I think painting the rails and spindles white is a great start. And new lighting would be good too. I think that your ideas are dead on...

I think a couple of long, narrow runners would be great as well. Maybe you can hang a nice, patterned window panel by the railing the overlooks the staircase. It may make the living space feel more like a living space, if that makes sense. Or a long panel of fabric down the wall that you are concerned about. Maybe switch out the doorknobs with glass or silver colored ones?

Ashley,

here are my thoughts:

a. Garage door make-up:
White Framed Picture - (above the garage door) - Width of the garage door & Height - to match the height of the Entrance door Frame

b. DO NOT PAINT this lovely woodwork of Railing,
but MATCH several Accessories around with Wood of the same shade (Picture Frames, Shelves etc..)

c. Large Wall behind Staircase - Scenery Panoramatic Wallpaper (something in orange-yellowish tones) like Autum Leaves or Forrest - FRAMED on all sides by WIDE Wood FRAME of same shade as your Railing.

d. Better and more interesting Central Lighting

e. in the Center of Staircase - hang from the Ceiling - SOMETHING Long, Shimmering, (colors: white, silver, yellowish as the wood) - perhaps also incorporating strings of Xmas lights (with white wiring, not green).

Hope for starters it would help...
Alexandra

I know open spaces are very in, but I personally feel like the uniterupted flow from the front door to the back window is just too much. My feng shui is rather rusty, but I'm pretty sure this is a no-no. What about some IKEA panel curtains (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/Textiles/10702/) in the threshold to the living area?

I agree with Yellow Canoe. So comes down to 4 points to me:

1) Yes, painting the rail white to match the trim is a great idea!

2) Changing the light fixture is a must!I would suggest something long / modern since you have the space down the stairs. Something like this maybe:

OR

3) Art - Big Art! - on the wall where the stairs come down. Could be a mirrored sculpture piece...

4) Punch of color. I see your living room is basically gray black and brown. Like Yellow canoe said, a runner would be good, but i think it should add some live with some color. Add the same color as an accent to your living room.

Hope this helps,

Kita

ugh! don't know why i can get the links in right!

The walls and trim are already passive colors so I recommend painting the banister and rails black not white for a more dramatic pop. I completely agree that an interesting, dangly chandelier would do wonders for this space. Here are some other (inexpensive) suggestions:

* Change out your white outlet covers to brushed nickel ones
* Replace your brass door knobs with brushed nickel/glass ones
* Remove the closet doors by the front entrance and hang drapes in an intersting black/white fabric instead. This will add element of visual interest and break up the monotony of doors.

Good luck and looking forward to seeing what you do!
~Erin
http://cultivatinghome.wordpress.com

I vote white for the rails. Also, replace the mirror with a much larger piece of brighter art. Mirrors only work where they are reflecting something interesting.

I definitely agree that you should paint it white. It will do wonders.

I also really don't like the floor (sorry) and I think you should replace it. Personally, I would paint the stairwell, change the floor to something that look a bit more modern and of course add lightning and art.

To be honest, I would probably also paint the walls white, but then I'm Swedish and we seem to be very found of white all over. ;-)

I think something helpful would be maximizing the use of your wallspace for hanging art. There are lots of lovely spots for hanging things! You should definately take advnatage of it.

A collection of colorful knick-knacks, or small images/plates/whatever lined up on the wall above that door on the left might look cute. You could decorate the wall over the stairs in a salon gallery style. One laaaaaaarge painting would look awesome on that wall behind your tv!

Could you install a pendant lamp instead of a ceiling fixture? You should look for a pendant that you love, and then stick it up there as a showpiece for friends to see right when they enter!

Also, I'd add an entry table somewhere - maybe a narrow, elegant table up against your railing? And I agree with Yellow Canoe - the railing would look really nice if you painted the spindles glossy white.

I would suggest the below

1. leave the railing as in
2. bring in color via - rugs/ plants/ frames

i love the color on your walls!

Totally agree with Xandra re hanging art in a white frame above the garage door ... the top of its frame should be at the exact height of the molding around the front door.

It looks like there is enough width to put a narrow console table against the railing in front of the door. I would put a second matching table against the railing running perpendicular. Add bright pottery or collectibles.

Hang a quilt on the staircase wall.

Definitely change that builder's standard ceiling light.

Also, how about painting the area a bright color? Even if you didn't want to paint the wall that goes down against the staircase, you could paint the two walls something interesting. I'd even consider painting the underside of the beam a contrasting color to make a racing stripe effect.

But don't paint the railings!!! Natural wood is beautiful, and two much white would make the moldings pop rather than accessories.

I would paint the garage door and frame the same color as the walls.
Maybe minimal track lighting instead of the boob light so you can direct light onto the large wall of the stairwell. A large piece of art would look nice there.
Love the parquet floor.

Don't leave the railing as-is -- nothing else seems to match its light wood. Your floors are gorgeous -- what if the railing was stained to match?

Now I know you're looking to brighten, but man, that living room looks pretty bright as it is! As you mention, there's a slight awkwardness to the placement of the front door and garage door. Why brighten up and draw attention to the part of the room you've deemed awkward? Coming in to a dark railing will draw focus back into that bright living area as guests enter. If you highlight everything, nothing is highlighted, so I vote for downplaying the entryway.

And don't worry about moving the mirror as other posters have mentioned. I'm guessing it's not meant to reflect "something interesting", but to functionally let people give themselves a once over before heading out the door. Maybe a very small console table beneath it will make the mirror look more purposeful. And if there was an oversized piece of artwork over the stairs -- well there's your something interesting.

KitaMiami...

Bibliovore helped me with the links... here's his/her "how-to".

The HTML tag format to add a link to something is stuff, where URL is the full URL of your link and stuff is whatever content you want to be linked.
This code: The Kitchn
makes this link: The Kitchn

Sheesh... I out-smarted myself. KitaMiami... check out Bibliovore's answer to me. It helped me.

My vote goes with those who said to paint the railing white, add some large art above the stairs, and add punches of colour with a wall hanging across from the stairs, maybe a big bright pot with a big houseplant? Also yes, a hanging light fixture. I love the floor, I hope you don't change it!

Good luck! :)

I agree with debralee... minimize the garage door and play up the wall with a large piece of art. If you would prefer to hang a chandelier/art piece in the center of the stairwell you should still camouflage the garage door to let the art speak for itself. I agree with painting the railing/banister to match the trim.

Definitely need an interesting light fixture! As far as the railing goes, not sure about the cost, but maybe consider putting in glass panels instead of a wood railing. It would be less distracting/choppy, would lend a more airy feel and bring this space a modern feel. If this is not an option, or is not something you're interested in, paint it white and focus on bringing in some art. Love the gray on the walls - perfect shade.

I think painting the spindles white would make a huge improvement but I would stain/paint the handrail black. It will give it a dramatic feel and will pick up on the colour on the picture/mirror frames. It is a classic colour combo and will still look great in 10 years! The L/R has a more modern feel and the entrance has a country feel so you need to make the 2 rooms cohesive.

I wouldn't put a mirror on the large wall because it will only reflect back the doors - if they are closed or the contents of what is behind the doors if open - neither one a good idea. I would search the web for some ideas and then I would purchase a framed canvas and some paints and make my own piece of art - cheap and cheerful. There are so many easy canvas ideas out there, Mondrian's work is quite modern but you can search the web for other artisits until you see somehting you like!

Good Luck! I would love to see the "after" pictures whatever you decide!

You have a lot of doors and visual activity here in this space, so one thing I'd do is resist the temptation to hang smaller pieces of artwork or anything framed on your smaller between-door walls.

I'd personally paint the garage door (molding included) the same color as your walls.

I'd look for one LARGE painting print or poster for above the stairwell and call it a day.

If you want to get more ambitious, I'd drywall in the stair enclosure to current railing height (versus painting it as suggested). That would give you some "anchor wall" for a slim bench or long Chinese stool or narrow console table to give this circulation space some additional function.

You need artwork. Something dramatic and colorful in the well of the stairway, it's the first thing you see when you come in --- along with a nice light fixture, and you're practically all set. You also need art in your livingroom. I would also go large, and because you have grey and black in the room I think a piece that has bright reds and blacks would look fantastic and you could echo whatever colors you find in your new paintings in throw pillows and a couple of accessories.

hmm.. Its an interesting space!
i would go with adding a bit of DRAMA!
Replace the ceiling light with a Chandelier
Try IKEA
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90147465
Or
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20089464
or
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70089447
or
Try a thrift store .

I do feel that you need to screen the living room a Little

The easiest way us to place a book book shelf facing in to the living and on the side that faces the door use a dramatic wall paper . Place a good console table and Mirror.

Use a great Runner for the foyer.

for the big wall... Bring in some color
and it is a great wall to hang Art or family pictures .

Have fun
Rashmi Ramakrishnan
Bangalore
India

I'll probably paint the railing white, hang a chandler like this one:
http://www.dezeen.com/2009/09/30/cloud-walk-chandelier-by-yu-jordy-fu/

Frame the garage door to make it as big as the others.

Add a long and narrow painting on the wall in the staircase .
Could be on grey tones like a Romaine Brooks:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/34/Romaine_Brooks_-_Self-Portrait_1923.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WpiATS4Tnqk/ShbpgoTHb4I/AAAAAAAABiE/Me45j-wxZzQ/s400/R.brooks.jpg

or something brighter on the orange shades.
If you decide for a bright colour, I would use it than to put some accents in the living room too, that in my opinion needs at the moment a bit of life.

I would replace the small mirror with something bigger and put a console under it and replace the small painting with something bigger and longer.

I'm not a big fan of frames on artworks and with all the doors I thing you have enough frames already. So I'd leave all paintings/artworks frame-less. For the mirror I'd like a mirror frame.

I'm also a fan of painting entry areas darker, so the adjoining space open up even more. It looks like you have good starting and stopping point for paint, so maybe consider a darker, warmer shade.

If leaving the railing as is, consider a Mission style or Noguchi paper lantern, so at least one other element "speaks" to the railing... although I think your floor is starting a conversation with it, at least. :)

Hi,

You can display different pieces of art work on the wall on the right side (descending staircase). This will allow you to change or replace with new ones rather than having a huge art work. Create a few themes such as prints of insects, flowers or whatever you like; modern pieces of art, charcoal drawings etc, depending on your taste. You can frame the works of your family members if any of them make art.

Rugs will add color & brighten up the space (entryway & the surrounding areas). You could also hang a nice ethnic tapestry on the right side door.

Your living room needs colors - my suggestion is pale yellow with matching accents. Have a painted wooden letters, art work, and photographs on the wall behind the TV. And rugs.

Have a little stool in the corner where you have the pet rug and display a flowing plant.

Make curtains with sheer fabric - two tones would be dramatic. Or just use plain cotton fabric - off white with gathers.

Change the lighting as well, a nice chandelier may be.

Get pillows/cushions from world market for your couch.

Enjoy the work.

Vinothini
Oakland

just wanted to say that i agree with the comments from cultivate and patrick.

painting the railing white would be a little much with all of those white doors. patrick's idea to cover it up completely and add a bench is great, but if you can't do that i think painting it black would be a good option to add interest. the nickel plated outlet covers would look great with that wall cover and would help remove some visual clutter. maybe consider a somewhat large textile for the wall to add some texture and color.

I'd paint that railing - There's nothing particularly special about 1980's oak...

I'd also remove the ceiling fixture and install an oversized lantern to hang down into the well.

The greige wall-to-wall on the stair treads needs to go too - replace w/ wood to match your flooring.

I think painting the entryway a darker grey is a great idea.

While you're at it, move the sofa back against the wall and get a couple of armchairs and another end table in there. And place the table lamp that's next to the TV onto the end table by the sofa - the TV doens't need a reading lamp, but you probably do.

I see artwork hung salon style in the hallway and stairwell (see link).

I pick up a lot of great, original (and inexpensive) artwork at our local Junior League thrift and other thrift stores.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gFgG1aDC5U0/Su76mh_AVOI/AAAAAAAACKs/u7fugIEZ5eE/s400/sand-stairway-l.jpg

I vote for white.

I think a small console table painted over in a bright color would look great next to the closet doors... http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=11741887&findingMethod=rr

This could be a good cheap large art project for your big wall: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/dc/how-to-turn-snapshots-into-wall-art-108411

I would definitely paint the railing, but I would also go one step further. This may sound crazy, but I would remove every other spindle, flip them horizontally, then cut them to fit in between the remaining spindles, arranging them in whatever geometric pattern you wish. I think that railing screams late 70s and early 80s (not in good way), and while painting them will help with that, doing this extra step will really bring some contemporary style to the space. Add a lighting fixture (crystal or capiz shells chandelier, or whatever takes advantage of the height of the space over the staircase). Just center it over the staircase. The maybe add a large piece of art on the wall adjacent to the door to the garage.

Quiet down the walls in that corner by painting out the
garage and closet doors/trim to match walls. Big colorful art in stairwell and maybe a quilt over the railing. Once the art is in place, then maybe the light fixture. I'd save painting the stairs as last resort.

Whatever art you get for stairwell; get a related piece living room. Treat the whole space as one. If you keep the wood the way it is, it'd be great if the artwork, pillows or rugs had some of that medium oak color in it. Using more of that color around the room will make it cohesive and more restful.

Paint that stairway! Now! It's the only thing you can see... It really should fade into the rest of the walls and trim. I would put a big bold painting on that large wall. I'd use several different flor tiles in similar hues to make a colorful runner. Voila!

I'd paint the railing and put a console table or maybe a vintage credenza, (if you need storage) in front of it to act as a "landing strip". Put it on the side that faces the living room, unless it's really narrow.

Then, swap all all those bright white switchplates and outlets--they look like pimples and just add visual clutter

Lots of good suggestions.

The element that caught my eye was your living room window - wow! If you use that theme of 3, that would tie things together. Three panels with art on the staircase wall - perhaps the 3-over-3 of the window. Three panels of glass to fill in both larger sections of railing - and stain the rest of the railing to go with the floor. I agree to paint the garage door and trim to match the walls.

You now have House of Greige (white/beige/gray). Don't paint the stair rails white -- you'll only add to that feeling. Also, they'll just look like 80s railings painted white.

Paint the entry a darker color to work with the wood flooring and railing. (But not so dark that it doesn't transition to the surrounding rooms.)

Replace the ceiling light with an oversize pendant: Large scale simple lines.

Get rid of all the small pieces, and go with fewer--but larger--art and accessories. Scale is so important. This is a big space, and you now have it filled with lots of little things. The result is that it feels simultaneously busy and empty.

How about a contemporary Charles Remy MacIntosh look? The colors you've already selected and the dark living room furniture already suggest that. Paint railing black (or very dark charcoal gray) and add some horizontal strips of square molding over the verticals...some outside the staircase and some inside, perhaps, in a pleasing pattern. Add black horizontal flat molding to all walls in foyer such as along the top of the door casing (it looks like the top of the opening to the living room is located at the same distance up the wall, allowing you to continue the molding all the way around). Perhaps a second horizontal strip above the top of the lower door to the garage. Again, add some vertical molding at various locations, as well.

Sorry, Charles RENNIE MacIntosh...check him out!

patrick (the other one) - Yes to that chandelier idea! I was thinking the same thing; I love that drop down staircase as an entry way.

I had similar oak railings, and they are builder's standard around here. I see no reason NOT to paint them which eliminates one problem: dealing with the golden oak color.

For the staircase wall, I suggest mounting a large Chinese painted silk folding screen there -- probably a reproduction, unless you happen to have buckets of cash! That aesthetic would work with your living room, and the water color effects the screens have would offer nice color on a large scale.

OR

Mount a standard shoji screen there -- the colors would be dark wood (or cherry) with white, probably, but the grid would offer a nifty area of pattern to jazz up the entry.

OR

Get a large modern painting (or make one, but home made art usually looks like that, and the point would be sophistication, not kitsch). One rather huge painting that nearly fills the wall would give color and retain the uncluttered look you sem to go for.

OR

Go with a salon grouping, although that seems a bit cluttered for you. Maybe if you paint the wall an accent color and keep a grouping kind of tight on the colored background, it would help...

Change the light and call it a day!

Let me just start by telling you are on a great start. Your room, furniture and accesories are great building blocks. All you need is a concept that reflects your personality. Painting the guardrail white is a MUST to unify the spaces. Now you need to select a runer for the entryway and a large 7'x9' min. area rug you absolutely LOVE and reflects your personality for the living room. From the color(s) of the area rug, you will select curtains panels, a wall accent paint color and incledibly cool side chair. This is all you need set up your concept. The door, lighting fixture, mirror, gallery wall, accesories etc., are great ideas that you can very easily incorporate later, ONCE you have developed a concept.

I totally agree with patrick's suggestion to box in the railing with drywall. It would be fairly cheap and easy to do (easier than painting each individual rail, imo) and a pony wall would look better than just a painted 80s railing. If you just box in the vertical rails and keep the wide horizonal rail exposed as your wall cap, you don't even need to go all the way down the stairs with it. Paint that cap rail white, add white baseboard, paint the drywall the same as your walls.

DONT PAINT THE RAILS!!!!!!

I know i'm commenting alittle late, but sand the railing down, and stain it to match the tone of the wood flooring. Painting them will only send you back to the 1980s.