Entry Goes Black

We decided to do it. We are going to change the entry-way closet doors to black, along with the banister and the stairs. This weekend, Jason busted out the old sander and sanded down the stairs so that we could stain them black. He started with the stairs because they are the biggest pain to do so he figured he'd get them out of the way first.   Here is the last time you'll see them in their original color:

And here they are sanded:

When I left the house this afternoon to go grocery shopping, there was a haze of wood dust filling the air. Those of you who have ever sanded anything in your home know what I'm talking about. No matter how well you block off the area, the dust seeps out and manages to get on everything. Poor Jason was covered in it too and it is perhaps the job that makes him the most miserable.   Remind me not to give him any more sanding projects.

When I returned from the grocery store, my banister and every other stair had gone from unfinished to black. Here is a sneak peek of what we have going on right now. We had to leave every other stair so that we could get upstairs to our bedrooms.

We had to block off the base of our stairs so our dog wouldn't get on them and track stain throughout the house. Luckily, she's a 7-pound chihuahua who can be carried up and down the stairs easily.  Here's a picture of Maggie from this summer (since I have been terrible about getting up our 'About Us' page -- coming soon, I promise).

I am giddy with excitement because I cannot wait until the whole thing is finished! I am envisioning it all coming together so nicely and I hope all the doubters out there love it as much as I do.

I found some more pictures of black banisters that solidified my decision to stain them black. Take a look and tell me you don't find them gorgeous?!

This one looks as if they have left the wood color on the stairs, but the banisters were stained black.

traditional staircase design by new orleans architect Bockman Forbes + Glasgow, Architecture + Design

This one also has a black banister and very dark stair treads.  Notice that the base newel post is black.  We were originally planning on painting ours white, but after seeing this picture, we are reconsidering staining the bottom post black.  They did leave some of the newel posts white and that looks nice too. Still deciding . . .

traditional entry design by seattle architect Sullivan Conard Architects

This is an absolutely beautiful winding staircase with a black banister.

traditional staircase design by new york architect Austin Patterson Disston Architects

Here is one that is black with black stairs to match the floor.  I love the light fixture too!

traditional staircase design by new york architect Austin Patterson Disston Architects

Now the big decision is whether the newel post at the bottom of the stairs should be white or black.  We are open to suggestions!  Stay tuned to see the finished project!