I wish I kept better tabs on our home renovation journey over the years with better before and after pictures. The thing is, before and after pics take major patience! Unless you’ve got an unlimited budget and a construction crew, the DIY stuff just simply takes time. Our entryway has been on our minds ever since we bought the house in 2018, but it was never a priority because we had an entire kitchen, three bathrooms, bedrooms and a living room to re-do. Not to mention getting a new roof, heater, and other #notsoglamorous upgrades.

That being said, the entryway is the first thing you see in a house. And in our house, we have a split level, so you get a glimpse of both upstairs and downstairs when you arrive. Our honey-colored, old 1965-era hardwoods were very worn (especially the stairs) and rickety. They squeaked with every step until we had the new carpet runner installed very recently! Additionally, and most importantly, the spindles were not to code and posed risks for children and pets that could poke their little heads through. We knew that before we had kids we needed to fix the post, ASAP.

Speaking of “the Post,” this is Rosie’s favorite roost to hang out! She loves sitting at the top of the steps and looking out the front door windows to see the Amazon guy, mailman, or people walking their dogs. Rosie virtually NEVER makes a peep, so when she growls or lets out a little “woof” you know she is probably at her post and has detected someone passing by! I am so glad that Rosie’s post has gotten a new makeover.

This update really does show what how good change can be!

Before

After we got rid of what S calls the “gargoyle light” and the hideous electric blue carpet, the entire sightline improved. To me, the entryway stopped being a true eyesore. Trust me, other things had looked worse. Our stairs railing was pretty neutral, and classic; the stained hardwood floors were (oddly enough) the best-looking floors of the house, considering how often they took a beating.

AFTER

Hello, new railing! S and his dad installed everything themselves, excluding the carpet runner which we had done by a local company.

FUN FACTS ABOUT THIS TRANSFORMATION

• The light fixture sort of unintentionally goes with the black spindles - that was not planned! I am so happy with the cohesiveness of the black wrought iron vertical lines.

• The carpet is SO cozy, and super padded. The steps used to squeak and now they don’t! It is very soft considering that we went from nothing on the hardwood to a very professional carpet installation.

• The treads in the before were a $30 Amazon fix (temporarily) because Miss Rosie, who is scared of the steps, could not climb the steps with just the hard wood. I guess it was too slippery for her paws and she wiped out one too many times. Any one who knows Rosie knows that she needs a solid 3-5 minutes worth of attempts to climb the steps! Poor pup.

• In addition to “the Post,” Rosie also goes to the other end of the railing when visitors leave - this is called the “Goodbye Corner” and she ALWAYS says goodbye to people there, without fail! She is so sweet.

• The oak used in the posts was going to be stained, but we liked the naked look of the wood. It was really light and pretty! So, we opted to just seal it (it ended up darkening the oak anyway, but it is next to impossible to notice).

• Now, the spindles are spaced out appropriately and it is up to code! We used to have a huge plastic see-through sheet that we mounted over it when Rosie was a pup, so she’d not get her head stuck. And now that we have baby, I am relieved that everything is child-safe!

ciao! xo