Unfortunately the wiring for this was done months ago, and it's set up for a ceiling fixture. No wall sconces for me. Too bad, because I think that would have been a nice solution. The good news is that I did have 3-way wiring put in, at least. At a lighting store today, I was advised to stay away from fixtures that will be difficult when it comes time to replace the light bulb(s). Never would have occurred to me! But other than that, I'm still in the dark (har, har). I wish lighting sites were more like cabinet sites, where you can see the product installed in the room. It's just really hard for me to visualize fixtures in a stairwell, having never paid attention to them before.

It's not really just nail pops. You can see drywall lines, flaws, past areas that have been patched. None of the other walls are this bad. Not sure why the stairwell looks the way it does. That's why I was pondering whether a darker color would hide some more than the current color or even a lighter color. I tried to repair a lot before the painters came in last time. Now we have really expensive carpet on the stairs so I don't want to do a lot of repair work and risk getting anything on my carpet.

What a wonderful piece! Love that you have displayed something with a story, and I think it looks super as it is with nothing else needed. Oh, and your spindles are not "dated." That's just silly.

It depends on the ceiling height, landings, and if basement assumed there is a stair above it making it a tighter 6'-8"ish sloped ceiling. Wall sconces will just get knocked when moving gym equipment.