British Woman Creates Envy-Worthy DIY Staircase That Looks Like a Bookshelf

It's easy to see why photos of Pippa Branham's staircase went viral.

ByABC News
July 21, 2016, 1:00 PM
Pippa Branham turned her staircase into one that mimics a bookshelf in her Suffolk, United Kingdom home.
Pippa Branham turned her staircase into one that mimics a bookshelf in her Suffolk, United Kingdom home.
Courtesy Pippa Branham

— -- When Pippa Branham moved into her first home last September with her husband Jonathan, she couldn't wait to put her own personal touch on their new abode.

"I set out to do something to the stairs because we couldn't afford carpet," Branham told ABC News.

After looking around the Internet for inspiration, the book lover decided that she'd paint her and her husband's favorite books onto their staircase to personalize the home for their family, which also includes two children.

PHOTO: Pippa Branham turned her staircase into one that mimics a bookshelf in her Suffolk, United Kingdom home.
Pippa Branham turned her staircase into one that mimics a bookshelf in her Suffolk, United Kingdom home.

Branham, 34, said she and her husband of a year initially had a list of more than 30 books. They narrowed it down to 13 books to fit the number of stairs.

"It wasn't easy," Branham said, adding that she got more of her favorites on the stairs.

PHOTO: Pippa Branham turned her staircase into one that mimics a bookshelf in her Suffolk, United Kingdom home.
Pippa Branham turned her staircase into one that mimics a bookshelf in her Suffolk, United Kingdom home.

They include Raymond E. Feist's "Faerie Tale," George R.R. Martin's "A Game of Thrones," Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," James Herbert's "The Magic Cottage," C.S. Lewis' "The Space Trilogy," J. R. R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit," among others.

PHOTO: Pippa Branham turned her staircase into one that mimics a bookshelf in her Suffolk, United Kingdom home.
Pippa Branham turned her staircase into one that mimics a bookshelf in her Suffolk, United Kingdom home.

Branham hopes the staircase will inspire her 4-year-old daughter Abigail, who will start school in the fall, to read.

"Because books are a dying breed," she explained. "We're so into technology that she probably won't read books...until she's much older anyway. The staircase is a nice way to keep her in touch with the magic you feel when you read a book."

PHOTO: Pippa Branham turned her staircase into one that mimics a bookshelf in her Suffolk, United Kingdom home.
Pippa Branham turned her staircase into one that mimics a bookshelf in her Suffolk, United Kingdom home.

The Liverpool resident, who is also mother to a 17-year-old son, said that the steps were made so that the kids will be safe, adding that she mixed "a little bit of play sand" in the paint mixture to "prevent slipping."

Branham said it only took £17, or a little more than $22, to create her masterpiece.

PHOTO: Pippa Branham's 4-year-old daughter Abigail sits atop their staircase in their Suffolk, United Kingdom home.
Pippa Branham's 4-year-old daughter Abigail sits atop their staircase in their Suffolk, United Kingdom home.

The hard part was actually painting the books. In fact, Branham said it took 39 hours. "I had to break it up because we could only do every other stair [at a time.] Otherwise, we’d mess it up."

Not only is her family pleased with the finished look, the Internet has also taken notice after Branham's husband posted the photos to Reddit.

"He woke me up and said, 'You're on the front page!'" Branham recalled. "I said, 'What did you do that for?'"