I did painted risers and stained treads on our stairs - my decorating dilemma was that I used vinyl plank floating flooring. I contemplated the work required to cut and glue the floating plank onto stairs, and the cost of all the nose trim and difficulty of matching it etc. I really did not want carpet, because stairs are already a place where pet hair and dust accumulate at least with wood you can easily sweep/vacuum with a hand vac. So I covered the plywood carpet-grade stairs with wood treads, and I think this look helps it blend with the flooring which I did not attempt to match (I felt that I'd rather have a contrast than have a not-quite-matching look). We have a closed staircase so not quite the same - but the risers are painted the same color as the walls. You coudl try that, too!

Should I paint my oak trim? The ~100 year old house I am renovating is full of natural woodwork. The living room & fireplace room have a nice closed-grain wood (cherry, maple or birch, not sure) and the rest of the house has oak trim. The dining room is oak, but in a darker tone. Photo link is below. The lower & upstairs hallways are oak, but have a real super orange shellac look to them. Here's the worst part though - a misinformed contractor took a sander to some of the trim in the 2nd floor hallway!! So now some of the trim is now both orange and damaged. What a dare ask is: what if we painted the lower & upper hallway trim, doors, stair risers and banisters white, and refinished the natural wood railings and newels (leave them natural). I would never touch the living room, fireplace room, or dining room woodwork - but the hallway just seems ready for a possible makeover, and stripping/refinishing the woodwork would take forever or thousands $$...and, in the end it's still oak. I look at the big arched window, and imagine it in a nice glossy white, and imagine something really classy looking. Any votes? Of course there's two issues here: 1) painting ~100 year old natural woodwork, and 2) having different kinds of trim in different parts of the house. Here is a link that might be useful: Woodwork Photos

Update: This morphed into more than just "painting the spindles", so bear with me. I'm in the homestretch...at least for my part of the project! Ok, here's the deal. I started with the floors in the entry hall and study. I stripped those using the "Silent Paint Remover"...an infrared heat gun that I've used on other projects and it's AMAZING. The entry hall was relatively straightforward. There were 5 layers of paint, which came up pretty easily, and the wood is tight and in good shape. It's an old floor but not original. Then I proceeded to the study...totally different floor. I'm not sure if it's "original" but from everything I can see and determine, I'd be willing to bet it is...or at least "very early". It's a lower grade of wood with a good deal of gaping, cupping, wear and staining. In addition to at least 5 layers of paint, there was also evidence of stain and varnish (or similar). This floor did not clean up as well....which was expected. While I waited for the pros to come in and sand down the floors, I got to work on the staircase spindles. Julie (above), thank you for the inspiration to do this myself. My goal was to complete the 30 spindles going to the top of the staircase before floor guys arrived and coated everything down there in dust. I sanded each spindle, primed them all, and gave them each 2 coats of Sherwin Williams Crisp Linen. That process, I have to say, was a real exercise in patience, detail, and restraint. It was intimidating as hell for me, but I have to say that I'm glad I did it. Now, I just have to tackle the other 30 on the 2nd floor landing. LOL After that, I'm having pros come in to do the treads, risers and baseboards. I do know my limits. Floor guys came in and sanded the floors, with the intent of either staining/poly or just poly to keep the light, natural look. However, after doing a great job sanding, they were real hesitant about doing anything but a very dark stain in the study. The floor is in "rough" shape and I don't think they wanted to be held responsible for me not being happy, which I totally get. So, they were done and I had floors that were/are bare wood. I decided to keep it natural and applied Waterlox in the study. I'm two coats in, on my way to 4. I've done nothing in the entry hall; that'll wait until after the first of the year. I will post pictures in a bit...

Don't buy anything until you try the simple route first. Remove the stairwell gallery and the stuff on top of your kitchen cabs. Try clearing the countertops a bit. How many pets do you feed? Can they eat together and stay friends? Organize one pet feeding/watering station outside the living area if possible. I see three huge bowls in the floor and they are a trip hazard as well as being unsightly if your furry friends don't eat every bite. Address the clutter in your TV center as well. Try 1/3 books, 1/3 larger decor items and 1/3 open space in the shelves.