Krista, congrats you have the opportunity to spice up your stairs. Go to Houzz home page, BROWSE ROOMS > More Rooms... > Staircase, then you can search by style (Contemporary, Traditional, Modern, etc.) and look at many different stair ideas! If you want some impact, the LED stairs are pretty cool. :) Please post photos of your progress! And good luck! :)

That first photo is what we 're thinking, thanks!

"Pandan Valley" photo is outstanding.

If you also want to check one-of-a-kind functional, spiral "stairs as a wooden sculpture", go to http://www.houzz.com/pro/novefore/mario-di-soli ?

have you seen Mountain Laurel Handrails? http://awoodrailing.com

I would splurge on railings and then work with paint. I would paint your risers gray one shade lighter than the tone on the wall. Paint the cap and the skirts glossy black once you see what they do to the structure to support the glass rail.

Very interested in the stairs project, want to do something about my stairs, too.....

Maybe incorporate an element of your "slinky" style painting into it. Banisters/railings are a great place to express some art.

There were some nice glass options provided. I liked the first one too.
Just consider all the glass cleaner you will be using to keep that gorgeous thing clean. ;-)
On that note here's a nice metal option...
http://houzz.com/photos/2261904

Here's a simpler metal railed stairway, which IMO would work well with your flooring and your taste in modern art.

Check out www.flourishde.com

Some great suggestions...personally I would want more info...what is the significance it the artwork? Clearly you love it or would not have included it in the photo. Where will it hang? I ask because you could design the railing to incorporate some of the curvilinear shapes featured in the work. What is the style of the house? Submitting another photo from another angle would also help.
The railings suggested are very powerful and severe...this space is small as you say...sometimes less is more but ultimately this is a big investment as it is the entry..so send more photos to show the architecture of the house.

Certainly meaning toward metal or glass, love the glass but worries I will obsess over cleaning it! The artwork was actually just propped there unintentionally, but it will hang in the adjacent room. I will attach more photos as the upper railing is quite long.

A pic of our stairs and upper walkway.

Here's an interesting stairway we just did that might give you some ideas, if your interested in keeping a similar color / warmth from wood but making it nice instead of like a deck.

Love this

I suppose that they are made from Oak , I would get them stripped and refinished ,then add a runner to protect them it all depends on your taste,personally speaking I don't like metal it makes the ambiance look rather cold . I would look for something like these
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=staircase+spindels&FORM=HDRSC2#view=detail&id=AC84F3C1AE4CD1FCE5C0DB06FC88255D1E86E3C5&selectedIndex=151

I would stain very dark like expresso. Add black iron rails with horizontal cable in silver. Would be striking. Also love that art work. You are contemporary keep it going though out home. It will look amazing.

Some amazing pic from Ed. Love it.

Paint on stairs will not work. Need to stain.