SFGate

Dytecture Do you mean the staircase wall or the actual spindles ?

lastplace I would not paint the spindles! Its a large task to do this and I think the white is a clean neutral that matches all your trim work. I would however paint the handrail and all the walls that have railings attached to them. It would add variety and accent the different shapes. I also love the blue grays

houssaon If you mean the staircase wall, I think it would look good. I would paint all the sufaces that face the camera a dark blue grey or any other color you think would work.

lastplace yes that's what I meant. I think it would look fantastic post a pic when your done

qtbern How did u change to that blue?

Superior Remodeling LLC If you paint the pickets use a paint glove. It will save you a bunch of time.

judyg

zahradzine Hi everyone, I meant the wall, not the spindles. Thanks for showing how it would look! How about the wall with balcony? Should that be painted too?

bevballew Blue gray great,on walls. I personally would paint the handrail itself black but leave spindles white.

Sue So Another vote for painting the spindles black. Your house looks very similar to mine and it's one of the best things we've done. You already have the hard part done (spindles).

lastplace Yes I would paint the balcony wall as well

zahradzine I don't think I can paint the handrails black, my husband will not go for it. Any ideas on what to hang on the staircase walls? I was going to do a gallery of photos but I will have a grouping of photos above my couch in living room and the staircase overlooks it. I think it'll be too cluttered. This is a photo of the bare bones of my living room. Haven't started decorating yet, still trying to figure things out. I cut pieces of construction paper the same size as the frames I will hang just as a mock up. Any ideas guys? Confused!!! And then there's another long wall across from couch that I am puzzled about too.

lastplace will you be putting a tv or media unit on the other long wall?

zahradzine No, my tv is in the family room, I can't really put anything that sticks out on that wall because it's a narrow hallway

lastplace Why not try putting the pictures (that you have mocked up on the wall above the couch) on the long narrow wall and then buy one large print that would take up the same space and with colors that would work with the smaller ones

Aj Jones I think if you paint the hand rails a darker color would look great.

bevballew In the corner just below,the staircase maybe a sunburst mirror. It would be round which would break up all the straight lines. On the long wall three or four or five larger prints, botanical, or something like that, spaced and lined up in a straight line.

kfeighan1 Add some pillows and a mirror

Darzy I like housson's idea. But, I'd paint the circular are above a slightly different shade (as well as the left wall) as the stairway walls to accentuate the architecture. The light gray/blue would be nice combo.

zahradzine Maybe I can put a large piece of art on the long wall to mimic size of the 9 framed pieces. I'm doing a starburst mirror in dining area so that wouldn't work on staircase wall. I've been trying to figure something out for months and I can't!

K B Your furnishings are lovely, but is does look crowded. Is it possible to replace the coffee table with a slightly smaller glass or acrylic table? The side tables are the same height as the arms on the sofa, so I think this also makes it look very cramped. Unless you really like the monochromatic/neutral look, I think bringing in clear or painted tables would help a lot (maybe change your lampshade as well). Also, I would paint ALL the walls in the picture. The current wall color makes the light hand railings look even more bland. If you were to paint the walls a color that contrasts more with the spindles and railing, they will look much better without having to change them. Given the windows and varying wall heights, I would pick out 2 or 3 colors you like and paint samples in several different places. Seeing the paint on the walls will save you regret later on. I personally have regretted going darker but I have never regretted going bolder. If you would go bold on your walls, the rest of your furnishings would come alive. Otherwise, you need to bring in color through your furnishings (once again, from what I see everything looks pretty but very neutral). Last a cluster of various mirrors is a change from pictures and works well on a stairwell or a narrow hallway, and I agree with lastplace, you should use a large print/art on a large wall, and save the groupings for places where space is an issue.

zahradzine Thank you for the suggestions KB. I was thinking of mirrors for staircase wall but not sure how I would do that. Small square ones? Also, I kept things neutral because I wanted to bring in color with pillows and art and paint. The coffee table cannot be changed, too expensive and I actually like the look :) as far as the photos above the couch, I wanted a big statement piece n couldn't find artwork big enough so I'm doing a collage of beautiful photos with soft grays, yellows and shades of blue.

bevballew I would remove the plant. You can then put a nice colorful picture by the sofas to bring in color. I know you will have those 9 or so prints. Put those up first and then I would think you will have a better idea of what to hang by the lamp area. Maybe put a darker stain on the handrail then.