It's a very cool place to be, and our apartment is quite spacious and airy, once you actually get into the front half of it.
Unfortunately, in order to do that, once you've climbed the very long flight of stairs, you find yourself right in the middle of the hallway.
It's dark,it's narrow, the only natural light has to come in through the doorways opening onto it. First-time visitors are bemused, to say the least.
My goal this week is to take this space and make it into something welcoming and possibly gracious, without spending a lot of cash, or investing in new furniture.
I think we all have spaces like this in our homes, at one time or another. Spaces we don't particularly like or even really know what to do with. The temptation is to just ignore them until it's time to redecorate. Or move.
But, as with the second-hand furniture I'm bringing home, it's surprising what a good clean can do for a space. Even if you hate a particular room, keep it clean, keep it tidy. Resist storing all your unwanted clutter in it. It's the cheapest form of decorating!
That said, there comes a time when cleanliness just can't conquer ugliness.
Here's a "before" from just after we took possession of the building, looking out from the living room door. The hallway is long, it's dark. And the top of the stairs is wide open and highly dangerous!
And, as if it weren't already dark enough, the previous owners actually blocked up one of the doorways with a wardrobe!
Despite all that, I think it has potential to be really nice.
Stay tuned and we'll see how I do!
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