Here's a pic of the vestibule floor. It's directly opposite the stairs.

A sisal is maybe too simplistic and a bit rustic.

I Love the arched doorways and hardwood floor. The cheetah stair runner would go if it were my house too. I bet you could sell it on Ebay.

What type of furniture do you have in other rooms that sets the overall tone in your home. Especially the one to the right of the entry?

This?

This one has a simple design but with character. This sort of style fits your home's beautiful features.
There are many rugs to choose from in various patterns that can be subtle and stylish.

You could repeat one of the colors of your tile in the entry and it would look very chic.

The second rug is nice but your walls and wood floors are all neutrals. I thought that having a runner with some color to bring out the tile would be nice. However, you could use a pattern less busy.

Yes the color green from your tile would be a soft, beautiful color to go with the hardwood. You do need color. The rust and golden tones too much of a blend.

Our decor is pretty eclectic. My dining room set is from the 1930s. My living room furniture was purchased for my previous home and, while I like it in this house, I probably would have chosen something different. However, it has to stay.

shortped and Engrav's - I think the green from the floor is a great idea. I wonder how to say this, I don't want a runner that's very "carpety". Does that make sense? A flat weave? I'm not sure of all the stair runner lingo.

Flat weave, yes. There are some that are made from just loops but in patterns like the one in the picture. Mohawk makes such rugs if you can find a Mohawk Color Center retailer near you.
You furniture fits the house very well. Very warm and welcoming.

Thank you, Engrav's! It's so nice to get a little validation from a decorator. We really love the house, but it will always be a work in progress. I'll start looking at the Mohawk rugs and keep you posted.

Still in a quandary. I'd really like to keep the stairs bare. However, my husband wants a runner.

We went to get carpet samples yesterday. As Engrav's said, the sisal would be a bit too rustic. But, I'm attaching one more picture of our living room. The house is a bit rustic/arts & crafts. All of the low weave carpets we looked at look too polished.

I still think a soft, tight weave sisal is the way I'm leaning. At the carpet store, we chose some samples with a slight pattern - one was an olive green/natural to complement the vestibule floor. The other was natural and black - we think it would complement the iron we have throughout the house. However, when we got home, I started leaning toward the solid natural color. I haven't decided if we'd do a border or not. The border I would consider would be a cotton border in a putty color that has hints of olive.

I know it's hard to pick colors online and I'm confident that I can choose the right tones once I make a decision. But I'm looking for opinions - pattern or solid? Border or no border?

Thanks!!!

I like all of the ones in the photos, but the last one especially. And I continue to like the idea of the informality of a sisal.

Thanks feeny! One more question. Waterfall or upholstered/fitted? I'm leaning towards upholstered/fitted because I think the definition of the stairs would look nice. What are the pros and cons?

If it were me, I'd go with no runner. I went with painted stairs long before it was in fashion becauseI couldn't find a runner I liked. I just love it now. Maybe, if you took it off for awhile, your husband would see how lovely it is...I find it less slippery than carpet as well.

I love your home and your decor. Good luck!

I prefer waterfall, but that is only a personal preference and it is probably based on familiarity. I don't know the pros and cons of each. We've always had waterfall style stair runners and have never had a problem with them.

I am feeling like an indecisive crazy person. I just went to order my stair runner and realized it was polypropylene. For some reason, that bothers me. The real sisal is VERY rough. Maybe too rough to be a stair runner. So, now I'm researching flat weave cotton stair runners. I like the look of those. Any input, brands, etc., would be GREATLY appreciated.

Personally, I prefer no runner, but if you are putting one in, I would go with upholstered/fitted, both because of the definition and because it is less slippery. Also, I think it would look better with your beautiful entryway inner doors.

I just couldn't take it anymore. I took the runner off myself. Up close the stairs look a little rough, but they look pretty good in the picture! So many decisions. Hopefully, I can convince my husband to wait a little while on the runner.

The stairs do look nice! I like the light color of the walls in contrast to the wood of the stairs. All the architectural details are very nice. Thank you for giving us a view of your lovely home!

I too love the stairs with no runner. If we didn't have dogs that bounded up and down the stairs at top speed, we'd take ours off too!

Glad you did that. It looks so much better.

Don't consider cotton for a runner, it matts down, absorbs everything and can't be properly cleaned. They do make a sisal look wool that will wear like iron should you decide to use a runner.