I should add that we are fairly experienced DIYers, but haven't attempted stairs before.

Those are pretty, but I'd like to stay away from glass; we have 4 kids who are past the climbing stage, but still manage to get handprints on everything!

It is possible to replace oak stair treads if yours are too worn to refinish. The treads are sold unfinished at the big box stores and can be finished with stain and polyurethane or simply polyurethane if it matches the wood on the upper floor.

Hiring a professional for replacing the stair railing won’t save any money, but it will save you aggravation and a lot of time. You can DIY what you can: maybe repairing or refinishing the treads. Then the pro can measure for the new railings and put them in once they are ready. You can assist and learn a new skill. There are times when a pro is worth the money and this may be one of those times.

Other than the scroll portions and baluster direction, your existing staircase is somewhat similar to your inspiration picture.

If you want to keep to a budget on this, consider removing the scroll portions only. They're probably welded onto the square frame, so you may need a welder to remove them.

Or, even easier, cover the scroll portions with something solid that suits your style, maybe natural wood or metal.

Then paint it all to match your inspiration picture.

I would check the building codes in your area for allowable railings before I would go too far. In my area, the horizontal lines on the landing of the one you like would fail, as children can climb it and go over the top.

I think the codes vary quite a bit in different places

The modern one in your picture looks great! That said, Helen has a good point... Addressing that, the old one looks like it might have the same code issues.

I love your kitchen- wondering if you can update the look by painting the kickplates in the same teal blue -- it just seems like there is too much dated wood in the wrong color -- or maybe the wall down by the entrance to shift the color palette?

@Marigold, I looked up the building code; it seems that while Canada's National Building Code has removed the climbability restrictions for levels less than 4.2 metres above the adjacent level, Ontario hasn't yet adopted that change. So I'll either have to go with something else or cross my fingers that it'll be updated before we get around to this project, ha. @esutherland87, you're right that this one is technically not up to code either, hmm...

@deb s, painting the risers blue is a really fun idea I hadn't considered! The stairs are visible from the front entrance and while we've mostly embraced the retro wood, it's a bit overwhelming and I was trying to think of a way to introduce more colour.

Our building restriction was not from our province (BC), but from our Regional district. Check their requirements as well, because they could be different. I wanted a stairway like this https://www.houzz.com/photos/cherry-and-jatoba-stair-craftsman-staircase-edmonton-phvw-vp~6449201

but our building codes would not allow it, so my husband is painstakingly making each little crosspiece with a magnet in it, so that if a little toe tries to climb, the cross piece will just slide down to the bottom.

BTW, I think deb's idea is wonderful. Your kitchen is lovely- it would be nice to repeat the colors

Temporary solution:

Adding a stair runner would help with avoiding redoing the treas and would also allow you to introduce some color.I would do the glass railing even with kids a microfiber cloth and it takes less than 5 min. to get thme nice and clean The glass makes the whole space feel more open for sure.