We are in the process of updating a four square. Our tastes lean towards transitional/contemporary. We have had the windows and baseboards refinished with a walnut stain to bring out the walnut in the floors and to minimize the previously existing orangey tones on the wood.

Dilemma is with the staircase. Do we:

A) stain all parts, treads, risers, banisters, rails and spindles in walnut
B) stain all but spindles in walnut and paint spindles white
C) stain all but spindles and replace existing wood spindles with wrought iron

Additonal question, second floor trim/baseboards were painted white (wood was not the same quartersawn oak as first floor). Do we paint the inside stringer (the one that will adjoin the moulding on floor 2) white as to transition to the second floor?