Hi guys,

ok, this is probably the ugliest area of the house and it’s the one everyone sees because it is the entrance from the garage and the powder room is right there. The steps lead to the basement. It’s a horrible design because there are two doors that open onto each other and those are both right at the top of a flight of stairs. I’d love to rip it out and redesign it but that’s not going to happen for a few years, if in fact it ever does.

Main issue—I need to repaint. Originally I thought bright white was a great idea because this area gets no natural light. What a dumb idea. I have a 4yo boy and a husband who rides bikes and the walls are filthy as are the doors!

Also, the basement walls are in bad shape from years of moving items in and out, among other things I’m sure. They are painted Paneling.

The wall at the bottom of the steps leads to the basement, which is black and white. I have bo desire to repaint the basement right now, if ever, because it’s just a playroom, tv room, and exercise/laundry area. I don’t really care to spend all that time on it right now.

Te area at the bottom of the steps though needs attention. It’s in terrible shape and at least needs to be painted a color other than white to look good.

Thoughts? I have SW amazing gray in most of the rest of the house and like it. The carpet here is charcoal grey. The powder room st the top of the steps is Behr cracked pepper (just repainted based on a recommendation on this board and Love it!). I am quite tempted to paint the doors a super dark color like cracked pepper, but I’m also afraid to do it. If I did that I guess I’d consider Amazing Gray for the stairwell and walls surrounding the entryway too. I’d repaint the trim a nice bright white.

Here are some hideous pictures—can’t wait to see what you guys come up with. If my ideas are awful, don’t hesitate to say! Time is so precious and I don’t want to waste time painting if I end up hating it. Of course, I hate what is there now so...what do I have to lose?

Powder room right by entryway:

and without further ado, the ugly:

Entry from garage on left, door to powder room on right, steps to basement on left

Steps to basement Basement wall is continuous with wall at bottom of steps . I think it needs to be a different color because every stain shows on it and it’s in bad shape. But I don’t want to repaint the basement! At all!