When we initially toured Welch House the first thing that greeted us when we walked through the door, was an amazing historic staircase. I was surprised to see it! I honestly thought that the house was going to be full of outdated paneling, so I was so happy to see plaster walls and gorgeous woodwork! I was completely in love with the staircase, except for the gold wrought iron bannister. In the 1930's when the Welch Family purchased the house, it probably seemed a bit outdate to them as the house was built in 1900. The Welch's hired a prominent architect from Omaha, Nebraska to come down and completely remodel the inside of the home. Walls were removed and rooms were taken away and rooms were also added. Here are a couple of "before" photos. The wooden bannisters were removed and wrought iron bannisters were installed in their place. Mrs. Welch had all of the woodwork throughout the home painted white, including the staircase. I can see the vision that Mrs. Welch had for her new home. The white staircase and wrought iron bannisters seem very French chic in my opinion, and at the time must have looked stunning! When the next owners moved in, they painstakingly removed all of the white paint and found a beautiful wooden bannister to install on the lower level. This bannister came from an old home that I believe was going to be torn down. I absolutely love the whimsical and intricate carvings of the dragon fly on the sides of the newel post. As beautiful as the wooden bannister was, it clashed so badly with the wrought iron bannister. I hated the way the staircase looked and longed to change it. But where was I going to find a matching 100 year old newel post? To have one made was not in our budget at this time. As fate would have it, I actually came across this beauty on Craigslist a couple of years ago! When I saw the dragon fly design and $40 price tag I was sold!!! This newel post came out of a Historic yellow Parsonage a few towns over, that was built in the 1800's. Do you remember the amazing tiger oak mantel from the dining room? Both the mantel and the newel post are from the same home! I just found them years apart. Oddly enough, the family that bought the Parsonage, had actually looked into buying Welch House at one time. I am so thankful that they didn't! This past winter my husband and I got to working on our staircase redo. It was a team effort, I did all of the staining and applied the polyurethane, he did all the rest. I think it turned out stunning! My husband has never built a bannister before and he did an incredible job! It's not completely matching as the newel posts are different, but its whimsical, quirky and unique! I just love the history behind it and feel a connection to the sweet yellow Parsonage, that has helped make my house a home. The parsonage will forever be a part of Welch House. This is the landing right outside my bedroom door. Here you can see the giant 7ft tall beveled glass window in the stairwell. One day I hope to adde French style moldings to the walls and fill the walls with antique mirrors. Right now I have my vintage art hanging up here, more for storage than anything else. It takes me a long time to find the right spot for things in my home. On the staircase landing I have a parlor table that belonged to my Husband's grandfather. Someday soon, I want to remove the green wallpaper in the lower section of the stairwell and paint the wall here white to make the top section. I also plan to add the French moldings to the wall in this section as well. I am so pleased with the finished look of our staircase! I can't wait to decorate it for Christmas! Thank you so much for following along on our journey with Welch House! I apologize for not having as many blog posts lately. I'm trying to give quality over quantity and hopefully will have more for you soon! I am working on a closet redo in my bedroom and I can't wait to share it will you! Thank you again for all of your support and encouragement! It truly means so much to me! -Larissa