All I can say is, "WOW!".

Beautiful... and lovely muted colors in the runner.

Ouch . . .If my stairs were just finished wood on the edges and plywood everywhere else, there's no way I would let pictures of them escape to the Internet.

What does B&A mean? Looks so much better with the lighter color.

Very very lovely! I like the dark wood and the new spindles- just lovely together.
dumb question, what is B&A?

Wow. kswl--that was a bit caty. The staircase is beautiful. The fantastic part of this forum is that people are free to share ideas. Redoing my staircase is not currently in my budget, but now that I know I can cut costs by using plywood where it is not seen under the runner, I may rethink doing the stairs. Thank you chijim for posting.

What a terrific update! I wish I could stain my oak floors in a nice walnut color. I'm so tired of orange floors!

Stunning!!!

Wow! That's beautiful! Do you know the name of the new wall color?

B&A = Before & After

Really, really, pretty! It's interesting that changing just the paint made such a difference. It looks bigger and grander. The paint in the "before" pic just chops up the space and makes the architecture feel uncomfortable.

The stair treatment and new runner are just perfect! Really nice paint treatment there, and the darker bannister is just lovely!

Tell your friend congrats on a wonderful job!

Beautiful! I still wish I had the guts to install a patterned carpet for the new addition.

Is there a reason people don't do that anymore?

Can a staircase be delicious? Because that one certainly is!

Really looks lovely! A lot of the new homes in Texas have the same type of staircases and the builders like to use the two toned paints. Yours looks so much nicer.

Wow, the paint makes such a huge difference!!! The pain/wood on the "before" walls and stairs makes the house look dated and chops up the space. The "after" paint on the walls and stairs/molding makes the space look so much more open and cohesive -- and timeless! Love it!

Gorgeous indeed! Could you please tell us if there is an area rug in the entry just below the stairs? Would love to see how he combined the two. TIA. Oh, and thanks again for sharing another of your wonderful pics!

Stunningly beautiful!!!!

It's absolutely not delicious Jen...silly girl, it's just plain yummy!

Though I will admit I thought I was going to see a fabulous black and aubergene entry....dang it lol

Just beautiful!

Luvnoxford, I'm sorry you thought my remark was catty. It was an honest reaction of surprise at the many different ways contractors find to cut corners. ???

stunning transformation. wow

Fantastic!

I really enjoyed seeing that. Thanks for posting.

looks nice!!

i have a question: we are going to soon be replacing the runner on our front stairs to a patterned runner and i am struggling with what to do in the upstairs hallway...it is currently carpeted and def needs to be replaced. don't know if it would look best if just the runner is patterned and the hallway/ back stairs are plain carpeting of coordinating color... (would be cheaper... would prefer to hardwood the hall, but won't be here for the longterm, so don't want to sink in the money...)
what did your friends do since it looks like they have(had) carpeting in upstairs hallway too???

I have been considering doing something like that. It is a huge improvement from the original.

Questions: The spindles are the original right? Was something used to cover up the pores of the grain first?

Thanks

Wonderful transformation!!

Very fresh, light and elegant!! :)

GREAT choices!

Thanks for sharing!! :)

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

The spindles have been replaced- the original are squared off and in the after- they are round. look where they meet the stairs.

WannaBeHome -

The spindles are new. They are narrower and more refined, and are three to a stair rather than two to a stair like before.

It looks great!

The window at the top of the stairs is so pretty, and I love the little balcony. Hmmmm...I wonder what the rest of the house looks like?

I want one!
My staircase is one long blah utilitarian tunnel.

Wow! That is really stunning. Like nancybee, I also wonder what the rest of the house looks like.

I think the trick of using plywood under the runner is fantastic! Why spend the $$ for expensive wood if it's just going to be covered with carpet anyway. Don't just assume it was a contractor cutting corners. Not like the homeowner wouldn't know! Might have been a very wise way to spend their money.

Actually, if the stairs will always have carpeting, plywood is a better choice than most hardwoods. It's less likely to warp, and it's much stronger.

The inlaid carpet is quite common here in newer houses. This house is not new but not cool old. Trying to add some cool old into it.

Not a big fan but due to the length and height of the stairs they had to be carpeted for safety and we debated doing solid walnut treads but would have had to nail the carpet over them anyway. No way would a runner have stayed in place.

The stairs are actually much larger, longer, wider than they appear. For reference, a grand piano fits at the landing at the top of the stairs.

Believe me it has been a struggle to get the fine details that I want out of the design/build firm that we used for the upstairs. They wanted to do inlaid carpet in the hallway!It is solid wood...Carlisle wide plank, hand scraped in place.

First step was not finished at time of pictures. It is all walnut and quite striking.

Seems like not much was done but it was a process. Involved 4 different sets of crafts people to whom we are forever grateful. The hardwood guys were very excited because they were able to get just the right curve on the trim work at the top of the stairs by bending solid pieces of wood.

Railing is a bit taller than original because of getting the exact slope for the railing right. There is no knob on top of the newel posts at either side of the top of the stairs anymore. Don't know why that was important?

Many thanks to all for your kind comments. Huge thanks and hug to Chijim for all his help and patience. He is a dear friend and positive influence.

I LOVE it--especially the carpet!

Loolee, all of your careful planning and hard work is definitely paying off. It's just stunning, and went from "meh" to "WOW!"

Thank you all so very much. We have miles to go but your comments really do help. The upstairs project was supposed to be done by April 14th. Job superintendent told me we would have a walk through today. I have not heard anything @ 10AM PDT. I am learning patience.
My master bathroom has been a Laurel and Hardy show. They were painting the cabinets for the 3rd time yesterday!
Once the upstairs is done maybe Chijim will post for me.

Franksmom, "Meh" is a good description of the entire house! It's okay. It's just a house, not a life.

Beautiful transformation! Love the stain and the carpet runner! Great taste. The result makes it look so much more inviting.

In my experience, the plywood with inlaid carpet is very common out west where I am--even in very high end homes...and as said, not just a cost-cutting thing. So having a picture out on the web of that is no different than showing a home before siding is installed. Perhaps in other regions, stairways are done differently.

I absolutely love it all! It looks fantastic! The darker wood is SO nice against the light paint color, and the patterned carpet ties in beautifully.

Really love your carpet;I can envision a bride walking down those stairs!

I echo the above - WOW!

I can't believe it's the same entry. Great vision and amazing how some paint, stain and carpet changes the whole feeling of the room.

The whole package is insanely beautiful! Love the pattern & color of the runner. My husband is a carpet installer and makes these custom runners, often with $100 a yard carpet so I know the not so small fortune you have tied up in your staircase! Nicely done :) Here in Texas stair runners are very popular and most, if not all of the stairs I've seen aren't finished under the runner.
Monica

'Wow! That's beautiful! Do you know the name of the new wall color?'

Benjamin Moore's(BM) Palace White on walls, and BM White Dove on trim.

I'm posting this for Loo - upstairs hallway w/new flooring/trim and doors.

BTW - That is not the current wall color and new lighting fixtures haven't been installed.

Loolee, your floors are gorgeous - as I knew they would be. I have floor envy! The staircase is wonderful. Love the carpet.