Cool! What a great improvement! =)

I love it! I really love the hardwoods, the cool door at the top of the stairs, and the splash of color the stairs make now.

Wow! What a nice transformation…. I’d love to see more before and afters as work on this home progresses!

very orla kiely-ish!

So fun! I want to transform our stairs…now I’m all the more inspired.

I love these before and after posts and this is an amazing transformation.

saw this on Living etc , an amazing job , just love it

makes me want to rip out my carpet and get out the paint brush! Just lovely!

Wow! Those stairs are amazing! I never would have thought to do something like that!

Incredible!

love it! beautiful and clean and mesmerizing . . .

It’s much fresher! I’d worry about the Orla Kiely print’s trendiness though…

Love those stairs!!!

I dream of ripping up the carpet on mine, but there is no wood underneath — when the time comes it will be a costly project.

wow- this looks incredible! totally works so much better. a whole new look and feel…i LOVE it!!! :D thank you so much for sharing & inspiring!

The stairs look great and Helen did an amazing job on this project, she should be very proud of her efforts!
I would like to remark on the frequency with which the before & afters on this website have used people covering furniture, etc with wallpaper and often this exact Orla Kiley wallpaper pattern.
As a design sponge fan, I would like to challenge the bloggers to feature before & afters that really push the envelope as the amount of wallpaper projects/painting and reupholstering chairs in splashy prints featured on the site are beginning to feel a bit repetitive.
Case in point, the dresser/commode turned sink featured today, an impressive project with a surprising twist. Please keep more like this coming!

i never comment on these makeover projects but always love them. this one blew me away. the vision! so inspiring.
i love bold design moves.

Hi there…love your stairs…but I noticed that you changed your lovely pattern 10 glass doors… do you still have them? would you sell them?…

paint the banister gloss black. it would look awesome.

We just ripped up the carpet on the stairs of our new house on Tuesday. I don’t know my stair lingo, but the part painted white in the “after” is in relatively good shape whereas the part wallpapered is in really, really bad shape. So something like this might be a great, relatively cheap fix. I agree with Caroline’s post that this type of wallpaper would be too trendy for me. Does anyone have any ideas on what other types of patterns would look good? We haven’t painted the hallway yet, but are thinking of doing some variation of beige. Thanks!

Hi Ali,

I think a nice chevron print would be really beautiful and not too trendy, hearkening back to the sort of lovely herringbone flooring so few of us are lucky enough to have (see an example of a pattern here: http://www.woodenflooringsales.com/hardwoodblockflooring/images/chevron_pp.gif )

If you are considering something floral but not girly, you could render this rug pattern in freehand: http://onegrandhome.wordpress.com/2009/04/18/picture-this-primary-colored-bedroom/

And I also think there is a case for simplicity–in the right colors, a simple stripe motif could look awesome and timeless.

Totally great! Wonder how my stairs would look with wallpaper… hmm.

I did this at my last apartment. It ended up being one of my favourite things about the place.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31622796@N00/3023217739/in/set-72157608911729392/

I can imagine all the hard work that went into that project.. good work and it turned out terrific!

oh, i just adore this! it really brightens up the space. i would smile every time i walked up those steps.

Whoa, my jaw is on the floor. That is so gorgeous. Those butterfly steps…and the before picture looked so jacked up!

Standing ovation!

Wow, these are some lovely makeovers, thank you!

I think the print used looks out of place, I think if a flourish design in the same color was used, it would match the style of the house better.

HOLY MOLY! Those stairs are a real stunner. That’s a lot of work! Nice job.

This is incredible. But how do you prevent the white stairs from getting dirty/dingy?

If i opened my front door each day to be greeted by those wonderful stairs i would forever be smiling! I know lots of wallpapers covered items are being featured but this use of paper is so creative and really make me wish i’d waited before buying carpet. well done Helen- they are fab!

I love the idea and even the execution, but like others have already remarked, I worry that Orla Keily prints are going to look dated in a very short time. The very mod print also clashes a bit with the older architecture. But I think this would look truly fantastic with a more classic print.

Love the look…but did I miss the how-to? I am wondering if the paper is covered in something to protect it. Otherwise, I could see it getting dirty and torn. The risers on my stairs are very marked up from shoes and although I think this would be a great way to make them pop, I worry about the durability. Would a coat of lacquer over the paper work?

wow- gives an already great entrance a big punch of color and style!

those stairs are impressive. the pattern works so well, what a smart solution!

I love those stairs!!!!

The stairs are so cute now, such an improvement. The pattern is a matter of personal taste (I think it’s fun) & could go in many different directions. Very cute!

I’m not really an Orla Kiely fan, but this is totally fun!

I LOVE these stairs! The best staircase makeover ever!

Gorgeous design for the stairs. So striking and what a fun design element.