Could you believe these pictures are of the same space? Kirsi transformed a cluttered staircase—“Best decision ever”
The open staircase of this house collected a mix of clutter and dust underneath. After the renovation, you wouldn’t believe it’s the same space!
What an amazing transformation! Could you tell us why you wanted to renovate the staircase?
Cleaning under the stairs was a lot of work because we stored shoes under there. All the shoes were always dusty, and there was other clutter that always caught the eye when you looked from the entrance or were on the way upstairs. One time my daughter accidentally dropped a small Lego piece when she was on the stairs. It was really fun to search for it under the stairs among all the shoes.
Where did you get the idea for this particular solution?
I’ve seen similar transformations before, probably on Pinterest. I pondered the renovation for many years, but it was left on hold. The idea lingered, however, and I considered different options for enclosing the stairs. I even asked a stair manufacturer for ready-made panels, but they were too expensive. However, they gave me great tips on how to execute the transformation myself.
Can you tell us more about the renovation? How did you execute it? What materials did you use?
The staircase project was the first one I undertook in this house after my divorce. Since then, I’ve done other renovation as well. My brother Mikko Kalaoja has built himself three detached houses, so I asked for his help with the technical execution of the stairs.
In practice, we installed risers on the stairs and simultaneously built the closet frame, covered the frame with beadboard, and attached the door, which I had bought a year earlier secondhand online.
We closed the steps with laminated wood panels. I chose the most cost-effective sizes and we sawed them to the correct measurements. We made the closet frame from laminated veneer lumber and attached it to the frame of the stairs and the adjacent wall. We didn’t attach anything to the floor, as there are heating cables inside the concrete. But the closet frame has remained straight, even though it is not attached to the floor.
How much did the transformation cost?
The wood materials cost about 350–400 euros, including screws and fittings, but there was enough wood left over to build a small pantry in the kitchen. The recycled finds, such as the door, were about fifty euros, and the window was around five euros. I later painted the panels with paint that was left over from when I painted the kitchen. All in all, I managed to keep the costs under 500 euros.
How did the renovation go? Did anything surprise you?
The renovation took only two days. The most challenging part was probably getting the laminated panels to the right size, so that they fit well into the staircase gaps but there’s also a little room for expansion. If the panels were too tight, they could warp the stairs. It’s important to consider the fluctuations in room humidity.
You finished the look of the space later. Tell us about that!
The following year, when the panels had sufficiently “dried,” I painted them the same green as our kitchen walls. I also used my winter holiday week to remove the old wallpaper from the hallway, sanded and filled the walls, primed them, and finally painted them with blue-gray chalk paint. I painted the stairs and railings with light gray chalk paint meant for floors, which has held up well. There are some small marks and signs of wear on the stairs that we’ve caused ourselves, some of which I’ve already touched up. I had to paint the stairs, of course, because the steps were birch which had darkened over time, and the laminated panels were unfinished pine.
What do you store in the closet?
Right now it holds extra shoes, waste paper, used batteries, shopping bags, jumbo packs of kitchen and toilet paper, and a small number of tools, as you don’t always want to fetch a hammer or screwdriver from the storage room. In winter, it also has my daughter’s skates and ski boots, precisely the kind of items that are large and unsightly yet need to be easily and quickly accessible.
What do you think about the transformation now, in hindsight?
I would say this was the best decision of my life. I still love the appearance and color of the closet and stairs. The functionality is excellent, although the door is a bit low, requiring a slight duck. The clutter stays well hidden from view and protected from dust. Whenever I post about this project on Instagram, I get many comments and questions about the implementation, as it seems many have the same problem and dream about a solution.
Do you have any new home-related changes in the works?
In early summer, we made a new wood shed in the garden, as the old one resembled more the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The wood shed was built by my boyfriend, and it has some special properties, such as fine mesh between the different sections to prevent the wood from falling sideways to the other side. We’ll take the rest of the year to relax, but there are always projects brewing in my mind. I’m dreaming of a summer kitchen, but we’ll see when the time for it comes.
