For far too long, I would walk up and down the stairs and think about how bland the landing was. There was a pair of antique Chinese paintings but they were alone and completely out of proportion with the wall. It’s the sort of non-problem that’s annoying but never really such a problem that there’s a real impetus to do anything about it until you decide you’ve had enough. For me, this was because I got bored and needed something to do so I started a project.

I love wallpaper but didn’t want to commit to wall papering the whole landing so I decided instead to buy a single roll and frame it. Another issue I have with wallpaper is that removing or changing it is a long, annoying process. I was scarred during an early renovation project where the wallpaper seemed superglued to wall and was impossible to get off- this was, obviously, in no way related to my lack of experience and was all the wallpaper’s fault. All that to say, wallpaper is a commitment I was unwilling to make. By framing some, I was able to get a bit of the benefit- rich colour and patterns- with a fraction of the time, effort, and expense. I can also easily change it seasonally or whenever else I feel like.

Since all our walls are neutral, I wanted to add some colour and depth. I looked at all sorts of wallpaper and, perhaps unsurprisingly, landed on a William Morris wallpaper very similar to what was in my dining room growing up. I love William Morris prints, there’s something so timeless about them and they were very present in my life as a child. While I did order a single roll, I’ve since seen that there are other, perhaps better, options for framing like these drawer liners. Good quality wallpaper is expensive but, if you’re framing it, you don’t need the thickness and durability that you get from high-quality wallpaper. However, if you choose an alternative, you might not get the same richness in colour. The best thing to do it order some samples and decide based on what you see in person, not just online. Facebook Market place can be a good place to get wallpaper on the cheap and, because I love all things second-hand, I love perusing to see what goodies are on there.

Top tip! If you’re looking for something specific, for example a leather armchair, you can teach Facebook Marketplace’s algorithm what you’re looking for by saving posts that are similar to what you want. Even if the post is on the other side of the country or way out of your budget, by saving it you’ll be shown more and more similar items and will, hopefully!, eventually find just the thing you’re looking for.

In retrospect, my frame choice was odd. I bought frames from Ikea and painted them. If you’ve ever tried to paint laminate, you’ll know how annoying it regardless of what DIY influencers say. They’re also a bit boring so, if I were to do this again, I would thrift some wooden frames. I got two RIBBA frames and painted them in Rustoleum Aged Copper. To paint laminate, a good primer is an absolute must and I highly recommend Zissner Primer. Even if your paint says it’s a paint and primer, you’ll need to use a separate primer before painting.

How to paint laminate:

1. Sanding- some swear by it, others say it’s unnecessary. I do it but it’s, apparently, optional.

2. Primer- these frames seemed to be extra laminated so I did two coats of primer. I don’t sand again because that can cause the primer to peel off.

3. Paint- I think I ended up doing three coats

   Painting a frame can be tricky so I removed the glass and used painter’s tape on the backing so I could get in all the nooks and crannies on the front of the frame. This was quick and mostly worked but didn’t leave the neatest edge.

Deciding how to arrange the frames on the wall was a trickier endeavour. While two frames hardly counts as gallery wall, positioning them at an angle over the stairs meant some experimenting. I cut the cardboard the frames came into the same size as the frames and used the cardboard to decide where to place and how to position the frames. Initially, I just put the cardboard up without measuring anything and it quickly became clear I needed to be a bit more methodical, so I measured the wall to be able to centre the frames. After a few variations, I settled on staggering the frames vertically while keeping them centred horizontally. Because of the awkward angles on the landing, it’s difficult to get a decent picture but having something on that wall makes a big difference.

Onto the other landing wall! I put the pair of paintings up not long after we moved in because I was so ready for the house to no longer be a building site and didn’t give it much thought. After I put the frames up over the stairs, it became clearer that the other wall needed some attention to get it balanced. After Christmas, we had a big clear out and I found some architectural prints from my grandmother that I’d forgotten about. I took them to my favourite framing shop in town, Art @ Home. They’re really helpful with showing different combinations of mounts and frames and I always appreciate their advice. For these prints, both have the same dark wooden frames and one has a hunter green mount while the other is navy. They both came out looking nice and I’m so pleased the prints aren’t hidden away anymore.

To give the wall better balance, I put one of the prints up with antique pair stacked next to it. I still felt like something was missing on the perpendicular wall so went to my favourite store, Reed and Sons, which sells the best antique and second hand furniture and art. You never know what you’re going to find and it’s always worth a snoop. I found a great oval mirror that was just the right size and I just love the shape in an otherwise very angular space.

The landing is no longer a barren afterthought but, instead, has been given some much-needed personality.