Dash and Albert as mentioned

Madeline Weinrib Atelier has some nice modern pattern-
http://www.madelineweinrib.com/ama/cotton_flatweaves/Brooke_HotPink.html

I have to carry my senior dog up and down stairs thankfully he weighs only 17 pounds.

What about cutting FLOR pieces, one on each step, lots of great options for colors and patterns.

Poor pup - what a great mom you are though:-)

These folks are in your area and create custom stair runners:

http://www.landryandarcari.com/GalleryOverview.php?f=RunnersRed

Try Alto Steps: http://www.lizaphillipsdesign.com/alto.steps.html

I was thinking of Flor tiles too.

Also, on the other side of this equation, I gave my cat glucosamine when she was having aching joints and it really seemed to help (placebo effect not very good on cats!) It takes a few weeks to do its magic, but she went from limping and not wanting to play ball (her lifelong favorite game) back to her young kitty self.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=19868

Oh! I love the idea of Flor tiles - then if the dog... er... befouls them... you can simply lift and replace.

Outside of that, I heart Dash and Albert's colorful, inexpensive striped rugs.

Awww...I used to live on the 8th floor of an elevator building with my dog. When he was 13 and 14, he had trouble with his hind legs. I had to pick up his "behind" to help him up off the floor at times.

During the NYC blackout, I had to carry him up and down 8 flights of stairs. Neither of us were happy about that. He was 55 lbs! I was only 95 lbs (I'm short)! That was slow going and I had the workout of my life!

Since you don't need a huge amount, maybe you can look into rug remnants to be more cost effective?

Here's one to check out:
http://www.naturalarearugs.com/sisal-remnants.php

I'm sure your pup will appreciate it!

http://www.donkeehouse.com

I'm not sure if flor tiles will stay in place. I've found that the little dots they include to keep them together are a total joke.

I'm in kind of a similar situation with my little geezer dog. I assume that the rugs are attached securely. I've been looking at adhesive-type sections that I stick to the stairs. I don't imagine that they look all that great, but in my case, I only have basement stairs to worry about though, so appearance isn't quite as important.

Talk to your vet about an NSAID like Deramaxx or Rimadyl. My old dog became like a little puppy after starting on Deramaxx and the only worry is an effect on the liver, but we do bloodwork every few months. Truthfully though, if it takes time off of her lifespan, and gives her less pain and a higher quality of life, I think it's worth it.

We also do Cosequin for my 19 year old and 18 year old cats and my older dog and they all showed improvement within about a month.

Some friends of mine had a house with similar floors and banister and white walls, and their decorating style was quite modern. They carpeted their stairs in a high-quality black wool with a nubby texture (sort of like Berber) and it looked amazing. The landing between floors was an enclosed space (previously an outdoor landing) so they carpeted that as well. Black seems like a good choice because carpet on stairs can get stained and look gross in a very short time.

You can buy all kinds of carpeting in runner width and have it cut to size, then affix it with a good adhesive plus carpet rods (I think that's what they're called), but to be honest, it might be better just to train the dog to wait for you to help him/her go upstairs. My nearly 16-year-old Lab knows to wait until I'm there to help. I hook my hands under her belly and "float" her back legs up the stairs while she pilots with her front legs--looks ridiculous, but it doesn't hurt my back and it works. In the morning, I pile dog beds and comforters at the bottom of the stairs and she just dives onto them after flying down the stairs. Even if your dog has some time before the back legs get really weak, training now will help him/her remain willing to climb/descend stairs well into old age. Omega-3 fish oil mixed in with the food (in addition to above suggestions) can help too, as does acupuncture.

The people who suggested FLOR tiles are on the right track. When we moved into our new house, my pup crashed down the last few stairs quite often. I bought FLOR tiles and cut them to fit. I used one tile cut in half (actually less than half), with halves placed side-by-side on each tread. I bought some carpet tape at a hardware store and put a strip on each end of each tile. They've stayed perfectly with no lifting for over a year. Also, the tiles clean up really well and still look great. I used the Straight and Narrow style because it holds up to heavy traffic.

Nike makes sneakers for dogs. For real!!!

Our greyhound wouldn't climb our bare-wood steps so we went the FLOR route. Our trick was to cut them in half (easily enough done with a utility knife and a straight edge and also half the cost) and then use an ordinary hot glue gun to attach them to the steps. The hot glue will come right up without damaging the wood if necessary, but unless you slice it away it holds fast. Now she runs up and down them without slipping.

I used Crate&Barrel runners for the back stairway - with double sided tape. The runners look good after three years, two dogs, and four cats.

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l254/dobey_01/stair1.jpg

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l254/dobey_01/stair2-1.jpg

Thanks all for the many great ideas! And to AT for posting my question! Looks like FLOR was a popular vote but I'm checking out all the options.

To answer the many suggestions about gluocasmine and other medications, we're definitely doing both of those things. Barney gets nervous on the stairs so he won't go up our second flight (he's fine on the 2 flights that have carpet). He's also 80 pounds and a tad to big to carry up all the time.

Anyway, thanks again! I really appreciate all of the ideas and sorry for my late response.