apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Are you leaving the walls white? I say strip the paint off and limewash the wood underneath. I think if the wood underneath is nice it would be a shame to tear the whole thing out and replace with banisters.

A cheap solution would be to paint the staircase walls in a light colour to try to make it merge in somewhat. Or if you can get some kind of industrial railing at the bottom. It looks like a nice big space. Enjoy living there!

Do you need the section at the bottom? I don't know if code dictates that you have some sort of rail on either side, but it might be nice to just open it up at the bottom, so it looks/feels like less of a cattle chute?

I'd prefer a metal and wire set up all the way up on the other side, for more of an airy feel, but the solid part at the bottom on the one side only could serve as a room break to the long expanse? If you leave it, I'd go with the white rather than red or grey.

try to paint the entire wall a light green, ever so light.

gray works well with green which is slightly warm.
sofa and staircase can be the same gray if sofa is light. if not go wtih light shade of gray on the stiracse and drop a shadow in there by masking effect.

you dont need a contractor get a nice handyman/painter who will do your work w/care.

see our apt. on apartment therapy ( search Nette Gaastra/Suchitra van) there is a dark gray sofa against a pale green( too bad green shows as white:(

might be a bit left field... but i would consider painting it over in white and then getting a nice sprawling design painted over top a la the stencils that are pretty popular now.

i think it would be a nice contemporary touch that doesn't overshadow the earthiness of the wood treads.

I would remove the banister on the left (on right while descending) and wrap the stairs around to the wall. That way you create more space and the stairs can become part of that room. As it currently sits, it is segregates the rooms.

i do not think replacing a short wall with a railing would really make that much of a difference...

however. not having that sudden turn in the steps would help simplify the space and there in by making it feel less "cramped" and more open.

what is wrong with variations of gray? i think that is entirely more sophisticated than the same colour through out... but to be honest. lighting and and adjacent furniture would make the gray appear different anyway.

the less visual clutter you have, the more "open" it will feel. i say go with different variations on the same idea

For a simple fix, I'd paint it whatever color you paint the walls so as not to draw attention to the stair walls.

Hmmm. Wait?

Get your own furniture into the space and see how it works. If your taste is more subdued but still modern - that splash of color could be a nice complement. It could be the element that adds color to the space without you having to buy stuff.

Also, depending on how much art you have, you could use the red as a back drop to display your art salon-style and keep the rest walls empty and pristine.

Moving is an expensive and stressful time. I guess I wouldn't want to take on any projects beyond the truly necessary (bad plumbing or leaky roof).

I agree with jenPDX completely. I love various shades of gray with a pop of red. I think it could work.

I think various shades of gray, plus a pop of color works. So if you want a gray couch and gray stair walls, then the pop of color can be in something else you own. makes sense to wait until you are in the space to decide.

Hi Caroline, I think you have great taste and great ideas!

I would not be concerned with "shades/tones" of grey, since grey is not a colour (non-pigment) you can mix as many shades of it as you like! Imagine a black and white film - it's like that. I very much love the couch; is that the dark grey couch you speak of? It's not like mixing stains of wood which are pigmented (yellows, browns, etc.). That is the beauty of grey. So if you do have a stain of wood like in the floor, I would try to match all your wood to that stain if you do keep various shades of grey.

If anything in terms of repainting, repaint the staircase a pastel-greyed variation of any colour you like; my recommendation would be blue.

You also don't need to worry about wrought iron or stainless steel bannisters clashing with the stairs themselves because they would be black or silver/steel which also are not colours (in the same way that mirrors are not colours) and as long as you keep the style minimal and industrial, they should be lovely.

Also, try to illiminate whatever pure white is in there (baseboards, ceilings, etc.) with a very light, off-white dove grey.

Those stairs are not built for open bannisters - they're built as stairs in between walls and the entire staircase would have to be completely ripped out and rebuilt with wider treads and risers, etc. and the parapet wall above would have to be rebuilt similarly to have an open bannister.

Even wrapping the stairs around the base landing would entail a major rebuild, so unless you are willing to go through all that effort and expense you should plan on leaving it as-is (which I don't have a problem with) or repainting.

I agree with SeanG, the short wall is creating an awkward division. I'd replace it with metal or cable open railing if a barrier is even required. Maybe paneling that large wall with real wood or cool plywood with exposed bolts would bring some natural warmth to the room and remove the "sheetrocky" look that it currently has.

Even I think this idea might be over the top, but what if you actually extended the stair walls all the way up to their height before the diagonals are cut into them, and put a ceiling over it, then used that new "floor" space for a "terrace" with a lot of plants, a comfy "garden" chair and little table?

(Nor everyone will get fussy about how you're supposed to get onto the new "garden" floor. Well, I don't know yet.)

You guys are the greatest. Thanks so much for your suggestions! I think we'll definitely wait, and what bepsf said about the stairs does give us pause as to how big a project we'd like to make this. But thank you! We *love* AT. :)