Many of the homeowners I meet with for design consultations really want to replace their staircase carpet with something better.  But replace it with what?  Let’s take a look at one of my favorite features in a home and one that I get a lot of questions about: The staircase.

Most of the typical homes that I see in the North Texas area feature a staircase somewhere in or near the front entry, putting the staircase in view of visitors and guests as they come in the front door. Everyday builder-grade carpet and even many upgrade plush carpets just don’t have the kind of construction or density needed to stand up to such a high traffic area.  These simple carpets are stretched around the front edges of the treads, the very area that dirty shoes step on over and over again.

If your home already has or you are about to upgrade to wood flooring, a custom crafted wood staircase would certainly fit right in.  Coming in with a price tag of $5,000 or more, a wood staircase might be out of reach for some homeowners or might be overdoing it compared to the neighborhood.  For the budget-conscious homeowner, I have a fresh suggestion: patterned carpet.

Patterned carpets are offered with gorgeous colors, smart patterns, and hundreds of options to compliment any interior style.  Some of the more popular styles resemble exotic skins (Leopard and Zebra), geometric designs, or traditional floral rugs.  Are they durable?  You bet.  These carpets are made of synthetic materials so they are very stain resistant and don’t require specialized care.  Most of these carpets are very dense and resist compression much better than plush carpets.  This means that the fibers won’t lay down and stay down.

Since the colors and patterns are generally bolder, most customers want to keep a simpler plush or wood flooring on the second story landing.  To make the change from bold carpet to other flooring types, we’ll install a wood transition at the top of the stairs called a stairnose.  Limiting the carpet replacement to only the stairs prevents the domino effect that most homeowners are afraid of.

When upgrading the staircase with a patterned carpet, I highly recommend the use of a 10-lb carpet pad for added stability and a richer feel.  The time frame needed to complete the job is only a few hours.

Style, durability, options, price, convenience, and quick turn-around are all reasons why I recommend patterned carpet to many of my clients. If you haven’t done anything to improve the look of your stairs, take a look at patterned carpets.

Picking a wonderful, complimentary color for your walls and ceiling can be one of the most rewarding and cost effective interior design changes you make.  Paint and paint labor isn’t expensive.  In my business, this is the “biggest bang for the buck” you can commit to.  But the process of selecting that wonderful color is worth paying respect to and sometimes worth paying a professional designer for.

With one color, I can add energy and drive.  With another, I can add a cool vibe with an urban feel.  Femininity, masculinity, formality, and more are all influences in the right paint color.  My creative experience is in full force when I open my designer series paint deck with nearly a thousand large chips to draw from.  To be honest, I’ve never counted how many there are.

My typical paint selection begins with a conversation about mood, tone, and feel.  If the client tells me that everything in the room is being replaced and we’re starting over, new fabrics are chosen and paint color follows.  Typically I’m looking at lighting, furniture, flooring, décor, art, and any other contributing elements in the space for cues.

It typically takes several draws of combinations from the deck to get there.  This isn’t a one-shot deal.  I’ll pull a few samples which may include a safe choice or two, a daring choice, and a few subtle yet interesting choices.  At this stage, I’m asking for the client to respond.  I’m looking for a gut feeling.  After five to seven pulls, I’ll start narrowing down the options and putting a final list together.

This process really is an exciting journey.  The interaction between my client and I helps to reveal personal preferences that sometimes the client isn’t even aware of.  Regardless, I won’t let my client make a mistake.  I narrow down the field so that all choices are good ones.

If you’re in the market to change paint colors, consider the value of painting it the right color the first time.  The Drawing Table offers professional paint selection services starting at just $250.