If we could see the actual style of the home in order to make some suggestions.

Those sconces are really terrible. They look like outdoor wall lights.

Here are some options for lights

You could do something in the way of wainscotting on the walls.

Hard to say without seeing adjacent spaces, but for sure those sconces seem out of scale since there’s no other black accents seen.

Wallpaper or a stair runner.

IMO the sconces are all wrong but we need to see the spaces next to this staircase . No context gets no real help. Wallpaper is great but not in every space . Post pics of at least the LR here in a comment DO NOT start another post .

Wallpaper and new sconces.

Bare bulbs can temporarily mess with your vision, so I would want something else for a staircase.

If no wallpaper is added, I would also be tempted to paint that handrail on the wall, the same color as the wall, to eliminate that very strong angled line on that wall.

I’m out of town so just had to use what photos I had, including the doggy. :) Yes, yes, yes I know the TV isn’t supposed to be that high. You can barely see the front door in front of stairs. I need help with that little corner too, where the basket is. Room beyond with swing is a school room. Lights are all black but the sconces don’t have to stay.

Not sure if the photos uploaded, but would appreciate any ideas for the staircase in context of the living room. Everything is still a work in progress.

A little concerned about wallpaper as I have two young boys that seem to leave little handprints everywhere. Paint I can scrub.

I’ve been trying to gather inspriration photos this AM. Is there a way to make a gallery wall work around sconces?

You could do a gallery wall but you'd have to remove those sconces, imho. They just seem odd there.

I’m not opposed to removing these sconces, but we don’t have overhead lighting and I don’t think extensive electrical work is in the budget….seems like I should keep some lighting, no?

I think you could do a gallery wall by replacing the current sconces. Find something that goes with the style of your house, yet no so in your face.

Also, think about some wainscoting around your foyer area and running up the stairs. Again, keep the trim in the style of your home, which appears to be Craftsman from what I can tell. Get rid of the handrail and use a wide board to cap off the wainscoting. It doubles as a handrail. Similar to mine (see photo below.)

After changing the lighting and adding trim, you can start adding art work around the lighting. I Googled phrases and came up with many photos of sconces and artwork on staircases.

My staircase

If you keep the current sconces you could probably spray the glass globes to makes them frosted and translucent to lessen possible glare.

I might paint that wall a pretty blue gray that works with the gray wall in the schoolroom.

I like the clean minimalism of your house and the funny dog.

@nhb22 interesting idea about the wide cap board. Do you find it’s actually functional as a handrail?

I hadn’t really considered paint, either, but it’s something to think about!

Does code in your area require you to have that second handrail?

My previous houses were all 2-story, in different state, and none had a second handrail.

It does….the issue we have is that the top 7/8 stairs don’t have a handrail except for the long one. When we were building we looked at all different options including curving the outside rail around the wall, where it now terminates into the wall. For many reasons that I don’t even remember, this way was the best solution,

Yeah, I would have curved the outside rail around the wall for the last 7/8 steps. We had that set up in our previous house, but the railing/spindles were wrought iron.

I am in the minority but I don’t think the wall needs anything - if I was going to spend any money I would replace the light fixtures

I think we didn’t go with the curve because the overlap with the upstairs baulsters would have been odd. I will say, we use the handrail daily. It would be an adjustment if we were to get rid of it somehow.

I think the staircase looks good as is . I wouldn’t change a thing . Less is more !

Well thank you, my husband agrees! haha…I guess I’m just ready for a change.

Thoughts on these? I wonder if anyone with photoshop skills could put these in? also thought about maybe moving the sconces UP and dong picture lights for a gallery wall….or maybe getting rid of middle sconce entirely to free up wall space

Yes, the top board acts as a handrail. Although we have a real handrail on the opposite side that wraps all the way around at the top of the staircase, we use the wainscoting cap most of the time when needing to grab hold. DH and I are bad about not holding on (ages 65 and 70). Our grandchildren use the board cap. Perfect for their small hands.

I do like the sconce choices. Just make sure that the shade is permanent, or you will be straightening the shade constantly. I also like the idea of just changing the sconces and painting the foyer/stair area. Do you have a photo of that area?

I am terrible at photoshop! These lights are too large.

Thank you so much for the mock up! I’m afraid I don’t like thise much better than what’s there now. I think the hand rail

may be throwing me off. It’s a great idea to integrate into the trim like yours!

I’m out of town right now so the best photo of the ”foyer” (if you can even call it that!) I have is from one of those rug websites where you can try out their rugs in your space. I didn’t end up getting this one- the one I choose has more teals and tan. I think a tree or plant in this area is the obvious choice, but I have one close by in the living room. I’ve tried baskets here, which is ok, but I know I need something with height. Maybe a small side table with a mirror…but I haven’t been able to figure out exactly what I want.

I like the suggestion to use wainscoting. Will using the double sconce you posted a pic of allow you to use two rather than three fixtures while sufficiently lighting the stairs? That might give you more room to hang a couple small pieces of artwork or photography.

Your staircase is very pretty and I would not clutter it with wall art. I'd paint the wall railing the same color as your wall or your trim to help it disappear, letting the other railing be more the star of the show.

I do not like your current sconces. I'm a total sucker for the double sconce you like and tried forever to figure out where to use it in my house. It is a pretty large one if I remember correctly. I'd see if you could strategically place it so two is enough instead of three. I'd see if you can use nickel or brass instead of black. The black makes sense for the other chandeliers in your home but not as much on this staircase. I think it is too much of a pop and while you want these stairs to look pretty, they don't need to stand out as a focal point.

@Kendrah I think you hit the nail on thr head with your comment on color of sconces. I couldn’t quite come to that conclusion on my own but I think you’re right!

I don’t know the measurements of that particular sconce, I’ll need to check.

If someone has skills with photoshop, I’d love to see the handrail as the wall color paired with brass sconces! Or even with wainscoting or a different color as suggester. Anything to help visualize options.

Ok I need some help from people with actual photoshop skills but I did this one my phone, but it’s a start?

Kudos on your phone photoshopping skills. Pretty well done. I think wainscoting is overkill and doesn't really match the vibe of your more casual farm vibe house. I do like making the railing disappear though by painting the same color as your wall.

Vendome double sconce specs:

Height: 14"

Width: 18"

Extension: 9"

I'd mock up some kind of light like fixture with paper towel tubes or something else that is the same projection and height to see if this makes sense in your staircase, with your stair width, and given the low over head space.

Here are two great examples of vendome in staircases and a third with two black vendomes that I consider a total fail.

One big thing that you need to be aware of is that your electrical boxes will not move. So whatever fixture you use, you need to account for the fact that the box on your fixture covers the box on the wall. That's why the sconces that I photoshopped look so funny. The fixture itself is above the box. They had to be placed higher on the wall to cover the box. Your current fixtures have a globe that point downward.

Try painting the handrail, and then see if you can get more opaque globes for your fixtures. You can also use some Rub & Buff to turn the brown/bronze of your fixture into another color tone. Here are photo examples of Rub & Buff in a Gold used on my island light fixtures (they were bronze), and also the gold used on a black frame.

Electrical J boxes can move and if this is a new build, I presume the walls are dry wall and it might not be all that difficult. It is a bit more involved than just putting a new fixture into an existing J box, and will involve patching and repainting the wall. But it certainly can be done and in the grand scheme of things isn't too hard.

I just moved J boxes for sconces in 80 year old, incredibly thick plaster walls. That was pure hell. But in this new home, probably not too hard.

Yes, it can be done. It's still a mess with drywall!!! Not to mention the pain and expense. Been there! 😏 I was assuming that the OP would not want to get into all that for a fixture change.

It is a good point! I have an electrician in the family but I’d rather not get into cutting and patching drywall if we can help it.

While I hesitate to describe our house as ”farmhouse” (I know people jump all over that term here), we do in fact live on a farm and our home is pretty casual ans comfy. I do think wainscoting may be a little fussy for our home, but I also think it may disguise the handrail better than just painting it. I don’t know!

I'd take this in steps going from the least labor intensive to the most. First paint the handrail the same color as your wall. Much more simple than installing wainscoting. Live with it for a few months and see if that does the trick. If not, find the most informal example of wainscoting you can, and paint it the same color as the wall too. It will tone down the formality.

Because you don't want to install new J boxes and will be keeping it to 3 sconces instead of 2, I think the vendome is going to be too large. How tall are your current sconces? While I'm sure you want something beautiful, the more decorative you go, the more obvious these scones are and I think a subtle look for this staircase is the best. Try to find something small that blends in. Check out architectural lighting too.

Use a short Board & Batten and top with a two piece topper to make the handrail. I measured our top piece and it's 1.6" wide. It's supported underneath by a fluted trim piece, but you can go plain. 1.6" doesn't sound like much width, but it's perfect for even my hand. Could a person grab hold should they should trip? Probably not, but it does keep us balanced as we walk down the stairs. We have the bannister on the other side as an option. I try not to hold on to it because I do not want the bannister to eventually become loose from all the pressure of grabbing hold.

I found this LINK on how to do the B&B on the staircase. Notice that the author put a handrail up. It does look better than just hanging out on the wall, but do not think it is needed if you make a hand ledge.

Thank you for this link! it’s funny you mention it, we have board and batten that we did ourselves in the laundry room, at the top of the staircase. That was pretty simple! A little trickier with angles on the staircase but doable.

Wow-you have a beautiful home! I would put up some photos, maybe even some black and white or color mixtiles, change the lights, and call it a day.

Thank you so much. I would love to have some photos. The placement of the sconces, particularly the bottom one, makes it tricky for frames. I haven’t actually attempted to hang any yet, so I may do that once I figure out lights

You could also just skip lights, or maybe do two towards each end and photos in between?

Thoughts on this one? can’t beat that price! It’s 20 in though, which may be too large as well. I’ll have to check size of my current ones.

@Jenn Hoffman Ambler,PA (7A) yes I thought about just doing 2. I think that’s doable, electric wise anyway, but would require some drywall work….I don’t know if it’s worth it or not

I remember your laundry room and that wallpaper. Love it!

I have similar light fixtures in my Master bath, on either side of my vanity. They may be a little too formal for your style of house. Not sure. If the shade were square, it might work. But what do I know! We need some lighting experts to chime in.

Could you just cap off the middle fixtures box and hang something over it?

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Get a knockout stair runner and hall rug to divert the eye from what's really a non problem.

@nhb22 yes I talked to my husband about that! just having some sort of plate over it that we hang a picture over.

I measured today and my sconces are 12”. 20” may be too in your face….

If I did do some kind of board and batten, should I continue it to the entry? photo attached. rug isn’t showing true to color in fist photo, sexond photo shows better. I need something in this corner too, I think.

I would need to see the entry's door side to determine. Your paneled doors may pose a problem for symmetry, as well, unless you keep them open most of the time.

I’m back and haven’t given up on staircase. I found an app I’ve been playing around with. Thoughts on this?? Painting handrail, removing middle sconce and adding a gallery wall. I have not ordered anything. I attempted some wainscoting in the app and didn’t like it, though that might just be the app?

Update above!

Love how the gallery wall turned out!