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A Hosting Home

Styling and Inspiration + Handcrafted Designs

DIY PROJECTS, Home & Home Decor

DIY Moody Staircase Shadow Box Trim

DIY Moody Staircase Shadow Box Trim Molding / A Hosting Home Blog
This post contains affiliate links. Please see the disclosure on my about page for more information.

DIY Moody Staircase Shadow Box Trim

When we were building our house, we had a lot of conversations about this staircase. I’m personally not a fan of staircases with knee walls. I feel like they are tight and closed off. I really wanted to open up these walls with a railing, but the builder wanted an unreasonable amount of money for the upgrade. (Immediately, no.) Rob and I were convinced we could tackle the project ourselves and make this area of our home speak for itself. You’re not going to believe how it turned out!

Staircase Makeover

As you can see in the before photo (that’s not really a before photo because I already installed these stair riser decals), the staircase was boring, all white, and had no character. Not to mention, it already had a million tiny handprints in the few months since we moved in due to a toddler who has to touch every inch of wall as he walks up the stairs. 

DIY Moody Staircase Shadow Box Trim Molding / A Hosting Home Blog

The original plan was to open up these knee walls. But after living in our house for a bit, seeing how our toddler navigated stairs, and then finding out we’re pregnant again — we ended up deciding to keep the knee walls for the sake of the season of life that we’re in. Not only did we need secure baby gates at the top and bottom of the stairs. But also, open railings just seemed like a recipe for climbing and pushing things through to fall to their death (and our floor’s death.) 

It was when I saw this staircase makeover on Instagram that I knew I wanted to do moody shadow box trim for our staircase. I felt like it would make the biggest statement / impact without having to take out walls. As I always preach, paint is one of the biggest (and least expensive ways) to completely transform the look and feel of a space. But even knowing that, I was completely blown away at the impact of paint and a little trim. Scroll down and take a look for yourself!

Staircase Shadow Box Trim Supplies

  • Top Trim and Shadow Box Trim
  • Ryobi Cordless Brad Nailer
  • Self Leveling Laser Level
  • Wood Filler
  • Caulk
  • Behr Scuff Defense Paint (Satin Sheen) in the color Peppercorn by Sherwin Williams
  • Paint Brush (my favorite brush!)
  • Rub n Buff (for stair hardware) in the color Antique Gold

 

 

DIY Moody Staircase Shadow Box Trim Details

I should start off by saying that doing shadow box trim is insanely easy when you’re doing it on a normal wall.  It’s just 45 degree cuts on your trim to piece together boxes. Up at an angle on a staircase? Different story.

This project was extremely frustrating. Not only was it a ton of math that took me back to high school trigonometry, but it also was difficult due to un level walls and floors among some other slight issues we had to think around. (Why is it always like that in a builder grade home?) Each side of each section of the staircase ended up having its own set of measurements and angles. 

Once the math was done and we got our cuts figured out, it was actually pretty smooth sailing from there. We first made all of our cuts. Then we actually built the boxes prior to putting them on the wall. Not only did it make getting the boxes on the wall incredibly easy with our laser level (you just had to level the entire box rather than each individual piece), it made the whole thing a streamlined operation. 

After the boxes were on the wall, a lot of finish work had to happen during nap time. I wood filled all the seams of the boxes themselves and the nail holes. Then I caulked all the seams where the boxes met the wall. Taking your time with this step is what will get you the professional look you’re wanting when doing custom work in your home! 

To finish it up, I painted with Behr Scuff Defense (satin sheen) in the color Peppercorn by Sherwin Williams from the trim down. Peppercorn is one of my favorite colors I’ve used in our homes. The dark color paired with the Scuff Defense in Satin was the perfect choice to hide toddler handprints and make cleaning up any scuffs or marks it will inevitably get a breeze. To make the hardware pop and add some drama, I decided to rub n buff the hardware in Antique Gold. It’s very subtle yet the perfect touch.

DIY Moody Staircase Shadow Box Trim Molding / A Hosting Home Blog
DIY Moody Staircase Shadow Box Trim Molding / A Hosting Home Blog
DIY Moody Staircase Shadow Box Trim Molding / A Hosting Home Blog

Take a look at this! Can you believe this is the same staircase? It’s truly incredible what a little paint and trim can do. There are definitely some things I learned along the way. There are also some things I’d do differently next time. But, I am so proud of this project. I’m completely obsessed with how it turned out! I hope y’all love it too! But even more so, I hope that this inspires you to go for it if you’ve been itching to make a bold design decision or tackle a similar project in your home. 

DIY Moody Staircase Shadow Box Trim Molding / A Hosting Home BlogDIY Moody Staircase Shadow Box Trim Molding / A Hosting Home BlogDIY Moody Staircase Shadow Box Trim Molding / A Hosting Home Blog DIY Moody Staircase Shadow Box Trim Molding / A Hosting Home Blog DIY Moody Staircase Shadow Box Trim Molding / A Hosting Home Blog

 

Well there you have it, friends! I hope you enjoyed this closer look at our recent staircase makeover project. I am absolutely loving how it turned out, and it just goes to show the power of a little paint and trim work! Have questions or love it as much as I do? Let me know what you think in a comment below!

September 21, 2022

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Atlanta based Award Winning Interior and Event Designer and Home Blogger Cathy Nugent

Hi, friends! I'm Cathy, a nationally published award winning designer of spaces to gather and southern belle writer based out of a small(ish) town outside of Atlanta, Georgia. However, most people know me as the Monica Geller of my friend group – a coffee connoisseur and dog mom with a huge heart for hosting and an eye for design. The heart behind what I do is simple. I want to help you be intentional on creating spaces to gather and celebrating life's precious moments - whether that be weddings, parties, or something as simple as having loved ones in your home. Living Simply, Loving Generously, and Hosting with Heart.

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10/10 recommend just going for it and painting the 10/10 recommend just going for it and painting the entire room black. ✨ #ahostinghome

Color Details: Tricorn Black by @sherwinwilliams mixed in @behrpaint (Marquee, Eggshell) from @homedepot #swcolorlove #tricornblack #tricornblacksherwinwilliams 

Wallpaper : @wall.blush (See the full mural on the other wall on my stories saved to the ‘STUDY’ highlight bubble!) 

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✨ STUDY REVEAL ✨ I got a lot of nervous respon ✨ STUDY REVEAL ✨ I got a lot of nervous responses when I said I wanted to design an all black formal study right off my entryway, but I’m completely obsessed with every detail of this space. Rob has always wanted a study, so my goal with this space when it’s finished is to have almost like a moody, swanky cigar lounge feel. When we moved into this house this spring, I told Rob I was done playing it “safe for resale” with designing projects. Here’s to more of doing whatever the heck I want design wise in 2023! 👏🏼✨ Next up: let’s get this space styled and furnished! #ahostinghome

// Paint Color: Tricorn Black by @sherwinwilliams mixed in @behrpaint Marquee (satin on built ins, eggshell on walls) at @homedepot #swcolorlove #tricornblack #tricornblacksherwinwilliams 

// Wallpaper: @wall.blush 

// Light Fixture linked via @shop.ltk ➡️ https://liketk.it/3Yy4l #ltkhome 

#diy #diyproject #diyprojects #interiordesign #homedesign #builtins #diybuilds #diybuild #diyideas #diyhomeimprovement #diyhomeprojects #diyhomedecor #diylikeamother #diydesigntherapy #traditionalhome #traditionalhomemagazine #traditionalhomedecor #traditionalhomestyle #homerenovation #bhg #bhghome #mybhg #bhgcolor #bhglivebetter #bhgstylemaker
It’s been a year. ✨ & I can’t wait to see wh It’s been a year. ✨ & I can’t wait to see what the next one holds. #ahostinghome
“And with that, the 2022 season comes to an end. “And with that, the 2022 season comes to an end.” ✨🎄 When do you take your Christmas decor down? The Christmas decor got put away earlier this week, and the house always feels so empty every year when it gets taken down! I was going to wait till next week to take it down, but with only 3 weeks left until baby arrives I’m finding myself in total nesting mode right now. Behind the scenes we’ve been putting finishing touches on the study while Rob was off work for Christmas, so I’ll be sharing all the photos and updates on that to the feed soon. In the meantime, who wants to come organize closets and baby stuff with me?! 😜 #ahostinghome

#bhghome #bhg #bhgholiday #bhghowiholiday #bhgchristmas #bhgcelebrate #homedecor #christmas #christmasdecor #christmastree #traditionalhome #traditionalhomedecor #traditionalhomemagazine #homedesign #interiordesign #tablescape #tablesetting #tabledecor #tablescapes #centerpiece #tablecenterpiece
✨ Christmas Karen-ing ✨ It’s like caroling, ✨ Christmas Karen-ing ✨ It’s like caroling, but from your least favorite neighbor. #ahostinghome 

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Merry Christmas Eve Eve, friends! ❤️🎄✨ I Merry Christmas Eve Eve, friends! ❤️🎄✨ I hope you all have a cozy Christmas weekend inside out of this cold weather! We’re kicking it off cuddled on the couch watching  Christmas movies eating through the mountain of treats that have accumulated on the kitchen counter. What’s your favorite Christmas movie that’s a must-watch every year?! Ours are Elf and Christmas Vacation! 👏🏼😍 #ahostinghome 

#christmas #christmasdecor #raedunn #raedunnchristmas #homedecor #christmasdecorations #christmasdecorating #bhghome #bhg #bhgholiday #bhgcelebrate #bhgcelebrate #bhghowiholiday #southernliving #farmhousestyle #farmhouse #farmhousechristmasdecor #farmhousedecor #modernfarmhouse #modernfarmhousestyle #modernfarmhousedecor #southernliving #hgtv #hgtvmagazine #hgtvhome #chinacabinet #chinacabinetdecor #shelfdecor #shelfstyling
Baking Christmas cookies with my little helper! ✨ Growing up, it was my favorite tradition. I hope baking cookies with mom will be one of his favorites too. ❤️🎄 #ahostinghome 

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✨ Pretzel M&M Chocolate Bites ✨ Perfect salty ✨ Pretzel M&M Chocolate Bites ✨ Perfect salty and sweet treat for this time of year at home or for small treat boxes to share! Warning: These are extremely addicting! 😍 #ahostinghome 

Preheat oven to 200° F. Arrange Pretzel snaps (or minis!) on a baking tray and top with a Hershey Kiss. Bake for 5-6 minutes until glossy (but not completely melted!) Once out of the oven, immediately press M&MS lightly onto each kiss. Let chocolate cool and harden completely before packaging. 

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Christmas in the dining room and living room is my Christmas in the dining room and living room is my favorite. ✨🎄❤️ I’ve been dreaming of decorating this house for Christmas since we started building! Which space in your home is your favorite to decorate? #ahostinghome 

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