Reese Witherspoon Has This Beautiful Victorian-Inspired Detail on Her Stairs (It’s So Practical!)

If you’re always looking for more ways to add antique charm to your home, Reese Witherspoon just gave you another idea to add to your inspiration board. In a recent Instagram video where she’s showing off her newest Busy Betty book, Witherspoon also inadvertently showed off her antique-inspired stair rods. These beautiful brass accents give her stairs a bit of shimmer and shine where you’d least expect it and bring a bit of Victorian flair to each step.

According to NewEngland.com, stair rods are a historically accurate and less invasive way to install carpeting on your stairs. Rather than damage your hardwood stairs with carpet tack strips, these rods, which are installed where the tread meets the riser, only require a couple of screw holes that can be easily filled if and when you decide to remove the carpet down the road.

Stair rods date back to the 18th century in England and became incredibly popular during the Victorian era in both England and New England. Wealthier homeowners would often install more decorative rods with intricate finials, according to The Victorian Emporium, but stair rods were made in various different styles and from materials ranging from wood to brass.

Today, stair rods are somewhat of a luxury item and can be purely decorative if you already have a stair runner in place. I found an Etsy seller making them for about $15, but you can get more decorative ones for around $65 each. You may also have some luck finding actual antique stair rods at architectural salvage stores or on secondhand websites.

Paired with a decorative runner like Witherspoon’s and maybe some Victorian dust corners, you can really bling out your staircase. Add these to the long list of things you didn’t know you needed until right this second.