The Stairs.

This stairwell was one of our favorite features of the house. Like everything else, the transformation was painfully slow. It was actually the very last project we finished. This photo of Jaime was taken on one of our first days working on the house in the late summer of 2011. Note the light spots on the walls where hanging artwork protected the wallpaper from tobacco stains. Also note the intact wall on the left side of the photo. In the final photo, you can see the new doorway into the living room.

Ceiling detail.

Priming over the tobacco stains in December.

 October of 2012: ceiling patched and smoothed.

 Floor masked off for wall primer and paint.

 Jaime sanding trim while Bodhi gets in on the action.

And this was the state of the stairs for the next 16 months.

December 29, 2013: walls, railing and stair treads painted. Floor stained and clearcoated. (See Bedroom #1 and #2 for more floor detail.) We sourced the black light fixture from the Rebuilding Center for about $8. The globe is vintage glass from Hippo Hardware.

On the day that the new owners took the keys, Jaime finished clearcoating the black paint.

Done.