A railing all the way from top to bottom, on the right hand side, so someone cant step wrong and fall off over the side. That looks very dangerous. The left side, needs to be sanded really well, where the white is, if you plan on using stain.

Was there a rail in the middle? If so, it needs to be put back, as well as one on the right side. This looks like an ambulance ride right now.

You can't just "open" a thing:

The stair and wall should have been rebuilt.......the "crease" removed from the stair. It needed to be built out to code, and you needed more space at the foot, or that's my guess.

Too much wall is gone, and nobody can answer the question based on one isolated picture.

They're too wide. They're dangerous. The railing feels wrong ; doesn't suit anything else I can see in the background. Nor does the switch of flooring, engineered? ? Or is that my monitor? Background appears much darker. Or you're staining to match?

Safety first. I had a client in a similar second floor exit from a master bedroom take a very bad head first spill with a similar width problem created by former owners in a remodel. Who was the contractor? I'd fire him. They meet NO code at this point.

Post a before picture please.

Those look dangerous. The treads even look too shallow.

Safety and aesthetic issues abound. What’s happening with the floors overall? What was your plan?

For sure I'd redo the flooring so that either the bottom floor/steps match the top floor/steps, or vice versa. Also, you need to add a railing to the right side, and redo the right top step to match the rest of the staircase.

Oh my. I hate to use harsh words, but those are truly dreadful and dangerous. No offense intended.

What did it look like before? What was the intent of the change?

There a lot of angles and colors which distract the eye and interrupt the flow. I think an easy fix is to paint the inside of the arches and niche in the same soft gray as the walls. This will provide continuity to the space and provide a more serene feel. It looks like botanical art or wallpaper in black and white in the niche. Very stark. Replace it with a soft green botanical to invoke nature.

The lower steps should defintely match the upper steps in color so they look like one continuous staircase.

Unfortunately, I think this is a complete tear out and redo, with a designer and contractor who understand both aesthetics and codes. This is a no go.

Something like these together in the niche will be a great focal point.

American Art Decor Leaf Wall Scroll Tapestry 2ft. x 3ft. $70 on sale at Overstock

Hosley's 24" High Wood and Grass Floor Vase. $56 on Amazon.

Really really need railling in the middle also railling on right side..

Come to think of it, did the contractor pull a building permit and did the inspector sign off on final approval?

That is a lawsuit waiting to happen I agree at least put a rainling down the center to show that different plane of those stairs . Where was the architect in this plan and I use that term loosely since honestly no plan that I can see. I agree no inspector will approve that mess . I honestly am not sure even what you did .

Please measure the top 2 risers pictured; they look much higher than 7 3/4". Those two should probably become three steps.

It looks like you removed a wall on the right of the angled stairs. I can see why you want help; it doesn't look good. Kinda tacked-on. I'd put the wall back with a handrail.

The stairs are not finished. We will be putting actual treads on top of these. The stairs were like this when we bought the house. We are updating them. I won’t put a railing down the middle though. That would defeat the purpose of keeping it open.

I’m new to houzz and can’t seem to reply to individual comments. Tread dimensions are actually ok permit wise. We’ve already had an inspector come through. We will be updating the stair treads with matching flooring. What I don’t like is the v shape and wondering if we should round it out somehow. We will be adding a railing on the right hand side but would never put one down the middle! They were 1/2 finished when we bought the house “as is”. I appreciate all comments but not as interested in code comments since we are all over that already. Thanks to all who took the time to reply.

Well! goody. Think about that when someone splits their head open or takes out their front teeth. ? Some update.

You did or did not remove a wall? I'm surprised the original ever passed an inspection, other than the "grandfather" clause.

Too wide for just a right side railing. .....

You asked, and you don't like anyone's answers, all basically telling you it isn't good.

Thanks Jan! Feel free to move on. :) i never said I didn’t like the answers just that we are already in dialogue with an inspector so code feedback isn’t necessary. I don’t like the design and definitely appreciate the comments and have a dialogue with the inspector on the final plan.

Everyone is telling you these stairs are dangerous and you don't want to hear it? Unbelievable.

As far as aesthetics go, get an architect to rework the stairs/that space. Whether you round the stairs or square off, either way it’s a tear out and you’ll need a plan to integrate to the house.

Pardon my very rough sketching please. Rip those out and make new steps like these, reaching from wall to wall with adequate handrails on both sides.

"we are already in dialogue with an inspector so code feedback isn’t necessary. I don’t like the design and definitely appreciate the comments and have a dialogue with the inspector on the final plan."

The INSPECTOR could not care less what they look like- only that they meet code.

Do what you should have done before you took the darn wall out.

Get an architect. He will KNOW the code and a better design. UN believable, indeed. And no clue why you even posted the question.

Before spending the time and money matching, finishing, etc. at some point there will be an accident so suggest to at least get a professional or two in to provide you with options. I’m sure it will be a big undertaking, but will be well worth your peace of mind.

The only other option I can see is adding a modern railing in the middle, but seems you don’t want to go that route. You could then remove the wall railing, which might even be an improvement.

Are you asking how they should be rebuilt? If you don't like the angle, straight or curved are two choices. Concave curves are just smoothing out your angle. I wonder how you would like convex curves, circling out away from you like ripples in a pond. That might allow you to increase the tread depth a little and decrease the rise a little. 

Another option is to choose one half of the stair to make it narrower (the half with the rail) and box in every other step on the other half to make stacked shelves to display something special. A before picture would be appreciated.