It honestly looks almost Victorian to me. It's pretty and probably cost a fortune but it wasn't really a good choice for an interior stair railing in that type of house.

If you want to go more modern and plan on keeping the railings I would probably replace the lights with a simple black lanterns.

I see French influences in the design of the railing..would be interesting to hear other comments, as I'm guessing here rather than stating some known to me fact

The house seems very grand...and it sounds to me you'd rather feel more down to earth so to say. I felt the same in our previous place-while smaller, it still had two story entry, and living and dining, and these huge windows, and all..(had other ceiling heights too..had a good flow, so there was some relief, and rooms with more ..human scale). So I personally-I looked to ground mine. I did it with darker flooring, and colorful furniture, and fabrics, and plants, and art. So one can enjoy things on eye level. Can be done with rugs..table and floor lamps..

There is this playful element about railing..floral motif..I think it will make things easier for you.

Lighting ...you want good quality lighting(you don't want things that look too cheap next to this railing) that would loose some formality, but will still play well with the house. need to think. Need to know your budget as well for suggestions. Are you open to vintage? Or we're looking into new lights?

Lighting can be mixed and matched , I've all sorts of lights from very elaborate traditional to mid century modern. They share the vibe though, some similarity in character. So I'd guess you have to define your vibe for yourself-yours AND the house's. And then it'll take some time to put it all together. Since you don't have to outfit all the house with lights at once you can take more time..but you need to know your overall concept first. Which is all good. Don't be in a hurry. Taking time to feel the house, and thinking things over, and looking at lots of inspiration-all very helpful.

I thought French as well when I saw your pictures. It looks too "delicate" to be Mediterranean, if by that you mean Tuscan. I think it looks like a lovely architectural element in your home and contrasts nicely with the current wall colour. If you share pics of your preferred style, we'll have an easier time saying if they can co-exist. For lighting, I could see something like these with your railing (but I'm no pro):

Beautiful wrought iron. French style, perhaps. Take advantage of the beautiful design features with elegant and airy new light fixtures (as tartanmeup shows) that lean toward contemporary.

I would paint the wrought iron white because it's an ornate element that doesn't really go with the rest of the architectural elements, such as they are. There's a real disconnect here, and it would be best to minimize that.

aprilneverendsand tartanmeup thank you both very much for your detailed reply. The house feels very airy and bright, with very tall ceilings, which I love. I wanted to keep this open, breezy feeling of the house, while replacing the more "frilly"elements in it with simpler design. I like the occasional ornate element with muted colors and I also do like some rustic elements.

I definitely do not care for shiny brass or gold finishes, I prefer brushed nickel, chrome or the dark brass/black color.

This is two chandeliers that I have in my current house that I absolutely love. One is in the dining room with our 10 ft reclaimed oak dining table (which is going to move with us) and the other is in one of the sitting rooms.

I don't really have a set budget and I have no issues getting a high end item if it feels right for the space. Out of the lights tartanmeup suggested, I do like the second and the 4th light. I do like sparkly chandeliers, but often they feel too gaudy for me. Looking around the internet, this is a few designs that I liked and feels like it would be okay.

ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9 Thank you for your suggestion Ingrid! Just out of curiosity, what type of railing do you feel would go better with the current architectural elements of the house?

I agree with Beverly, the railings can actually stand alone as an "art" piece. I would stay with dark/black tones in lighting fixtures to keep it pulled together. Other than that, I think you can get pretty creative and not worry so much about your rooms. Think sculpture....how lucky you are!

BeverlyFLADeziner thank you for all your great ideas! I actually absolutely LOVE the waterfall pendants (pic 6).

Your instincts are right: your current chandelier would not jibe with this railing. The two chandeliers you found on the Internet would. I don't think you need to spend a fortune to find something that will harmonize. You just need to keep in mind the scale of the railing. It's not as ornate as the French railings I've found via Google but it definitely has a similar "feel", to my eye. If I didn't love it, I'd replace it rather than paint it and erase its personality.

Musée Rodin in Paris:

Your railings are drop dead gorgeous and please, do not paint them. IMO, painted white would look like cheesy inexpensive 70's wrought iron porch railing.

Following, love yr railings.

Love the railings and they read rather French to me,too. For myself,I would definitely look at Art Moderne and various more contemporary designs (including folks like Mouille and Prouve) because I like that juxtaposition. The curvy with the clean.

I saw some lights that I love..same idea of some that Beverly posted, and I love the shape, slightly uneven, and the white, less transparent glass that gives off very pleasant light.

Have no idea whether something like this will work size-wise..but as I remembered your great realings, and quest for clean and modern that will work nice with it, I couldn't help but notice these

https://www.ebay.com/itm/153435779979?ul_noapp=true