So a little history on this after and before pic of my former crackhouse Brooklyn brownstone. I grew up in a single floor tract house (describing it as a "ranch house" would have been an upgrade) and remember watching the Brady Bunch, dreaming of living in a house with a staircase. Their stairs were exotic, luxurious, and apparently a great place to throw a tantrum!

Staircases in TVs and movies were never banal, meant to get us from floor to floor in one piece, but an opportunity for an entrance. I mean, how many movies and TV shows can you think of where stairs actually played a pivotal role? So an important step in fulfilling my renovation fantasies was rescuing this abused staircase. 150 years of neglect and in need of some major TLC.

So our staircase went from a passageway you went through as quickly as possible to being a great fun focal point and a gallery for our art collection. Not exactly the Brady Bunch, but it'll do! Swipe left to see the “before” pic…