oh and can someone on here please tell my husband that new light fixtures would make a huge impact! :D

I would paint all stairwell walls that can be seen from the piano and living areas the same color as them. Paint every detail of the stairs white (like your other trim) except the newel posts and handrail. I think every room needs a bit of black, so if your piano is going to be black, then paint or stain the railings and posts black. I think you can close the backs of the stairs, but we don't know what wood is lurking under the carpet. Black paint may work on whatever is there with white risers.

Black railing, newels and treads, white risers

White, except for black treads, and stained handrailing

Lovely home! We have a lot of spindles too. Other than the handrail we painted everything that wasn't carpeted the same white as our trim. We did stain the handrail a darker colour that matches wood furniture in the house so I can't comment on trying to match flooring. The drywall needs to be the same colour as the adjoining rooms.

After lots of taping we scuffed the shine, applied a coat of Kilz and 2 coats of our trim colour in a semigloss. We used a wipe on stain/varnish on the handrail. Our work was made easier because the carpet was to be replaced within a few weeks. Surprisingly nothing hit the carpet! It wasn't as difficult as we expected and the results still make us smile 16 years later! Go for it!

From what I can see, the stairs do not land on the hardwood, but on tile. Since they are separated from the darker floors, you could probably get away with painting the spindles and leaving the banister and newel post wood, or painting the newel post white too and just leaving the banister wood. The two wood tones are not a problem as long as they blend well - both warm browns I think though it is hard to tell on a computer monitor. Since there is a lot of white trim, painting the spindles is a good idea to tie the trim and stairs together. New homes are often very matched in tone, but go through some very old homes and you will see various wood tones that live happily together. Using different woods in one house was more common in the past but also homes get remodeled over the years - the natural evolution of a home over time, and surfaces get less matchy.

I like the way this staircase was done:

In my home I ended up painting most of the staircase white, but leaving the handrail original, which does not match my natural hardwood floors or doors, but even the stairs are a slightly different tone because they are a different wood. But, it manages to work. This would make a wainscot easier to do and I do have a beadboard wainscot in the upstairs landing.

I had a situation similar to yours, worn beige carpet, busy outdated brown spindles and a dated 80s brass ceiling fixture to complete the look. Since this was at the main entry, it was a big deal. I went for it. New oak stairs, wrought iron railing and a beautiful ceiling fixture. The results transformed the entire look of my home. When it was time to sell, my home sold in a few days when other homes in the neighborhood languished. Depending on how central this staircase is, replacing it, and the light fixture, could transform your entire space into gorgeous and be well worth the money.

Thanks everyone! I think we are leaning towards the black/black brown to add that pop. mezont - i'm impressed that you did it yourself! we are certainly not up to the task :)