Overlooked Design Details: Stairs, Runners, & Sconces

Summary

Podcast Summary: Dear Alice | Interior Design

Episode: Overlooked Design Details: Stairs, Runners, & Sconces

Date: June 25, 2026
Hosts: Jessica Bennett, Suzanne Hall (Alice Lane Interior Design) with Corey

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Main Theme & Purpose

This episode explores the pivotal yet commonly overlooked design elements of stair towers: stairs, runners, and sconces. The hosts break down why these architectural features are the “memory point” of many homes, providing practical advice, aesthetic insights, and lively anecdotes from real-life projects. Their goal is to empower homeowners and design professionals to make smart, impactful choices—ensuring that stairs aren’t just utilitarian, but a showcase of personal style and lasting value.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Emotional & Architectural Impact of Stairs

• Stairs are often a home’s theatrical centerpiece, instantly memorable—think of iconic film scenes or life events like proms and weddings ([01:07-02:54]).
• “It says so much about the energy of a home, the style of it, who uses it…”
  —Alice [01:11]
• Stairs set the tone for the entire home, second only to the front door, and deserve detailed attention.

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2. Anatomy of a Staircase Explained

Definitions and basic parts ([03:03-03:52]):

• Handrail: What you grip; runs between newel posts (N posts).
• Balustrade/Baluster: Vertical spindles supporting the handrail.
• Tread: The platform you step on.
• Riser: The vertical part between treads.
• Stringer: The molding running under the stairs; shapes the stair profile.
• Standard Code: 7-inch riser, 11-inch tread for comfortable stair scaling ([04:04]).

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3. Project Highlights & Design Details

Windsor Manor—Transitional Iron Elegance

Stringer-mount balusters with black/brass contrasts ([04:34-06:48])

• Iron used for handrail and balustrade; balusters side-mounted into the stringer for a unique, musical look.
• Gold accents and squared-off mounts evoke a “transitional” aesthetic—neither strictly modern nor traditional.
• “It’s like putting art on your stairs.”
  —Alice [06:28]
• Stair Runners as “scarf moments”: Pick bold. Absorbs sound, adds visual interest.
  • Brands: Stark, Roger Oates, Prestige, Antrim for runners ([07:55]).
• Runner Installation Tip: Always run the tread fully from end to end; avoid stubby end caps for a polished look ([07:03-07:27]).

Sconce Placement

• Sconces should accompany stair towers, scaling with the expanse and matching the style ([08:34-10:02]).
• Use double sconces for width; select a sconce with a shade for a soft glow, not for task lighting.
  • “You can have a sconce that has a shade on it...those are for hallways and for stairwells like this.”
    —Corey [09:17]

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Capitol Heights—Custom Brass Sophistication

• Focus: Showpiece staircase at the entry using fluted, solid brass balustrades ([11:25-13:21]).
• Transitions are crucial when stairs span multiple floors and landings: Plan base-to-balustrade transitions to avoid awkward chopped designs.
• “Something has to give when you’re dealing with elevation change.”
  —Alice [13:29]
• Runner Transitions: Ensure the runner meets the bottom riser and touches the floor, not “high water pants” style ([14:24-15:16]).
  • “Don’t do that. Take it all the way down. It will pay you back in spades.”
    —Alice [14:34]
• Stair rods: Small details like brass rods (runrug.com or stairrods.com) at the tread/riser “crotch” act as ‘jewelry for the stairs’ ([16:54-17:25]).
• Paneling: Use wall paneling up stair towers for visual texture and as a backdrop for sconces ([17:38-18:07]).

Berkshire Hall—Remodel Brilliance

• Transformation from forgettable to unforgettable using iron railing, paneling, curves, and a skirt wall (“curb wall”) encapsulating the stair side ([19:59-21:49]).
• “It’s like a high baseboard…. You can feel the fluidity of this architecture.”
  —Alice [21:36]
• Runner: Cotton bound on edges for a ‘fashion house’ look. Alabaster sconces blend with wood, wool, brass, and iron for a rich mix of materials ([22:16-22:47]).

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Linden Art Manor—Historic Woodwork

• CNC-cut wood balustrade wall, three stories, inspired by Disneyland’s Mark Twain steamboat for nostalgia and fluidity ([24:20-25:55]).
• “Just like a peek into childhood but refined.”
  —Alice [24:14]
• Serpentine termination at the bottom for a soft, fluid effect, connecting with white oak floors.

Tiger Oak—Paneling & Value

• Balustrade wall with paneling is a budget-friendly, high-impact alternative to traditional balustrades ([26:36-28:31]).
• Panel/pony wall must get finish work—stock pony walls are underwhelming.
  • “No more pony walls that don’t have any finish work on them. That’s not it. It’s not a thing.”
    —Designer [29:47]
• Runner: Splurge on the runner for the wow factor.

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St. John’s—Contemporary Statement Lighting

• Instead of sconces, stair towers feature art-like installations: a series of “bocce balls” (glass globes) or a dramatic David Hicks pendant, both non-directional and soft ([29:53-31:40]).
• “It just feels like carbonated bubbles floating in the sky at night. It's such a payoff.”
  —Corey [30:53]
• Use lighting to soften the lines of angular or floating staircases.

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4. Budget Strategies, Quick Fixes, and Practical Tips

• Stock Balustrade Makeover: When restricted by budget, even basic balusters from the hardware store can become high-fashion with lacquer or paint ([31:41-33:03]).
  • High-gloss black on 80s-era wood balustrade gave a “high fashion” effect that felt historic but fresh.
• Material Mix: When using iron balustrades/newels, wood handrails won’t integrate unless newels are also wood ([33:03-33:52]).
• Scale Light Fixtures Boldly: Even with 8’ ceilings, an overscale chandelier gives grandeur ([34:05-34:25]).
  • “Drop a large fixture...you'll feel like your tallest, most voluminous tower in the whole house.”
    —Alice [34:14]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “I’m even thinking theatrics and movies. You remember the stairs like you remember the stairs in Home Alone.”
  —Alice [01:08]
• “It’s like putting art on your stairs… Your runner is your time to really show off.”
  —Alice [06:28], [08:31]
• “You want those sconces to take up some space and scale with the entire stair tower.”
  —Corey [09:57]
• “This is the jewelry of the stairs.”
  —Corey [16:55]
• “If you have harsh lines already in the stairwell, soften it with your lighting.”
  —Alice/General consensus [31:35-31:41]
• “No more pony walls that don’t have any finish work on them. That’s not it.”
  —Designer [29:47]
• “Sometimes when budgets don’t allow, just spray your Home Depot balustrade high-gloss black—still feels designer!”
  —Alice/Corey [32:37-33:52]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:30 — Episode and theme intro; why focus on stairs, runners, sconces
• 03:03 — Anatomy of a staircase explained
• 04:34 – 10:15 — Windsor Manor example: iron stair system, runners, sconce strategies
• 11:25 – 17:25 — Capitol Heights: custom brass balustrade, runner transitions, stair rods
• 17:38 – 19:44 — Using paneling for stair halls, sconce placement as style
• 19:57 – 22:47 — Berkshire Hall: skirt walls, curved stairs, mixed-material sconces
• 22:47 – 25:55 — Linden Art Manor: CNC wood balustrade wall, nostalgia as design
• 26:36 – 29:32 — Tiger Oak: balustrade walls, value-engineering, pony wall warnings
• 29:53 – 31:40 — St. John’s: contemporary lighting moments in stair towers
• 31:41 – 34:05 — Budget-friendly upgrades; painting stock balustrades, mixing handrail materials
• 34:14 – 34:41 — Dramatic lighting in low-ceiling entries

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Overall Tone and Takeaways

Lively, practical, and enthusiastic, the hosts urge listeners to make the most of an often-overlooked design moment. Focus on rhythm, materials, transitions, and especially lighting to create a stairwell that’s both functional and deeply memorable. Don’t shy away from “scarf moments” with runners, and always, always add finish work to pony walls or budget balustrades.

“If you want your home to feel couture, give the stairs the attention they deserve.” —Corey [15:12]

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Pro Tip: Splurge wisely—on standout runners, custom balustrades, and striking lighting. Even with a modest budget, finish and detail work pay long-lasting style dividends.

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For More Inspiration:
Follow Alice Lane on Instagram for visuals, before/afters, and more stair magic: @alicelanehome and @alicelaneinteriors

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Transcript

[Alice]

I see you.

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[Alice]

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[Corey]

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[Alice]

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[Corey]

Hello, everyone. Welcome to Dear Alice. Today we have another episode of our overlooked design Details.

[Alice]

I love this series.

[Corey]

I do too.

[Alice]

Really. There there's so many little things and the older we get, the more we do, the more details we queue into. And they are what makes the design, the details.

[Corey]

Definitely it makes the home special. So if you're embarking on a new build, a remodel, even if you're just remodeling a little section of your home, you're going to love this series because we're really breaking down each part of the home. Today we're going to be talking about stairs, runners and sconces. So that entire sort of stair tower. Mom. All the little details that are going to make your stairs really sing. That's what today's episode is about.

[Alice]

I do think though that the stairs are such a memory point for so many of our clients. And when you do walk into a home, I'm even thinking theatrics and movies. You remember the stairs like you remember the stairs in Home Alone. You remember the stairs in the Holiday. That is such a memory point and it says so much about the energy of a home, the style of it, who uses it, even along with just the overall aesthetics. And so I'm really excited to talk about this. We're going to be going through projects, we're going to be going through the anatomy of a staircase because I think that these are terms that you should know as you are building and remodeling a home so you can speak intelligently to your builder because they will assume certain things and there are things that you want to have happen. And so this series is for you to educate yourself so that you can speak intelligently to all the people that are going to be helping you get to, you know, this final memory point.

[Corey]

Yeah, I agree. There's the prom stairs you picture, oh my gosh, you know, the daughter coming down the stairs or the wedding stairs or also I feel like it's sort of a style moment for the home. They're generally in an entryway and getting these. It's this beautiful, rhythmic, almost musical instrument, right. That's like all in the foyer and it's ascending an entire story. And so it. It's going to go below the eye level. Above the eye level. There's just something about getting a custom set of ball balustrades and newel posts and stair runner and rods that make this thing just really sing and make it feel special. Or the opposite, where you look like you've got your balusters from Home Depot that make your home feel so ordinary. So I will say we're gonna really splurge on the staircase because it's our moment to really set the tone for the entry and the rest of the home. You know what I mean? Besides the front door, let's just really spend a lot of time getting your stairs right.

[Alice]

Yeah.

[Corey]

So much so that we're going to record an entire podcast all about just getting the stairs right.

[Alice]

We are. All right, let's get into the anatomy of a staircase. Corey.

[Designer]

Okay, well, we're going to start with what's easiest that we all mostly know. The handrail, yes, obviously, is what you put your hand on. You're walking down. The handrail is going to run to two different points. Those are going to be called N posts. They're the post that the handrail runs into the balustrade, or the baluster runs from the bottom of the handrail to the stair itself. When you're walking up a stair, the platform that you put your foot on, it's called a tread. The piece that connects the two treads, like one tread from the next, is called the riser. And then if you can imagine a staircase looking at it from a side view, the molding that kind of shapes the stairs from the sides as it ascends or descends is called the stringer. Those are kind of all the points we're going to be addressing today. Or the anatomy of the stairs.

[Corey]

That's great. And we just wanted to make sure you guys knew what we were talking about, because we're going to be talking about mounting some of the balustrade side mounting on stringers. We want you to be able to picture that if you're not watching this on YouTube or Spotify.

[Alice]

Yeah. And if you are, this, I just. This is random, but when I was in school, I just loved learning that the actual math of the tread and the riser is 7, 11. Your riser, 7. Your tread is 11. So if you're going up and down a staircase, you're like, these are really steep. Definitely not a 7, 11, because that is, like, to code. But I think any of these little quips I think help you just get it right. Definitely remember all those things. This first one that we're going to be talking about is our Windsor Manor. This is a home for the homeowner.

[Corey]

Actually.

[Alice]

She reminded me of Windsor Smith, all of her. Windsor Smith is a really beautiful designer. She has a really edited eye, but it's very curated. And that's kind of why we named it Windsor Manor. She wanted something that was special but not too complicated, something that wouldn't be overwhelming to her eye but still looked custom. And so I remember when we were drawing up this balustrade rhythm, she wanted a medal. She wanted to use like an iron metal for the actual, like, stair. She wanted her actual handrail to be metal. She wanted her balusters and that whole balustrade system to be metal. And so we went about designing this and I'm just so happy with the details that we did on this because we do have that where the balusters. We've done this on a few different projects where the baluster actually mounts to the stringer and it's called like. What is the actual term?

[Designer]

Stringer mount or side mount, which is

[Corey]

really fun because you're so used to seeing the balustrade mount right onto that tread. So seeing this mount onto to the side of the stringer is a really fun play because most likely you're looking at the profile of the stairs and this, this one in particular reminds me of like a musical instrument. Looking at it, there's just so much more involved. It's atypical. So it's going to catch your eye. Contrasting black and brass on a white stringer. Really beautiful.

[Alice]

I think this is a great example. If you are like a transitional, you're not totally traditional. And like, Rachel Parcel has the same type of mounting onto the stringer and hers is quite French, quite traditional. This is a good transitional aesthet that still does that trick. It has, like, the actual mounting isn't like a rosette or anything. It's actually a little squared up piece. We incorporated gold accents in this, we incorporated iron. But the rhythm of it I just think is so lovely. Lovely. Lovely to look at. I'm thrilled with how the balustrades worked in this home. Another thing that we do in most homes is the runner, I think the stair runner. It's like putting art on your stairs. I think we start with our rug in most rooms and often we'll start throwing runners when we're creating these boards for clients so that we can and understand what is the energy happening as you kind of go up and down these stairs, like. Cause you're not putting any other furniture necessarily like onto the stairs. But this is like your soft goods. This is what absorbs the sound, this is what adds the style points in addition to the rhythm of your balustrades.

[Corey]

It can be like a real scarf moment for the home, don't you think?

[Alice]

Totally.

[Corey]

I love this detail and I think the way to do it right. Corey, do you want to tell them about the right way to get a runner in there? Do we do end caps or do we run the stair all the way underneath the runner?

[Designer]

The correct way is to have a full on tread that spans from, you know, one side of the stair to the other and then have a runner that runs up all of those treads.

[Alice]

I remember when, like when we first started, I was in the industry and I was just like the runner is kind of like the red carpet. You're just spreading it down the stairs. And so therefore why would you have weird end caps?

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Alice]

Because it's supposed to be believed that it's going over a full tread.

[Designer]

Yep.

[Alice]

All the way down to that very bottom riser.

[Designer]

I think when it is between two end caps, it just looks, it's. Then it's mounte to like the subfloor

[Corey]

and it just looks so the heights aren't usually right. You can tell.

[Designer]

Yeah. And it's, it's just. It really is just a different experience.

[Corey]

And sometimes they use carpet as the runner instead of an actual beautiful, broad loomed or needlepoint looking people. This is where you're going to splurge on your carpet allowance. You're going to get yourself something really nice. What. What are some of our favorite carpet lines?

[Alice]

We love stark, we love Roger. Roger notes is such a fun new one. If you haven't heard, go look it up. They have such darling stripes. If you love the holiday, if you love any charming, if you love soulful, you're gonna love Roger Notes. We love Stark, but we also love prestige, which is kind of like baby sister. Usually a little bit lower price point than Stark, but the same look. There's so many great ones, but those are probably like the two favorites that I use the most that you should definitely queue into. But even I feel like even Antrim has some great ones. If you're really neutral, I think you can go to one of those. But this is your time to shine. It's the scarf. And so I think I go bold. You're gonna have a neutral carpet everywhere else but your runner. Yeah, I think Is your time to like really show off.

[Corey]

Yep. You're gonna splurge balustrades, your newel posts and this runner. And then let me just also say, I think you've got to always consider a pair of sconces, two, if not three, for that stair tower moment. Being able to have light mounted to the wall is so great. You're generally going to have a chandelier that's mounted in the entryway, probably the center of the entry. Maybe it's in the center of the stair tower, but usually it's in the center of the entry. So having sconces graduate up with that handrail just looks so considered. It's a design detail that's always overlooked. People don' always think to put a sconce on the wall and this is a moment where you can have a sconce that has a shade on it. I'll often times see people use the wrong type of sconce for different things. They'll put a shaded sconce in a primary bath. You're like, oh no, no. That's where you want to use the long sconce with all the light bulbs on it. Cuz you're getting ready. The ones with the little shades on them are for hallways and for stairwells like this. So it's going to just give you a really beautiful subtle glow. Nobody has to get ready here. It's a moment and it's a feeling.

[Alice]

And because your stairwell is such that where you're covering a large span of, you know, width, we often will do the double. A double sconce. Just because it does give you a little bit more width and like presence.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Alice]

In that whole composition versus just doing like little singles.

[Corey]

Because it's usually a huge wall that's spanning from one floor to the next. So you're probably 20 foot, 20ft at least.

[Alice]

Yeah.

[Corey]

So you do want those sconces to take up some space and scale with the entire stair tower.

[Alice]

In this image of Windsor Manor, you're going to see all these details. I think the balustrades turned out so beautiful. The runner, the sconces. I think this is a really great example of a full iron balustrade system with the handrail.

[Designer]

Love one thing about the balustrades that I think is awesome. Like you said, it has an integrated bracket that's attached to the bottom of the balustrade that's attaching to the stringer.

[Alice]

Yeah.

[Designer]

But other than that it's a pretty straight line. But I love the fact that it's probably 8 inches down from the handrail, there is like another detail on it and that adds to that rhythm of the balustrades so much. And it kind of connects to the integrated brack at the bottom. So it's not just a bunch of lines running from the handrail to the tread. It's still pretty simplistic, but it adds detail.

[Corey]

It's like a little knuckle.

[Designer]

Yeah.

[Corey]

That's just kind of. Yeah. A fourth of the way down. It's. It is so great to. The overall picture of it is just absolutely stunning.

[Alice]

I'm glad that you picked up on that because I do think that ratio of where that sits is a detail.

[Designer]

Yep.

[Alice]

Because I think a lot of times when you're looking at stocked balustrades, you're going to see them like right in the center.

[Designer]

Yeah.

[Alice]

And it's going to be that same. We all know the one in our head that we've seen that every, you know, spec. But when you can adjust, if you're going to be drawing and doing a custom railing anyway, adjust that and make. It's kind of that golden mean situation where you take it to the top third or the bottom third so that it feels special. And I love that you said that it integrated with the stringer mount too, so. So good.

[Designer]

Great job.

[Alice]

Capitol Heights. Okay, so if you've heard us talk about Capitol Heights or like listen to that little mini masterclass on that home, you'll know that this is a very all custom balustrade system. This is in Washington, D.C. the staircase is part of that entry. Go into the home. And so he wanted something that would be impressive, really show their style, but also just some presence of the home. And so. And that's what a staircase does. Again, it shows off a lot. It's the preview. If you do have it in that first portion of your home, it's kind of a little taster of what you're about to experience everywhere. And so when we did propose solid brass balustrades, they were down. They were custom. We had seen this, like, detail of these fluted brass. We're like, what's. What's more, you know, nation's capital than fluted, than fluting on the brass. Anyway, so we came up with this, a beautiful design for this balustrade. Every time I see it, I still just like, get so, like, get like butterflies in my stomach. And one thing I do want to just talk about really fast is because you're going from an actual upper level to the main level down to a Basement. So when you're traveling all those floors, you do have a lot of transitions, and those transitions are really, really important. Those are design details that you want to kind of clue into before you give your drawings to your builder or even start talking to him about it. I think a lot of times homeowners will just say, give, give, like, an idea to a builder, but they don't think about these transition points from floor to floor because you're dealing with full high elevation. So you can even see in the images of Capitol Heights how that bottom base to the balustrade is. It's like a block of brass. Basically how that starts to pyramid down and get smaller to make sure railing can stay fluid. Otherwise, if I kept that the same height, I would have had to square it down. It would have been a lot choppier.

[Designer]

Yep.

[Alice]

So something has to give when you're dealing with elevation change. You either have to take it off of the balustrade, or you have to do some weird, jiggy stuff with your railing. So really have an idea on what you want this to look like. Be strong about it when you're talking to your builder. If this is important to you, we need to figure out how to engineer this from the beginning so that I'm not surprised with a railing that I'm not stoked about at the end and have to still pay for it.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Yeah.

[Designer]

Talking about, like, transitions, you guys did first an amazing job on this runner. One thing that I've seen a bunch, and it's like, I can't figure out how to make sense of this, and it kind of leans to what you were talking about, transitions. So I think people, even ones that do think about the staircase themselves, you know, they think about that. They think about, obviously, the main level and then the next level up. But it's like, how are those connecting to each other? So when that runner is running up the stairs and going to the level above, where are you stopping that runner at? How are we transitioning to the next level, if that makes sense. So the very top stair.

[Alice]

That's a great question.

[Designer]

Runner ends into the next level.

[Corey]

You've got to make sure and start that runner on the riser.

[Alice]

Girl.

[Corey]

That's connecting right into the marble.

[Alice]

Let's talk about Designix.

[Designer]

Yeah. Real quick.

[Alice]

I hate that. And I've gone into homes where we have specified the runner, and I presumed that the builder would know to take that runner all the way down to the bowl riser to touch the ent flooring. Again, it's my red carpet Moment. I want that thing. Like, if I could cascade it down, I would figure out how to do it. But I want it to at least hit that surface of the entry floor. And a lot of times they'll, like, they'll short sheet it and they won't cover that and then they'll stop it. Basically just round it out on that bottom tread. Don't do that. Take it all the way down. It will, like, pay you back in spade. And it feels finished. It totally feels incomplete. Every time I've seen it done any

[Corey]

other way, it feels like couture, like it was made for you.

[Alice]

Thank you.

[Corey]

Otherwise, if start that runner on the tread, it's like high water pants. And you're like, oh, no, the tailor got it all.

[Alice]

They ran out.

[Designer]

Yeah. Dang it.

[Alice]

Yeah, they didn't order enough.

[Designer]

Yeah, that's hilarious.

[Alice]

But I will say again, if, like, ideally we have a full wood tread, right, and our runner's just going up and up that whole run of stairs. I like it when it just like goes up to that, the. Basically that last riser and then hits the nose of whatever that. That top flooring is going to be okay. A lot of times we are doing wood, you know, in these estate homes where they want wood to be the main story for majority of the general flooring. Sometimes if you live with, you know, all your kids are really young, you just built this home, it might be carpet. I think that's okay for the carpet to like, round out and have that riser just be finished off with the fancy tread. If you're listening to this, hopefully you're upgrading and you're like, maybe I am going to go wood on my upstairs and I'm getting my fancy runner. So hopefully you just have that wood that's going to. And again, just continue on the upper floor and then meet up with that, that upper floor.

[Designer]

If, like, you're doing wood, hardwood floor on the upper floor, it would kind of just act like a tread. It would just keep that same rhythm.

[Alice]

And usually whatever's happening there is kind of either, like bordered out, you know, by the tread, you know, that would detail. And then it goes into its straight runs from whatever direction the landings, you know, happening upstairs.

[Corey]

One quick detail here on the Capitol Heights staircase is we are using stair rods, runner rods, if you will. These are brass. And when you're doing this, you're going to want to start this about 6 inches in from both sides. And then this is going to run across. It's like right at the very edge of that tread right in between the tread and the riser.

[Designer]

It's in the tread and riser. Crotch.

[Alice]

I was about to say the crotch, if you will.

[Corey]

As my dad RL would say, it's in the crotch of the stairs. Yes. We like to find a couple sources for this that we've used before are runrug.com and then there's also one called stairrods.com so a couple great resources. This is the jewelry of the stairs. So if you have a home that has this sort level of formality, I think this is a really great move, especially today since decorating is so in and lovely. It's just a really, really well finished home.

[Alice]

Another thing I want to talk about specifically with this home and a lot of homes, when you're dealing with that two story height situation, when you have stairs that are ascending to a second floor, it's a tall space to just have blank walls.

[Corey]

Yes.

[Alice]

A lot of times what we will do, that stair hall wall is paneling. We'll do paneling to just kind of break that long, tall distance up. I love this trick. I think it just adds a lot of visual texture to your walls and it feels it's interior architecture to like add those moldings in that texture. And also it becomes a really great place. When you're thinking about sconce placement, there's like really nice breaks as you're ascending. Or if you have a landing, it just, it kind of helps you tell that story and identify what the placement should be.

[Corey]

Designers, this can be a real icon of your work. I just have to say. Stair towers in general, beautifully photographed. You have so much coming into play, so much rhythm. So much design is happening here. From the rhythm of that whole, all that paneling and stair tower to the sconce placements, to the balustrades, to your stair rods and carpet, and then your marble entry coming into focus. This is a real moment for your work to shine, and it's a place where you want to spend a lot of detail and time. And we felt like it was, again, worth an entire episode on this podcast.

[Alice]

Yeah, and I will say the sconce, like, like in the last project that we showed you, the Windsor one, it felt, you know, right in line with the actual far style. All, like, blended really fluidly. This here in Capitol Heights, I think that this is a real, like a little bit more of a juxtaposition. So you can get a lot of style points with your sconce too. You know, when you. Especially when it's just like I have all this traditional molding. I have these, like, beautiful brass fluted balustrades. It was really easy when we were looking at the roundup of all the vinyl sconce contestants. Distance, if you will, to be like, that's the one. That's the one that gave me energy. If you're watching the screen, you'll see that we did this, like, really kind of like deco almost sconce at the landings.

[Corey]

It reminds me of almost like, remember when you were little and you would fold a paper fan and zigzag the paper back and forth? It feels like a section of that brass folds, almost like a sun ray. This is so fashionable. It's also atypical of what you would think of. And this sconce absolutely makes my heart beat fast when I see this image. I'm so glad that everybody went for it because it's not your typical choice and it makes it feel like a fashion house.

[Alice]

And it feels like art, basically. You're not. You can't put art going up and down. But if you don't want the busyness of doing an art gallery on your stairwell. Your sconces, your art.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Alice]

Make sure it counts and do something really courageous. Can we talk about Berkshire Hall?

[Corey]

Let's do it.

[Alice]

Okay.

[Corey]

Yes.

[Alice]

Berkshire hall is a remodel that we've been working on for the last year and a half. Half. Which is so crazy, like, really quick for how what a crazy glow up this house got. So just wait. Just wait for the before and afters. You're going to want to tune into Berkshire hall to that series. But their staircase from what it was before, it was really. It was fine. I can't remember actually what it looked like before. Because it wasn't memorable. Yeah, exactly. But that. That is, I guess, the key of the staircase. Like, it can be such a memory point or it can be like, oh, there were stairs, I guess. Yeah, there was a second level. I don't even know what was happening, but I am. So, like, employs all the tricks that we've been talking about. It employs the iron railing, it employs the paneling. Throw some curves in there just for fuzzies, and you have Berkshire Hall.

[Corey]

I think a really beautiful thing about the stairs here is that we're dealing with a skirt wall, which is this little, almost like a curb wall on the outside set of the stairs. Generally, you'd be seeing the tread and that riser. You'd be seeing the profile of that zigzag of the stairs come down, actually encapsulated with this beautiful skirt wall on one side, and then all the beautiful paneling on the opposite end of the stairs. And our balustrades are actually mounted into that skirt wall. So you get this beautiful long unraveling of a ribbon feel that's on the outside of the stairs. And it's very atypical. And then, like you said, there's the brass, there's the iron, a brass handrail. The runner on this one is so, so special. I thought it was leather bound, but you said it's cotton bound on the edges with about 4 inches of cotton on both side. Just is traditional at its finest.

[Alice]

One thing I just want to note, like, it's kind of like a high baseboard. Like, when you do feel.

[Designer]

Yeah.

[Alice]

That that skirt wall. And we're doing it more and more just so you can feel the fluidity of this architecture of a stairwell.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Alice]

Versus seeing just like the zigging, the zigzag. Right. I think there's something. There's like a really, like, lovely Guggenheim discipline to it.

[Corey]

Yes.

[Alice]

I've seen that go up and down. We see you see it again in our Boston project, which obviously is historic. And you have just stair, you know, five stories of stairs. And what is the thing that's going to give you relief? It's doing that little wall. And I think that there's such a beauty in that. I love. Thank you for bringing that up.

[Corey]

Quick note here. It's hard to tell from the profile, but we also have sconces placed within the paneling. And these are just really beautiful soft, curved alabaster sconces.

[Alice]

Italian.

[Corey]

Yeah. This is a really nice place, I think, to use alabaster because it's connecting with all this beautiful paneling. It's atypical, but you have seen a lot of designers come out with opt like this. And I just think that stone mounted to the wall of all this beautiful paneling. You've got wood, you've got wool, you've got brass, you've got iron. It's just another really beautiful material.

[Alice]

And you mentioned the runner. One thing I'm like, it's traditional at best, but it does feel very fashion house. I think the rhythm of that. And so I think you can kind of reference some of those. That. Those disciplines, too. As you're picking out that scarf moment going up and down the stairs, I can't say enough good things about this house. I'm so excited for you to see. See it. Our next one we're going to talk about is our Linden Art Manor. This one was a fun one because she wanted it to feel historic. She wanted to feel, you know, old school. The whole exterior was kind of fashioned after, like, an old pioneer house. It's all masonry and stone, and it does. There's something really nostalgic about the exterior and a lot of notes when you're going through the interior, one of which is the stairwell. We did this amazing wood railing, and then we could see. The builder was amazing. And I can't remember what it was called, like the CNC panels that they did to create this rhythm, this cutout almost up that whole railing. There's three stories. It goes up to an attic and then down to a basement. And you see this detail going up and down all those floors, and it's so fun. It never, ever gets old. Yeah, you guys. And that's the thing that she probably gets the number one compliment is her stairs. And I love that we did it in a stain versus painting it white would have been the easy move, but we did it in a stain to, again, to kind of reference the history. I think the first time I ever did one of these, this kind of cutout motif, it was referencing the steamboat, Mark Twain steamboat from Disneyland. And she's just like, we love that ride. And so we did this whole railing based off that. And I. I cannot think of that. It's just like a peek into childhood, but refined.

[Designer]

Yeah. And it feels very unique. Instead of balustrades, it's kind of like running in a rhythm just to kind of paint you guys a little bit of a picture. It's a balustrade wall, essentially. So it's like a wall. And it's like sue said, they use a CNC to kind of cut out a. What shape would you get? It's elongated oval. Elongated oval. Yeah. Yeah. Just. And then that creates the rhythm, you know, either ascending or descending, depending upon how you're looking at it. And, yeah, I've seen this in person. That was the very first thing I saw when I walked in this home. It was crazy. It blew me away. So you did it. You guys did a great job.

[Corey]

I think a sign of a spectacular build is a really good looking set of stairs.

[Alice]

Y and the thing that I love about both this and some other examples that we're gonna talk about is when you do have this whole wood system, it's millwork, but it's almost like if you think of, like a pony wall, that's, you know, is this is all constructed out of wood. You know, you have the cutouts but then how it terminates. You know, you could have had, like, a big, fat newel post. You know, it could have been square or, you know, something you think of, you know, in a 1990s home. But I love that we did this almost this little serpentine at the bottom to kind of, again, just like, add to the fluid motion of what is a very geometric equation of stairs.

[Designer]

You know, if you would have done that, I think if you just run it straight into a newel post, what you guys did using the white oak, it ties it to the flooring that's on, you know, multiple levels. And then on the stair treads themselves. If you just run that straight into a newel post instead of kind of spiraling it down to the flooring itself, it wouldn't have been as connected. It would be like its own. Like, a separate thing. You guys thought of the transition and the best way to connect it to that, and you killed it.

[Alice]

Yeah. Thank you. And when you're working with your builder, if you're working on a stair and you like this idea, make sure to show them these pictures so that they know how to finish that, because they're gonna ask you.

[Designer]

Yep.

[Alice]

And then if you don't know, then they'll just, like, they'll come up, they'll make up something.

[Designer]

They're gonna follow up with something that's easy.

[Alice]

They're gonna do the easy button, really, because this is, again, the interaction when you're coming up and down the stairs. I imagine that that thing is just gonna get shinier and shinier as the years go on, because that is just, like, such a throwaway for her whole family, kids, and coming up and down the stairs, and it really does become a memory. Pour point. We know things about the home that we grew up in and the memories that we had there and the things that were special. And I guarantee you, the stairway is that for them.

[Designer]

Y.

[Alice]

That's why this is important. Tiger oak. Let's talk about that, because that also has. This was the balustrade wall.

[Designer]

Balustrade wall.

[Alice]

Balustrade wall that we treated with paneling. Again, I love this entry. Forever and always.

[Corey]

This is a really nice solution, I feel like, because staircases can become. Become so expensive, they can be real budget blowers. And I think doing this pony wall or balustrade wall and then just cladding it all in finish work. This is a straight run staircase.

[Commercial Announcer]

Right.

[Corey]

You walk up two steps. You're on a. On a landing, and then you. You go up. I think there's another landing. And Then you go up again. You could do a great big, beautiful circular staircase, which would be 10x the budget. But I think keeping the stairs in square formation straight runs is more affordable. And then you can add to it in such a beautiful. See the rhythms of the paneling here come off of the window breaks. And they created really lovely rhythm of rectangles and lines. And then you've got this lovely, lovely pony wall that comes down serpentines like we did over at Linden Art Manor at the bottom, creating a soft shape. And the sconces are so dialed in into the paneling, even routed out. Even routed out to fit the actual sconce. And the sconce, I think, is really young and almost industrial. And I think the runner is just really fantastic. A needlepoint kind of flame stitch, marbled runner. Is it? This whole thing is so unexpected, so handsome. And I think a really good trick that nobody's doing.

[Alice]

Yeah. And the runner, like that runner was not cheap. That was a very expensive runner. But it looks it. You know what I mean? Like, it's just. That's that one soft detail and that whole situation. And it just like it lifts it and you only see like a peekaboo of it. But you're just like, I cannot wait to go see what they did upstairs.

[Corey]

But I just think if you're doing it, just splurge on the runner. You really do need to just do it. Yeah, yeah. Because you're going to get so much credit. It's the stairs that are in your entryway. This is your moment to shine.

[Designer]

Take the money that you saved doing the balustrade wall and put that into the runner.

[Corey]

Exactly.

[Alice]

I do want to say that I've gone back to homes where we proposed something fantastic and for budget reasons, they had a cut. So they went to something more standard. And it feels it. I go. And I'm just like, gosh, that was the opportunity missed.

[Designer]

Y.

[Alice]

Because I'm just like. Because I've seen it at a million other homes, that exact same herringbone runner from Shaw, you know, And I know it's cheaper, but you look like everybody else. And so I'm like, go for the splurge.

[Corey]

Well said.

[Designer]

Before we move on, I just want to touch on the balustrade wall. The reason that's called a balustrade wall is because it is decorated with finish work. The inexpensive thing to do is to frame a pony wall. So a short wall that runs up the same height as like a handrail would or balustrades would. Where I think production homes get it wrong is that they don't treat that wall with anything. So it just becomes a pony wall that's running up your staircase. And it's just so underwhelming. Y. Interesting.

[Corey]

I would rather see the Home depot wood balustrade 100% than that.

[Alice]

Because you're going to lacquer that later if you did get that.

[Corey]

Yeah. Actually, we'll show you at the end of the podcast. We have that exact Home Depot balustrade that we lacquered just because budgets didn't allow. And I think the outcome was really great. And so many can relate to that one.

[Designer]

Yeah. So no more pony walls that don't have any finish work on them. That's not it. It's not a thing.

[Corey]

Yeah.

[Alice]

Amen.

[Corey]

This is a project called St. John's we have this beautiful system of lighting and it is lovely, lovely. But bocce balls, we've got a series of 12 here that are all suspended from aircraft cable. And it just feels like carbonated bubbles floating in the sky at night. It's such a payoff. When you walk into the room, you're seeing the furniture. But then this is such a breathtaking view. To see two stories float up this floating staircase. It's just an absolute breathtaking view of the home. So this lighting actually spans the entire staircase. They have a second stair tower in the home. And here we've done this really beautiful David Hicks light that's hanging above the center of the stair tower. So we didn't do sconces here. This is almost like an art installation. Both stair towers have almost like an art installation, a more contemporary home. So a simpler solution, but an interesting solution. Both have like a ball like element to them. And I thought this was a really, a really lovely solution for a contemporary stair tower.

[Alice]

I will say I'm glad that you said that. They're both like non directional. It's like a ball shape. Because I think this goes without saying, if you've listened to this podcast, that we love a non directional chandelier or a lighting moment. I think specifically we actually just like are having these. Homeowner client in Boca Raton bought a really lovely, beautiful, expensive estate and we're ripping out all the lighting. It doesn't do it justice. It doesn't reflect her. And the ones that are over the staircase are these three square, almost lantern things. But like just, I don't know, the harshness of the lantern lines interacting with each other and then standing over this like, again, quite geometric stairwell, it's just too much it's too harsh. I feel like I have blades coming out my eyes. Like I can't handle it.

[Corey]

Stairs are just a series of straight lines. And so this is your moment to do soft shapes.

[Alice]

Thank you.

[Corey]

Yeah. And this goes for everybody. If you're going in to choose lighting and you do want the lights to relate much like the St. John's project, even though these are on opposite ends of the house and you do not see them at the same time, there's still something that coordinates with these and it's these beautiful software soft ball like shapes that give a softness to this very angular floating staircase. Keep that in mind when you're looking for stair lighting is to keep it soft. This is that staircase that we were talking about a few moments ago. It's that typical sort of builder grade Home Depot balustrade that you can get off the shelf at any of your building supply stores. This home was built in the 80s. She only has a staircase that ascends down from the main level. It doesn't go up, up. We didn't have the budget to do anything grand, but because we were putting so much black into the space, the front door was black. Black and white tile. We thought, why don't we just spray these high gloss black. And it looks really fantastic.

[Alice]

It still feels historic, but in such a more high fashion way.

[Designer]

Yep.

[Corey]

It sort of gave it an edge.

[Alice]

It totally did.

[Corey]

It brought a lot of contrast to it. The rhythms are popping out and I think it was the perfect solution for what we had at the end of this remodel to just not completely rip it out. And she can do that in the years to come, but just to be able to live with it, just, you know, applying paint was I think, a really nice, unexpected solution that still felt designer.

[Alice]

I love it too. And I love too, there's a warmth to wood. Can we talk just really fast about like the wood handrail here? We obviously the whole thing is wood. The balustrade's wood, the handrails wood. The newel posts are wood. But in so many. Some people request, they're just like, we want to have it be really seamless. We want the newel post to be the iron because we don't want to do anything bulky. When you do have that kind of situation, you are opting to have an iron actual handrail. If you want to have a wooden handrail, it has to integrate into a wood newel. So just know that you can't have the iron Noel post and like the sleek iron balustrade system and then have a wood railing. It just doesn't like the math. Doesn't. Math I've tried doesn't work. So just know that. But I do think that they're even. I know we could rip this out, but I like, I don't think I would.

[Corey]

It looks great.

[Alice]

It does. With all the tile and all the like the other metal and everything that we integrated, there is such a warmth. You know, even though it's painted dark, I know that it's wood when I hold it. And I think that that's the beauty of a wood handrail.

[Corey]

It's comfortable.

[Alice]

It is comfortable. It's comfortable to the hands. But I will say I'm just like, I just want to mention the light here also centered in that little stairwell. And the ceilings aren't tall in this space.

[Corey]

No, they're eight foot.

[Alice]

And so this is like your tallest, like most voluminous tower in the whole house. And so to be to drop like an actual, like a large fixture brought so much grandeur to this whole space.

[Corey]

100%. Because you know, what was there before was probably a boob light mounted to the eight foot ceiling. And so getting rid of that altogether and doing a huge overscale chandelier just over this tower gave you the feeling of an entryway, even though it's an eight foot ceiling. Power move.

[Alice]

Power move.

[Corey]

I love how practical this is, but it's so fashionable. Guys, this concludes our episode on Overlook Design details on the stair tower. I hope this was helpful. Really trying to illustrate this. Several different ways to go about custom stair towers. Definitely worth it to get it right. If you are a design professional. Our to the trade program is designed to support your projects from start to finish. Members receive exclusive trade discounts, personalized sourcing and assistance, and they have access to our extensive network of trusted vendors and furnishings. So apply online at alicelanehome.com to streamline your process and elevate your designs. And if you're loving the podcast, be sure to click follow on your favorite listening platform. While you're there, give us a five star review and share it the episode episode with a loved one or a friend that might love interior design. We'd be so grateful. If you guys have any episode or ideas, please send them to dear alicellislanehome.com we'd love to hear from you and be sure to follow us on Instagram. That's at Alisonehome and Alice Lane Interiors to see behind the scenes on some of our projects, our product launches and more. Thanks for tuning in. We'll catch you guys next. Hey, thanks for listening. If you like our show, please leave a five star rating.

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