When we moved into our house just over three years ago decorating the hallway as not a priority.  We had no central heating and no hot water so the hall and staircase got a lick of white paint over the existing wallpaper.  Now we didn’t hate this wallpaper but didn’t love it either.  With some well chosen artwork and wedding and family snaps we created a gallery wall up the staircase to hide our ‘Meh’ wall.

As time went on the hall irritated me more and more.  I loved what we created with the gallery but by now I hated the wallpaper in fact that’s all I could see.

When I suggested to Mr B that we should take off the wall paper he was not at all keen.  It will be a nightmare! Take too long! Make the house like a bomb site etc….

So when Mr B announced he had a week working in New York I had the perfect chance for a fab surprise.  I bought a wallpaper steamer and set about taking off the paper.  The paper came off quite easily but what I didn’t calculate was just what was left.  Walls that were crumbling and in need of sanding, and a staircase that went on forever.  When Mr B arrived home from his week in the States he got a surprise alright but possibly not the surprise I had intended.

After the initial shock (grounds for divorce if ever there were!) we worked together to smooth and paint the walls.  We decided on a dramatic colour scheme of dark and light.  Brilliant white paint for the top half of the staircase wall and Deep Space Echo a very dark almost black green from B&Q’s Valspar range. 

We were keen not to have a dado rail so Mr B drew an imaginary line halfway up the wall which has worked wonderfully as a backdrop to our mostly black and white gallery.

We finished up by flooding the floor with a dark oak floor varnish from Wickes own range. 

What do you think?  Would you go to the dark side? I love the contrast and now I’m delighted to open the door to nothing less than a dramatic entrance. 

Love DSB X