I think your staircase is too narrow for "funky" or anything other than plain.

But my brain doesn't think in plain! LOL. That wall is bigger than it appears in the photo. It is 6 feet wide and 15 feet tall. You can only see half of the wall from the bottom of the staircase.

Stairs need to be safe, first and foremost, so, NO to the curtain.

it would help if we could see the actual staircases and wall. any way to get a photo of the wall instead of a sliver?

I don't think chalkboard goes w/your vibe. do some bright art, a bright wall, stencil, wallpaper,,,bold, bright color,,,, and absolutely no curtain.

Ok. I will nix the curtain idea.

Beth - It's really difficult to get a photo of the entire space because there is a wall in front of the bottom of the staircase so hard to get a clear shot. Also, the light is out and of course it would take a giant to be able to reach the bulb. But this gives you some idea of how the space flows. Maybe?

Olivia - I've got art all over the place. Is there such a thing as too much? A gallery wall would be by far the easiest way to go.

can you put some larger canvas pieces, similar to what you have downstairs, on the wall?

or what if you painted the entire wall black and a gallery wall of white frames, black and white pictures?

do you have room for a cool hanging light fixture? (and do the LED bulbs, they last longer)

another option is to tile the wall with stone, tile or even reclaimed wood.

The first thing that came to mind is whether people will be brushing up against the chalkboard on their way by it. Wil you be covered in chalk dust? Curtain seems Iike a tripping hazard on stairs.

It seems like no one likes my chalkboard idea. My kid loves to throw his tennis ball to the wall on the staircase and it gets the wall really dirty. I was thinking if I had a chalkboard wall that it would hide a lot of the dirt from the ball. He could also draw targets on the all with chalk. The easiest thing would be to not allow him to throw the ball in the house but.......

Saypoint - you make a good point about people brushing against the chalk dust as they travel up and down the stairs. Then the thought of chalk all over my blue sofas.... OK I will definitely nix that idea!

If I did a gallery wall I would put a piece in his throwing spot that could withstand the ball. It would be his target piece of art.

Beth - I do have some very large pieces I could use in that spot I don't know if a really large piece would look right under that big window, that's why I was leaning towards a gallery wall instead of one large piece. I would love to cover that window completely with a huge painting but I don't think I can talk my dh into that. Maybe my kid will throw the ball and break that window and then I will revisit the idea of covering it up with dh. LOL

No disrespect, but send the kid outside with the ball. You want a target game on your gallery wall?? Guess if it doesn’t bother you...

saypoint - I really don't mind him throwing the ball in the house (or to specific paintings). I love to paint so I can paint a few pieces of disposable art on mdf instead of canvas. If I were actually purchasing art then obviously I wouldn't allow him to do that. Any paintings that end up in that space will be ones that I create.

Woodtea5 - I was thinking the same. It would be fun to see what people write. Don't they also have markers for chalkboards too? If that's the case then it would eliminate the problem of chalk dust.

I think the chalkboard would be very cool and you could use colored chalk on it not all only white, if you did put a curtain I think one that is STATIONARY a full functional curtain wouldn't be necessary,and it would keep from darkening the space and let light in! I think it's such a neat idea and a different way than just the classic decor options for a staircase, and would really make yours stand out. Not everything needs to be framed or straight edges of you are looking for funk, especially in the staircase it seems like the perfect space to try to make some freedom from the boxed in feel. What if you did the chalkboard wall but put up a nice frame around it the whole space and let the chalk art be in there.

Mon - What do you mean by stationary curtains? Something like Roman shades? Like you said, I don't need them for function. I was just going for looks. What style do you think would work?

ilekefriday The chalk dust isn't bad, you just have to vacuum from time to time. Don't buy the sidewalk chalk that's the messy one. Good chalk comes in lots of colors

We moved an arcade near the wall and have running scores in one area that don't get wiped but I have had some things drawn that I hated to see go and other things that needed to be removed right now lol

I agree about the chalkdust factor. It would likely get all over a curtain as well. And the stairs look carpeted...?

What about a wall graphic? There are numerous options, and even custom designed from your photos

https://www.etsy.com/c/home-and-living/home-decor/wall-decor/wall-decals-and-murals

You could even create your own painted graphic = )

carolb - Yes the stairs are carpeted. I just look at the carpet and pretend its hardwood. They say your thoughts create your reality and I hate carpet. So no/yes. They are hardwood. ;)

I thought about wallpaper and I had a wallpaper saved from Houzz that I LOVE but I can no longer find it. It was graffiti wallpaper. Then there is the cost factor. Wallpaper is expensive. And this would be a diy project and I can barely wrap my brain around how I would paint a wall so tall. I don't think I could manage hanging wallpaper without killing myself in the process.

'I just look at the carpet and pretend its hardwood. They say your thoughts create your reality and I hate carpet. So no/yes. They are hardwood.'

love this so much. whatever you do. . .come back and post a pic, I wanna see.

Wallpaper is expensive but stencils are cheap (relative to wallpaper anyway). An all-over wall stencil would add just enough interest to be fun but also not draw too much attention (most people won't want to hang out on your stair landing drawing on a chalkboard, I think). And since your very artistic you'll love being able to combine colours however you want. You can probably even succeed in doing the highlighting and accents that we mere mortals quiver at the thought of attempting!

You know what would be a great place for a chalkboard wall? The powder room door. Gives people something to do while they are in line!

Or heck, you want graffiti? I can think of a couple of artists near me who would *love* to have the opportunity to do their art on your walls!

Lindsey - I just finished painting/ stenciling my bathroom floors. I worked and reworked that stencil pattern for close to a year and it was only one color. Finally, I just stopped. I am fine with pretending that I nailed it and that my pattern is perfect. OMG. I can't imagine balancing on a ladder and trying to stencil that wall. I would have to shoot myself. It would never get done.

Oh no! I'm laughing out loud at you and my family thinks I'm crazy...

I should have mentioned, choose a scrolly pattern that doesn't require perfection. Screw ups get lost in the pattern!

Lindsey - yeah. That was my thought when I selected the ultra busy, scrolly stencil I used. Screw ups do get lost. Problem is, for the first 6 months I could still see them. Now I look but can't find them. Those first 6 months were a challenge and 6 months is a long time.

Stationary by means of less fabric, you don't need a full curtain that will open and close just the amount to hang at the side.

You could even thrift frames, paint them, and put them on the wall empty for people to doodle in. I am loving this idea tc_kellygirl, I think I'll use it for my family room!

you don't do a ladder,,,you'd rent a scaffold. if you want to graffiti or stencil, or even if you want to DIY paint, the scaffold is the only way to do it safely.

but the curtains are a bad idea. just no on the curtains ,,,on the stairway.

Your whole space looks fun and funky. I think you've got this. Chalk paint for now until your kid doesn't want to throw the ball. Its all good.

Maybe even a little basketball hoop?

I like the idea of the frames on a chalkboard. I do understand that the curtains are a safety issue but if they were just on one side and not full curtains do you think it is an issue? Short rods like Mon posted and yellow curtains to match the yellow chair at the piano? I did a mockup with the middle photo with the yellow curtains in place. Also, I don't think I'm willing to do the chalk unless there are chalk markers that can be used. I don't want chalk to end up on my sofa. A quick Amazon search tells me there are liquid chalk markers. I want to make sure they don't dry chalky.

Beth I know you said the chalk idea does not work with the rest of my decor. Do others feel the same?

Suzyq53 - A basketball hoop? There are already wayyyyyy to many balls in my house..... Do you see the little circle photo by my name? Cant think of what that's called right now.... That's a photo of a hole in the wall that was made by a baseball. It's behind that orange and white painting in the photo above. We have since downgraded the indoor ball throwing to tennis balls, even I have my limits. What was I thinking anyway allowing him to throw a baseball (into a net) INSIDE THE HOUSE? He missed.

I like where you are going with the yellow curtain and researching about the chalk markers, I say try it out because it looks nice and different, eclectic and it is not horrendous at all besides one day you are going to miss how he always threw that ball and nothing beats having live art in action, the hard part is going to be when something gets put up there that you don't want erased! The stairway is an area of movement and I'm just loving the idea because of the location.

I have no problem w/ a funky chalkboard wall, I just feel it's not very practical in that particular place, nor is anything hanging on the wall, since that might catch on someone or something going up or down the stairs and either be damaged or do damage.

Wall graphics need not cost very much at all, you know. Painting it DIY would likely be the least expensive, but there is also collage.

These are paper collage. So many possibilities...

I thought I would post my update. After I researched chalkboard walls I found that there is a clear coat you can put over a painted surface to make it into chalkboard, therefore the colors are not as limited. I decided to go with that. The wall is a dark blueish/purplish/blackish color depending on the light. Now I'm just waiting for Amazon to deliver the chalkboard markers and the chalkboard clearcoat. I will cover the wall and the painting both with the chalkboard clear coat.

Besides that, I still also have a few touchups to do and I also have to put the handrail back in place.

My next project will be painting the white walls and cleaning the blinds as they are both filthy! Next week????.

Oh good! It sounds like its going to be a fun DIY project, have fun!

Do you think I should put anything on the left side of the wall or should I keep the rest of the staircase with bare white walls?

I like them white :)

White and Gallery Wall is betty than chalkboard paint.Would you consider some 3D pattern paint on wall.Then space and stair will be felt as big.

Demax - You have peaked my interest. What is 3D pattern paint? I would have to really love it in order to go that route because I already painted the wall and a painting for that area (see photo above). I have not yet covered it with the clear chalkboard coat. It's just the dark painted wall with the painting of the lady below the window right now.

Also, I think I have too many gallery walls in my living room, which leads to the staircase. As I look around my living room, I have art groupings on every single wall and am in the process of painting something for the wall you see when you enter the front door. Is there such a thing as art overkill? Maybe I just need a house with more wall space. That or either throw my paintbrushes away. It's like an addiction...

That's why I went with just a large painting in the staircase.