of what is called the tower or the stack. All the floor stairways are in the same location and they’re all open to the floors they’re one, so it was a challenge finding a place to stop one color and where to start another. That color goes all the way up to the third floor. It looks amazing on the second floor where there’s more light, but it’s true - it’s not flattering on the first or third floors, which are basically just hallways. I guess I should consider different paint too.

  • 4 years ago

    I have a steel fire door between my kitchen and garage. It is 6 panel and matches all the doors in my home. The table is very pretty but it blends with the floor. Have you thought of painting it a color?

    Blue thanked jck910
  • 4 years ago

    @tozmo1 - Absolutely! I used extra long staples that definitely held the runner in place. We made sure to secure the rug underneath each tread. Luckily, my friend was strong and good with a staple gun.

    @Blue - The wallpaper suggestion is a good one. The photos posted certainly make a case for doing something unique in that area. However, if your house is traditional, wainscoting or beadboard will complement that style.

  • 4 years ago

    If you decide to add a stair runner, you should still also paint the stair risers white. There won’t be a problem with scuff marks and it will add contrast to all the wood.

  • 4 years ago

    If you repaint, paint the steel door the wall color not the trim color. If you use wallpaper, cover the steel door with the paper.

    Blue thanked palimpsest
  • 4 years ago

    I would hope rugs on the landing would catch the worst of the dog paws before the dog gets to the stair treads. 
    But we have any indoor dog. Her time outside is minimal, so what do I know.

  • 4 years ago

    If the stairs are steep I might be a little nervous about a rug but that is just me - I love the black risers to break up all the wood. We have an old center stair colonial and we wallpapered our risers about 8 years and it has worn crazy well - no marks or tears, just another option

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