Like so many things, they are a current fad that will fade and give clues at a later date that the home was "early 2000's" in vintage. The black iron with intermittent decorative elements is particularly faddish and I don't care for it much with most styles of homes. However, if you pick a style that suits the home's style like the one Allison shows, it can be a timeless look. One thing is for certain, stained wood, if also done in a style appropriate to the home, will never be out of style either.

flyleft --- Thanks for the info on the red birch. I remodeled the house in 2005, and now that it's completed, I never check out past decisions, so didn't know that red birch is less available. I will tell you that I still love my wood floors, still love the variation, grain, texture, etc. of the wood after living here for 2.5+ years. But, I'm the kind of person who can live happily with the same thing for decades and decades, if I like it. And, I'm going to live in this house until they carry me out feet first :) You correctly read my my mind and my thinking on the mahogany. Related colors, so a good blend. I prefer blends to matching. And, I liked the idea of keeping the original treatment of the stairs. All I did was have the painter refinish the handrail -- didn't change the color, just patched up some gouges, deep scratches, and put a protective finish on it. It now feels like new.... I also had the carpenter build floating mahogany shelves, stain them the same color as the hand rails, and mounted them on the fireplace front, to soften the fireplace. The fireplace runs from floor to top of semi-cathedral (aka "shed") ceiling, and takes up 1 whole wall of the LR. The 3 mahogany floating shelves make a huge difference in the fireplace appearnance, and continue to blend colors together. Thanks for the compliment! I don't think you'll regret keeping the wroght iron treatment for your stairs. As you said, it's all about tying everything together. Good luck as you tackle this!

Grrr. You folks are making great points. Thank you. I am at war with those columns anyway. Mtn, thanks so much for the photos. That first one is similar to my home in front with multiple materials -- especially the siding on the garage which I have painted dark charcoal -- leading me to like a the "blackish" door. The second photo I had used for inspiration when considering brick painting. What about the "blackish" door options below .... I don't want half-half w/mutin bars as I have that now with blinds and it is wayyy too country for me. I am moving toward craftsmanship style or traditional/artsy fartsy -- maybe 3rd one?

So there were a lot of questions but let me try to answer -If you keep the old hardwood it will be a real challenge to get the stains to match prefinished wood even if you redo the stain on the old floors. So depending on how much there is/costs, either replace it all with new, or do site finished for the new flooring so you can restain and match -IMO if the species of the wood is the same it's okay to have different widths. If they're all the same color you probably won't even notice where the size changes -Use the same species throughout the home so yes oak -if your home does not get good natural light dark wood is not a smart move. Not only does dark wood show EVERYTHING (that is not an exaggeration) but it will also make your home feel darker and heavier. A medium stain would be better.