The Swedish Cottage stairway of my dreams

Well friends, we did it! We have officially completed the (most recent) remodel of our 1928 cottage. We started May 31, finished July 10, and tackled a whole lotta work in the in-between. I’ve shared some of the journey over on my Substack, but I’m definitely looking forward to getting started with some Before & Afters here too! In addition to sitting back, basking in the glory of a finished home, I have also gone around and around trying to figure out what to share with you first. It’s a tough choice! There’s so much goodness! But after lots of debate, I’ve settled on the Swedish Cottage stairway of my dreams. Let’s dive in, shall we?

What is Swedish Cottage style?

First, let’s dive into the inspiration for this stairway space. I talked about it a little bit in this post, but to me, capturing that Swedish country house vibe really comes down to a few common features:

• Wood paneling. As you can see from the photos above, most, if not all of these staircases have some form of wood paneling. Whether it’s a beadboard wainscot or floor-to-ceiling tongue and groove, every stairway image I have pinned over the last four years has featured wood paneling.
• Light colors. In parts of Sweden, the sun doesn’t even rise during the Winter. This is why country cottages are primarily painted very light colors. They take advantage of every drop of light available, rain or shine. We can tend towards gray skies here in Oregon, plus we have a lot of old, mature trees on our property that block out natural light. Light colors reflect light best and make it feel brighter in our space.
• Natural materials. Swedish cottages also utilize natural materials to bring the outdoors in. It is common to see wood floors, wood walls and wood ceilings, even if they are painted. It makes the space feel more organic and at home in the country.

Goals for my stairway

A stairway is a space that doesn’t really serve any purpose other than to get you from one place to the next. There’s not typically a lot of room to decorate and in our case, it isn’t even an architectural feature since it’s totally enclosed. In fact, this space was originally intended to simply serve as a glorified attic ladder.

When we first bought the house, we had been very concerned about the steepness of these steps. Our boys were 2 and 4 at the time, and it seemed like a broken neck waiting to happen. We even contemplated borrowing extra money on our loan to reroute the entire staircase at one point. But our timeline was slim and we figured we could live with it for a bit and see if it was a major pain point.

Turns out it wasn’t that big of a deal after all, and nobody has met with any tragic circumstances on these steps, despite their mean pitch. So as we approached this space in the project, my overall goals were to make it feel LIGHT, BRIGHT and SAFE.

BEFORE: 1928 Cottage Stairway

Whenever I think about the fact that we were under contract for this home before we ever stepped inside, I experience some combination of a giggle and a shudder. What were we thinking!? Well, we were thinking that this property was too incredible to pass up, no matter what the house looked like. And we were also thinking that my Dad could eventually help us get wherever we needed this house to go.

Here’s a look at the stairway when we bought the house.

Why do I care so much about my stairway?

When we first bought our house, the stairway had a door at the bottom, was enclosed by dark paneling, low openings and basically felt like a deep, dark cave. The stairs also had a dark, dingy and rather fragrant old outdoor carpet glued to the treads. I tried to remove all of the carpet, hoping there would be wood underneath that we could sand down and stain, but the treads were busted, broken and in terrible shape. I ended up painting the treads with a charcoal chalk paint, painting the glue-coated risers with a white paint and calling it good for the time being.

But basically, our stairway was the stinky armpit of the entire house. I dreaded going up there. The stairs always felt steep and intimidating, and I’d procrastinate any upstairs job as long as possible. It wasn’t a happy or usable space, and I think it affected us all more than we even realized.

Here’s a video from BEFORE we started the most recent remodel project.

Here’s a look at the original 1928 attic ladder, once we ripped the old treads off. Can you imagine trying to walk up and down that thing!? The treads weren’t even as deep as my foot!

Picking the pieces for our Swedish Cottage stairway

So, where did we start with transforming this dark, dingy space? Here’s a few of the materials and selections we made in the process of making over this staircase.

The treads. We went back and forth for a while on what to use for the treads. Would we cover them in the carpet we chose for the entire upstairs? Or would we go with wood? My Dad and I ultimately decided we’d head to the same place we got our pine floors 4 years ago- Lumber Liquidators– and stumbled upon a beautiful White Oak stair tread that was a great price. Especially with his contractor’s discount.

I stained all 14 treads myself, laying them out in the backyard on big plastic sheets. Which, in retrospect, was not the easiest way to do things. Live and learn.

When it came to picking stain- not my favorite job- I turned to the wisdom of Pinterest. I’d actually seen a stain mix on Pine & Prospect Home’s YouTube Channel that I really liked, but she was working with red oak, and we had white. Sure enough, it ended up being too dark for our treads, so I tried out a Pinterest recommendation, Antique White by Varathane. It was perfect!

I applied two coats of Antique White to each stair tread, leaving them time to dry in between, then rubbing the stain off with a microfiber cloth. Once the stain was dry and I was happy with it, I applied two coats of matte Polycrylic. I used Polycrylic instead of polyurethane because I didn’t want any yellowing, even though there isn’t any direct sunlight in this space, better safe than sorry.

I also chose not to sand the Polycrylic at all, as I didn’t want these steep stairs to be too slippery. They are a perfect texture and I’m so glad I didn’t smooth them out. Especially when I have a big laundry basket in my arms.

The wainscot. As you can see from my inspiration photos, woodwork is a key feature in a Swedish cottage stairway. Because we had a tight timeline and budget, we weren’t sure that the beadboard wainscot was going to work. But our finish carpenter is a stud and he down to give it a shot, and so we made it happen. And I am SO VERY GLAD because it makes me smile every time I pass by or use the stairs. The beadboard is the same product we have used elsewhere in our home, from Lowe’s.

It is so gorgeous, so easy to clean and adds a heap of character to this small space.

The paint. If you remember from my previous posts, we have decided to stick to a 3-color palette for our little cottage. This makes things feel unified, tricks your mind into thinking everything is connected and bigger, and just looks pretty and cohesive. The walls in the stairway are Sherwin Williams Alabaster in Satin (scrubbable!) and the woodwork is the same color in Semi-Gloss.

The handrail. I went back and forth on this one for a bit. Do we even need a handrail with the wainscot? Do we want round or kind of a beveled shape? Wood or painted? I really wasn’t sure and didn’t have strong feelings. My Dad ended up advising me to match the stair treads and go with a white oak, and I am SO GLAD we did. The railing is just beautiful and I love how it pops off the white beadboard. We used these brass brackets to attach it.

AFTER: Swedish Cottage Stairway

I’m still in shock over how gorgeous this space turned out. We fully reached our goals of LIGHT, BRIGHT and SAFE. The clean white paint with a little bit of shine makes this small space feel big and airy. The vertical lines of the beadboard and white risers make everything feel taller. And the super strong, new white oak treads- with just a hint more depth- help traversing these stairs feel easy breezy.

I am so pleased with this space and so grateful for a beautiful passageway into our brand new upstairs bedrooms. And bathroom!

It is truly a pleasure now to come down these stairs in the morning- we all moved upstairs- head up these stairs to go to sleep at night, and several times a day to make beds and put away laundry. It’s a beautiful, peaceful space where I find myself taking a breath and uttering a prayer of gratitude.

I even hung this sign in the blank space on the way down the stairs, and I read it with a smile everytime I head down.

On a serious note…

Friends, here’s what I want you to know about this renovation.

No, material things cannot bring us true and lasting happiness. And yes, we are called to gratitude and contentment in all circumstances. BUT I also want to acknowledge how much an old, beat up and unfinished space can really wear on you over time. Over the last four years I have battled with feeling content in and grateful for our little home, and I really wanted to be careful about placing too much identity in or importance on this project.

That being said, it truly feels like a 1,000 pound weight has been lifted off my chest. Coming home from a trip last week to our new, finished and beautiful home was such a wonderful feeling. I can’t quite put into words how grateful I am on a daily basis. I finally feel at home here. Comfortable. Relaxed. Settled. What an incredible gift.

Questions about this stairway makeover?

Do you have any questions about our Swedish Cottage stairway makeover? Leave a comment below, and I’d be happy to answer anything you want to ask.

You can also pin this image and share the inspiration. Every home renovator needs a little encouragement now and then!

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