Is this in the front entrance? Beautiful!!

Sorry, no sdvice to offer.

I would not do black. You want the floor to be the star; and it is a Victorian winner. Refresh the off white color that is there (if it needs it) and paint the newly installed molding the same color. That way you get the sense of the shape of the floors, but in a laid back way.

As for the rug on the stairs....what is under it? You may find you prefer stained wood with the floors. If the staircase is original to the house, they may not be code...removing the carpet would improve the sense.

Suggestion, remove the trim around the radiator. Paint the radiator the same as the walls (talk to the paint rep in the store and see if you need a special paint, which you can match to the walls.)

no black!

I too would go with a cream (Whatever you can do with the lightest in the flooring)

everything all one color, trim walls ceiling. Beautiful floor and trim mouldings!

I’d paint last and first concentrate on the staircase, as its look is so important and will drive other decisions. If it were me, I’d paint it all black, so it feels less busy and is a backdrop.

Where you paint is the next decision and suggest all one color or divide the wall in half; don’t do the molding another color; again so as not to be too busy. Paint radiator also.

Finally paint decision….test/compare and do large paint swatches on wall. Decide if you prefer light or dark, neutral or bolder.

Gol-ly. Somebody covered that?? It's gorgeous.

Ditto whoever said to find out what is under that stairs rug, before you decide on more colors - who knows what could be under there.

What a wonderful find! Congratulations!

I hope you’ll take your time and research for lots of inspiration.

Here are a couple of photos I have saved for the luscious paint colors — I thought of them seeing your entry:

Check out the IG accounts of British paint companies like Farrow & Ball, Edward Bulmer, Little Greene, Paper and Paint Library, etc … as well as magazine and designer pages.

It might be well worth paying for a consultation with one of the paint companies.

I hope you post updates, would love to see ’afters’. :)

ETA: I just did a reverse image search using your photos and lots of similar tiled entries came up. In this one, they did use a sage green:

Wallpaper:

Cream:

Don't paint the radiator. Assume it’s new/modern based on design and you will not get as clean a finish as you have now unless you can expertly spray it in suitable paint. Currently sanding and repainting trying to improve looks of many 100 + year old radiators that have been drippily painted to match the walls many times.

Gorgeous floor!

I would color match the lightest color in the tile and put that on the walls. All one color, the trim will look more like actual panels if they match the wall. I don't see the upside of painting black on the stairs. Let it match the walls. I too am now curious as to the wood on the treds. They might be worth refinishing.

I sthat black in the diamonds or dark brown? The trim around the rad is awful it just draws attention to the rad in fact I would not do that skimpy trim anywhere with those tiles . Too many squares are just too many. At least paint the trim the same as the walls IMO. BYW husbands are not really good at most designs and colors for them anot picky like blue is blue no need to explain the shade . I think the tiles are a find so enhance them with no fancy trim and a wall color from the tile it can be cut 25% to give a nice wall color you can use everywhere but we need to see mor eof your style.I agree check out what is under the stair carpet too . I honestly do not think black is a good choice .

How exciting! Have you peeked under the carpet on the stairs??? I wouldn't be able to wait to see what might be underneath it!

Make sure you come back and post photos when finished!

Hi All - I can't work out how to reply to individual comments so here's lots!

Thanks for all the love and support! We've had some flooring experts out and they were also amazed at the great condition its in - we're super excited! They've suggested its Edwardian rather than Victorian so added after the house was built.

I couldn't resist looking at the stairs either :-). They too are lovely! They have a really lovely trim on them so will definitely be trying to restore and add runner rather than full carpet!

It's so nice to find some original features as most have been removed! We do have original parquet floor in another room but it's beyond repair :-(

The radiator was always going to be replaced with a more traditional one so will continue with that and yep neither of use like the panelling behind it so that will be coming off - we weren't expecting it to be there, mix up with the carpenters! We've only just had this fitted (it's bare mdf and will of course be painted!) and was done before we discovered the flooring but think it will go nicely - as per the Edwardian style.

Love that the there's a divide on the black! We're doing it! Probably something along the lines of the picture below. The edging of the tiling and the small squares are black! But will keep it all the same colour - just got to find the right "off white" from the millions that are out there!

And to Patrica, not all husbands are not good at design or colour - he's an artist :-) x

Thanks

Please update us! Amazing house. :)

I can second many husbands have an eye for color and are perfectionist besides!!!!

I would be tempted to at least try a riff on what the Edwardians would have done, which would have been saturated and another pattern. Obviously none of these except maybe the stripe are particularly of the period, but it seems a version of what they would do. These are Cole and Son.

They are dark and intense, but it does not look like that hallway is going to be light filled anyway.

Hi HU!
Dear Lord in Heaven and Sweet Bippy! Did someone bring those home from Italy?! A Grand Tour Find? Lol! You never know! Amazing! Enjoy!
All these suggestions are fantastico, you cannot go wrong!
And yet — I hesitate on the black. Too force majeur a look for this floor, and black itself is such a LOOK…pondering…

One more quick peek, gorgeous 🙂
And one more suggestion, if doing black on stair posts? Replace the ball on the post with a square — pick up the black square in the design?
I really think this is a farther east design (red/gold) than Italy or Morocco, although the tile likely purchased in Italy? It’s unusually dense and complex design, many shades in the tile. Tight pattern, varied colors — farther east. This might be Istanbul, and if English? all that goes with the history of that era. They did cover up things after Khartoum. Understandable! But these kinds of things are to be enjoyed, that’s why it’s there! Some trade wind of history really led you to a discovery, it was time!! Oh my goodness, I hope you’ve got a historian friend who can take a peek!
And I have burbled on here lol so that’s the last! But thank you so much again for sharing! ❤️

Hi. Do you know the age of your house? Knowing the original timeframe of the home (even if the tile isn't original), can give you colors, bannisters, etc. that would coordinate. Trying to make the house look anything other than what it is (Edwardian house trying to be a Farm House, for example) can be expensive and never quite look right. From experience, do the stair bannisters and spindles last - definitely a once and done job that you don't want to redo if you don't like the result. Someone else mentioned changing the newell post to a square post; leave it stained instead of painted? As for the panels, I'm not sure they will jive with the original style of the house; painting the trim, panels, walls and radiators all the same light color, or two colors very much like one another, will brighten the stairwell and show off that amazing floor. Have you used Samplize for choosing paint yet? Look them up - they will change your life (lol). We reno'd/restored a 120 year Craftsman-style house and found websites that had great colors, etc., that didn't look like granny's house and were very useful. Lastly, think twice about painting the walls two different colors - there is a lot going on in those tiles and doing another color under the chair rail would be overwhelming. Best of luck - what a lucky and lovely find!

I know I am in the minority, but ugg! That is WAY too busy for me. I suppose if I were a designer and putting it in someone else's house I would suggest a chocolate brown or maroon to coordinate with the colors in the floor. Have fun.

Congratulations on your discovery! I would pick up on the black and butter colors in the tile.

That flooring is beautiful! Please post pics of your progress.

What an extraordinary discovery of the Tile!

As long as you keep that floor the focal point, and any updates highlighting the tile rather than distracting from it, you'll have a showpiece.

By all means, get rid of the painted panel molding. I can see the chairrail being an accent color, but the panel molding - no, no, no.

Have fun ~ you're on your way to marvelous results.

Beige or cream on the walls. Do not use any black paint anywhere - it was trendy for a while, but oh so ugly! Beautiful tiles! Go with the brown & beige colors, ignore the black in the tile.

"The radiator was always going to be replaced with a more traditional one"

Careful. Old radiators were thick and would protrude more from the wall right at the bottom of the stairs where you don't want that.

Wow, what a find on those floors! They are in remarkably good shape for being over 100 years old. Yes, they are a later addition to your home which appears to be Victorian era. Looks like the owners from very early 20th century were a little more affluent than previous owners, and wanted to show it. Please search for a professional tile restoration company to help you clean up and repair the floor. They should be able to find OR craft replicas of the missing tiles at the thresholds of the two interior doors. If it turns out impossible to accomplish, you can install a very dark hardwood threshold, walnut perhaps.

Since your home is Victorian, the stair treads would most likely be a hardwood, stained to match the balustrade and handrail, which would also be a good hardwood like walnut. In lesser quality Victorian era houses, where those design elements are brought into a more modestly sized house, woodwork would often be pine, especially if it was to be painted, like baseboards & trim, and interior doors. Stair treads of pine wear out more quickly, and thus came the stair runner. A good hardwood stair tread would be stained dark, and risers painted white. Baseboard trim would also be painted white. Balustrade and handrail would be stained dark, and staircase spindles painted white. Picture-frame moulding on the bottom half of walls is not an original element to your house. That is an 18th century element, and it was not used in a modest Victorian era house. It carried over to only the most ornate Victorian homes, built for the wealthy. But it's on your walls, and if you try to remove it, you may damage the walls, especially if they are original plaster & lathe...so leave it on the walls.

For wall color, pick out the lightest color of the tile and match it. Paint walls and moulding that color. Paint baseboards white. I am only guessing here, that your baseboards are pine, and were originally painted, not stained. Your front door would originally be half glass, which would bring light into the foyer. If it was replaced with a solid door, the homeowner would probably paint all the woodwork white in order to brighten up the area. If there are any chips in the baseboards or on the staircase trim, get in there with a putty knife and try to scrape off the layer(s) of paint. If you see a dark layer underneath, it very well may be a good hardwood, with original stain. If it's hardwood, you gotta strip that baby and restore it to it's glory! A medium to dark stain on the baseboards and staircase trim, along with the stair rail and balustrade and the stair treads would make the off-white walls pop, and it would beautifully accent the floors. Keep the spindles and stair risers painted white.

My father-in-law (of blessed memory) was a cabinet/furniture maker. About 26 years ago, he came to the house that hubby and I bought the prior year. It was a Civil War era home in Maine. He looked at and then tapped the balustrade of the staircase and the handrail and said it was solid walnut, original stain, oiled finish, and worth about $7,000., so about $13,000 today. If yours is original to your house, and it's worth $13-15K, you may want to see about having a professional restoration company come out and see about stripping all that oil-based paint off it. If you take the wood down to original finish and stain it medium-dark, you won't need to paint anything black. Oh, and see about a front door with half-glass panel. get some natural light in the foyer again, and it won't look dark, even with the floor and the dark wood trim.

If you want a bold choice then red or maroon walls

Do what makes you happy. The black stairs pictured above are stunning.

If you tire of the black later, you can always change it to something more ordinary.

I definitely want to see how this turns out when you're done! Please keep us updated!

Came across this wonderful IG account today and thought of this thread when I saw these pictures. Not the best views of the stairs, but wanted to show black railing with similar style floors. Beautiful.