I would paint the bannister and main door black as you said. Paint the two other doors white or whatever color your trim work is painted. Of-course your options are endless with a new floor, chandelier. I find doing one thing at a time will lead you to the next. I painted mine since I haven't been up for changing out the whole thing.

Here is another set of stairs my friend and I did.

I actually find your railing and banisters quite attractive and don't think they look sated at all. But the decision to paint them black depends on whether you plan to keep the stair runner. If you are, then painting them black makes sense so that you can start build a look. Would you consider updating your chandelier? I also see what looks like a storage issue at the top of the stairs. Are you looking for a solution here as well?

Finally, what are your wall colors and general color scheme throughout the rest of your main floor? I think your wow factor is going to come from your chandelier, a great piece of art in that entryway, and an interesting paint color. Oh, and the David Hicks-type stair runner if you're keeping it!

Thank you all for your feedback.

Studio3600: painting the closet doors, will this be too much white? Would that go with a cement gray tile and the carpet shown ( or a black /white runner)? Or a different color runner, any i color ideas?

Karemore55: The railing and banisters actually look better in the pics but we have contemplated leaving it as is. Another issue is that we recently painted the risers and they are already dirty, sort of another reason why we are considering a runner. Is it a big deal that the pattern is not symmetrical ( looking down on the stairs). The main geometric pattern doesn't fall in the same place on each tread. However, looking upward its appears just fine. I love the runner but my husband thinks it might be too busy. Thoughts?? The chandelier is actually brand new so that will be staying.

There is a gray bench at the top of stairs with a charcoal bordered mirror above it. I will take more pics of the area at the top of the stairs. Any suggestions would be great.

As for wall color, we were thinking sandbar ( sherwin Williams) or should we go darker? We were thinking of retiling the floor ( you can see a sample tile in the pic).

As you can see, we don't have any concrete ideas, sort of open to ideas.

additional photos

I didn't realize there was a different tile. I think it's hard to pick out everything at once. It seems you have some good ideas. Like the cement gray tile! I think the white would be fine and with black bannister it will make the space feel more modern.

Rodrir10, I really like where you're going go with your ideas! I love the stair runner, and I can picture what you mean about the pattern not aligning on each step,when you come down. No, I don't think it's an issue - you will eventually get used to it and stop noticing it. I do picture it being a little dizzying, however, but if you're OK with that, I say the runner is a keeper.

So, yes, I can totally see the paint color you are considering with the runner and a black bannister. Btw, I like how the pattern of the runner seems to mimic the pattern of the glass on your front door - serendipity at work, I presume! I too think the tiles should remain white. But I feel there should be something all this together - and at the moment, I'm not sure what it is. Perhaps someone else will come,up with "the thing"; in the meantime, I'll ponder it a bit more!

I think what it is is that you need a focal point at the top of the stairs where your bench is. The eye will travel up that very graphic runner and want to find something interesting when it reaches the top! To that end, maybe your mirror frame should be a little more graphic, and the pillows on the bench should relate to the geometric design and the color. So, here are a few ideas - think I'll look for a couple more. You could even just spray paint the mirror frame black (please don't tell me you just bought the mirror too lol!).

So the runner Is definitely going back bc my husband doesn't like it. :-(

I guess that changes everything!!!

We thought of painting the treads black too (as shown in some pictures you both provided) but we have an issue with the top of the stairs. It's two different colors of wood. Would it look strange if the treads were black and the top of the stairs left as shown ( see first pic in my second set of pics)? Otherwise, we just need to pick out another runner and I think we are steering towards a sisal runner with a black border which is dramatically different from the runner I have on hand. The mirror is new too..lol. I like the idea of painting it black though and I can definitely add another pillow.

The door has red stained glass in it. I forgot to mention it. I'm not sure I want to accent more red. The tile looks white but its actually a white and blue cloudy tile. Should we replace the tile with a lighter tile then, based on comments?

I think the best thing to do is paint the banisters first and than see what's next ( as suggested).

Thank you both again.

We would like to do a picture gallery ( black frames) on the wall adjacent to the stairs. Maybe we can add some artwork too and a few accents of red ( which is contradicting what I just said earlier lol).

Is that white set of railings at the top of the stairs for safety reasons? If not I think I would take it down.

Angel, I think that is a temporary safety gate for their mentioned baby.

Yes, that's what I thought.

I'm always amazed at what people zero in on while usually ignoring the big picture.

Rodrir10, I'm curious to know why hubby doesn't like the runner. Is it just that particular runner, or is it runners in general? Because, along with being a great design opportunity, they are very practical. Definitely safer than bare stairs, and they muffle sound in these areas. I'm also concerned that painting the treads will be a temporary fix since you want to use paint rather than stain. I don't think even the best paints will stand up to the stair traffic, but having said that I have no personal experience with it.

Anyway, if he is willing to still go with a runner, I like the idea of sisal with a black border, and then the black bannister will pick up on that stripe. The photo collage sounds like a good idea also. I'm still not sure what to think about the tiles since I can't really tell what they look like. If you do replace them, I wonder if a white tile in an interesting would be your best bet. As mentioned earlier, grey will probably just look muddy and won't relate to anything else in the area. It looks like your home is a bi-level, which suggests a modern tile installation would look best.

Do you need a runner for safety reasons or just for color? If not for safety, why not paint a runner on the stairs. Houzz has some awesome examples.

Add a groovy rug to cover those tiles and swap out the light fixture for something more modern, less traditional.

You are on the right track! You could just replace the tile with hardwood and that would unify your flooring. Get the pre stained and poly type. I had this done upstairs and love it! You don't have to worry about that smell and for that space dust would be minimal. Actually all the cutting could be done outside. Have fun with that photo wall!

I just want to say thank you to all of you for your great suggestions. We have decide to go with the sisal runner with the black border. We are going to paint the banister a high gloss black and the entrance door and adjacent closet doors a semi gloss black. I also plan to paint the mirror above the bench black as well to tie it together. As for the floor we plan to do a light grey tile in a herringbone pattern. We will need color for this area but I think we will tackle that later with artwork and a small area rug etc. I will post a pic when's it complete. Wish us luck and thank you all again for your time!!!

I actually like your entry. A few comments... I would change the tile - either put in a slate or darker color or bring the wood to the door. Also, would update the light fixture. Perhaps a lantern style here? Finally, declutter the entire area. Add one enticing piece at the door with something interesting above or on it - nice art piece or beautiful mirror to reflect the light. Be careful that you don't go too modern here - your door looks traditional.

Think twice about sisal - it does not hold up well in heavily trafficked areas. I've got a rug now with threads pulled out that I tend to trip on.

Rodrir10, I do wish you luck and, yes, please post when you're done. It would be very gratifying to see the "after" pics for once!

If you are in need of some inspiration, take a look at our "Entry Way" board on Pinterest

http://www.pinterest.com/bryghtcom/entry-ways/