Why are you even keeping the stained glass??? Not everything that was MCM was successful.

I think either the glass or the black railing could work, but keeping the drywall would allow you to place a narrow entry console table in that spot. Opening it up would also put more focus on the stairs so you will see more of whatever surface you are using - wood or carpet? Since you're making such major changes, I'd wait until your other parts of the room are done to decide.

@BeverlyFLADeziner i was really on the fence about keeping the stained glass windows and eventually acquiesced b/c the designers on houzz loved them much.

someone even said they’d rather cut off their arm than to have me remove those windows!

here‘s the post: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5945319/keep-or-dump-midcentury-modern-stained-glass-windows

Sorry those windows are IMO what makes the space but I am confused about the awning , where is it going?

@calidesign unfortunately, I put off this decision for as long as possible. next week, I will hopefully get my cabinets delivered and after that it will be time for me to lay the floors. So, I need to know if I’m removing the dry wall awning to put floors down or leaving it up— esp. since I need to order the awning which can take 2-7 weeks.

also, nothing can live in front of that awning. it’s follows the walkway to the kitchen and that walkway will only be 4ft.

@Patricia Colwell Consulting here is a picture of my floor plan. The stairs are at the entry of my home, inside of the great room. The awning will be 10ft.

Here are some examples of what the glass awning could look like;

here is a picture of what the black metal with wire could look like:

here is a picture of the awning, before the reno began and I tore down the fireplaces that separates the kitchen and the dining room.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a good current photo of the space but I will move around the stuff being stored inside of the living room today to take a better current picture.

I'd go with the black railing. The glass looks a little too industrial/modern and the solid wall is fairly heavy looking next to the stained glass. The black will coordinate best with your kitchen details, is a good style for your home, and the extra light into the staircase and full view of the stained glass will be nice. Your home will be so interesting and gorgeous when the stained glass wall is painted white. Be sure to post photos as you update.

I think the glass will kep it simple but of course I am the one who loves the stianed glass ,BTW this is the only definition of an awning I know / a sheet of canvas or other material stretched on a frame and used to keep the sun or rain off a storefront, window, doorway, or deck.

I like the stained glass too. I think a very simple design would be best. There are so many options for glass stair rail systems. I think the ones with clips and extra posts etc. would detract from the windows. A simple handrail and glass is what I envision.

@Jennifer Ott Design by chance, do you know the designer of your system? I have not been able to find anything that simple.

I appreciate everyone's feedback but I just need to call out one very important thing out that I may not have clearly previously explained.

The inside of my pony wall (awning? :-), must have the vertical hand rail (seen in the picture below) because I cannot put the hand rail on the right side of the stairs due to the infamous stained glass windows on the right side of the stairs. The hand rail will be on the left side of the stairs (attached to the pony wall) in all of my design choices (glass, metal or simple dry wall).

Also, as much as I love the glass going down the stairs (and I really do love it), I don't have the width to have glass going down the stains as seen in this picture. .

I think my stairs are only 36 inches wide. This is a picture of my current staircase.

I sincerely appreciate everyone's feedback. I've called over 20 people to get price quotes but as you can imagine, everyone is just selling what they have in stock and not necessarily telling me the truth about what is best for the home... I'm really afraid that this "statement wall" will end up like an episode of "this is what I asked for vs. what I got".

I love the stained glass. I would use the black railing as it complements the MCM styling.

Hi there, I ripped down that dry wall and it was so liberating (lol)!! here’s progress photos.

I‘ve eliminated the glass guard rail option b/c I simply don’t want to clean it with all of these white cabinets in my house (lol, I’m tired 🥴).

Now, I’m still stuck choosing between an all black metal system and a black metal and silver cable system.

Does anyone have any opinions between these 2 options? Here’s examples of both options:

Appreciate all the input thus far. It has really helped me organize my thoughts. I have ultimately decided to go with metal, because I like the look and it just feels more mid-century modern to me, plus I really don't want to have to clean glass.

I've added some more pictures of the space, and my last question is simply should i go vertical or horizontal with my rails:

Looking at the area from m dining room:

Looking at the area from the hallway to my upstairs bedrooms

Looking at the area as you come into the front door:

Again, here are the two options, illustrated by my inspiration pics:

Option 1 - Horizontal

Option 2 - Vertical

Thanks, Jennifer. Point taken!!

Also check code for where you live, some places dont allow horizontal rails because they are too easy for children to climb over.

Hi there, I installed this metal rail and I think I made a mistake. It has to be replaced because it’s too short but now that I see it, I’m wondering if I should switch to a glass rail.

or switch to a rail with no center post, like this one?

Unfortunately I already have 12 holes in the floor so a 3rd option is to keep the 3 floor plates and to remove the center post in the new design. This would allow the b rail to be closer to the ground. Sorta like this;

since this rail is shorter than code requirements, I still have option to change my mind for the next day or so I would love to have any feednack that you have...

also, If you like the rail as is, please let me know ASAP. this is also an option! Thanks!!

I think it is simple and elegant. It is jarring because it is the 'big new thing' in the space.

I think you made a huge mistake. You should replace the floors where you put the holes for that steel guard rail and install the glass rail. Anything more with those multi-colored stained glass windows would be an site for sore eyes.