The best way to brighten/update a dark paneled foyer and staircase

last month

The house is 200 yrs old with a dark, large paneled foyer and staircase. Foyer is about 12x14 with a small closet. There is carpet on the foyer floor which needs be ripped up and replaced with tile/stone. The rest of house has hardwood flooring which will be refinished. How do I update the foyer without ripping out the paneling? What flooring should I put down? The dining room is all paneled as well.

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HU-573726374
last month
Thanks. I was thinking of painting it and replacing the carpet with a nice tile floor. There is so much dark paneling in this house.
HU-573726374
last month
Thanks. I was thinking of painting it and replacing the carpet with a nice tile floor. There is so much dark paneling in this house.
There is hardwood flooring but uneven in color as it looks like it was put in at different times over the years. All the hardwood floors need to be refinished and stained the same color.
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Hollybar, your room is to-die-for gorgeous! What colors did you use? Generals1992, how wonderful you get to help your parents and design their home with all their gorgeous antiques and paintings! I personally would do recessed lights along the hallway. to brighten it up a bit. I'm a big fan of gold (not the nickel) for the sconces, but glad to hear they like it. I like mixed metals (like gold with silver frames, etc., but it seems too modern for the space. What kind of chairs are you doing? Glad you are keeping the Persians. I'm envisioning velvet chairs..... Great job on the wall of photos, perfect! (I think the most fun part is that they went away for 3 days and you got to fix it up and reveal it to them. So special!). Be sure to post pics of the bathroom you are referring to and the room leading to it. Definitely need a gorgeous wallpaper in the powder room and marble and gorgeous faucets....
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HU-573726374
last month
Hardwood flooring bit it needs to be refinished.
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HALLETT & Co.
last month
Most houses from this period had painted trim and floors originally, pine was rarely a celebrated wood until this century. Mismatched wood floors tell the story of the house but unifying them with a consistent stain color is fine as long as you aren’t over sanding them.
herbflavor
last month
last modified: last month
its possible none of the surfaces ae original to the home. the value in that case is relative. In your community if there is a team that works with homes to do sensitive renovating I'd have a closer look at things . You havent indicated a whole house plan , do you like or dislike the paneling and so on. the value of the paneling if removed could be such that you could repurpose it. As well, old paneling gets painted often. What do you want from your older home? The picture is fuzzy and its only the entry way......its an odd little closet... maybe take it apart and make a better closet but I dont know.....A 200yr old home can be torture to deal with or something that rewards and satisfies you. too many unknowns. if you had time/resources/ help to do anything..... what would you re-create this area to be? look over the various areas in that sense then work to get close to some specefic goals, where it make sense over time , with your /budget/ resources etc. .... maybe you've renovated quite a bit inside and this is the last bit......we dont really know.
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HU-573726374
last month
Thank you for your comments. The door you see in the picture is not a closet but the powder room, which’s is a step down. There is a small closet though. The house has lots some charming features but it does need a lot of TLC. The kitchen was updated and the wood floors don’t match. The house has spectacular views of the water which it why it was purchased. The carpet in the foyer needs to be ripped up and I would like maybe stone or porcelain tile there. All the railings on the banister are too wide and not up to code. Thinking of painting the paneling (not white). Just trying to get some ideas. The dining room is paneled floor to ceiling which will stay for now.
herbflavor
last month
honestly cant picture a STEP DOWN when you enter the powder room??? anyway.....I would probably get the carpet out to assess your surface as there is prep for tile etc. the powder entry door will pop in all its detail..or lack of ...once you get a nice new foyer floor. I think in a foyer some trim out /casings would warrant considration around bath door/ the floor area toe moldings etc / Is this the main use entrance??? Here is a ?powder room ? w detail corresponding to the main entry features so it blends in.....and some other closet doors with detail trim....giving finished look in an entryway.....then some feature floor tiles just for a start re the possibilities...
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HU-573726374
last month
Thanks for suggestions
dan1888
last month
last modified: last month
Call This Old House and offer your house as a project. They have experts. Their current program features an older home in Boston.

The best way to brighten/update a dark paneled foyer and staircase

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HU-573726374

HU-573726374

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