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We’ve been slowly (okay, sometimes at a snail’s pace) adding character back into our home. And if you’ve been hanging around here for a while, you know I have a thing for the little details that make a house feel like it’s been around for a long time.
One of my favorite ways to sneak in that charm? Hardware. Give me all the aged brass, old-school latches, and quirky little touches that make people stop and say, “Wait… what is that?”
Which brings me to my latest home crush: stair dust corners.
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What the Heck Are Stair Dust Corners?
Honestly, I had never heard of them until recently, but now I’m wondering where they’ve been all my life.
Stair dust corners are these tiny triangle-shaped metal pieces that tuck right into the inside corners where your stair tread meets the riser and stringer. They were all the rage in the Victorian era—mainly because people got sick of dust settling into those hard-to-reach corners (you know, the spots your vacuum nozzle never quite gets right).
So these clever little corners not only kept things cleaner but also added a fancy little detail that made stairs look, well… fancier.
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A Little History Lesson (Because I’m a Nerd Like That)
Supposedly, the whole dust corner trend started popping up in the 1880s, when people started getting a little more obsessed with keeping their homes cleaner (thanks to the whole germ theory thing taking off).
Some say Sarah Winchester—you know, the lady who built the famously spooky Winchester Mystery House—was a big fan of them, too. Makes sense. If you have 160 rooms, you probably want to cut down on any extra cleaning.
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Why I Love Them (And Think You Will Too)
We recently added stair dust corners to our staircase, and I have to say, they’re one of those tiny details that makes our home feel like it has a story to tell.
They’re practical (less dust hiding in corners = less cleaning stress), but more than that, they add a touch of vintage charm that makes me smile every time I walk by.
They’re like the pearl earrings of your staircase—simple, classic, and they make everything feel a little more polished.
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The Easiest DIY Ever
If you’re thinking this sounds like a complicated project—nope. It’s literally one of the easiest updates we’ve ever done.
Here’s the breakdown:
- Clean out the corner where the stair tread, riser, and stringer meet (so your dust corner sticks flush).
- Pop the stair dust corner in place.
- Hammer in the tiny nail that comes with it (or grab a small finish nail from your stash).
Done. And you can knock it out in an afternoon while still having time for a snack break.
DIY Tip: If you have a hard time hammering in the nail all the way flush to the hardware, pre-drill the hole in the stair corner before nailing it in.
Where to Find Them
You can find stair dust corners online at places that sell reproduction or antique-style hardware (Etsy is full of them) OR you can get them here on Amazon from an independent seller (where I found ours). They come in finishes like brass, copper, or nickel, so you can match whatever vibe you’ve got going on. These are the brass dust corners we used.
Sometimes it’s the tiniest projects that bring the biggest satisfaction. Adding stair dust corners to our home feels like a nod to the past while also making my cleaning life a little easier. And honestly, I’m here for anything that makes dusting feel a little less annoying.
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