Overlooked Design Details: Stairs, Runners, & Sconces

Dear Alice | Interior Design - Alice Lane

This episode of Dear Alice explores overlooked yet impactful design details in staircases, focusing on balustrades, runners, and sconces. The hosts emphasize how these elements shape a home’s first impression and emotional tone.

Key takeaways

• Stairs are memory points that define a home's character.
• Custom balustrades with stringer mounts create visual rhythm and elegance.
• Runner placement should span full treads and touch entry flooring for a polished look.

Transcript preview

Hello everyone welcome to dear Alice today we have another episode of our overlooked design details I love this series I do too there's there's so many little things and the older we get the more we do the more details we cue into and they are what makes the design the details 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 gonna love the series because we're really breaking down each part of the home today we're gonna be talking about stairs entire sort of stair tower moment all the little details that are gonna make your stairs really sing that's what today's episode is about 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 and even think in 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 aesthetic it who uses it 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 this final memory point. There's the prom stairs you picture 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's gonna go below the eye level above the eye level there's just something about getting a custom set of ballast trades in Newelposts in newel and newel post 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 ballasters 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. So much so that we're gonna record an entire podcast all about just getting the stairs right. All right, let's get into the anatomy of a staircase, Corey. Okay, well you're gonna start with what's easiest that we all mostly know. The handrail, obviously is what you put your hand on, you're walking down. The handrail is going to run to two different points. Those are gonna be called Newell Post, they're the post that the handrail runs into. The ballastrate or the ballaster runs from the bottom of the bottom of the handrail to the bottom that you put your foot on, it's called the tread. The piece, the piece, the piece, the piece, the that connects the two tread, so 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. That's great. And we just want 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 the on stringers we want you to be able to picture that if you're not watching this on YouTube or Spotify. 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 is 7-11 your riser is 7-11 so if you're going up and down a staircase you know 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. about is our Windsor Manor. This is a home for the homeowner. Actually 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 ballastrade rhythm. She wanted a metal, she wanted to use like an iron metal for the actual for the actual actual like steel. she wanted her actual handrail to be metal, she wanted her ballasters and that whole ballastrade 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 ballasters, we've done this on a few different projects where the ballaster actually mounts to the stringer. It's called like what is the actual term. Stringer mount or side mount. Which is really fun because you're so used to seeing the ballastrade mount right onto that tread. So seeing this mount on to mount on the ballastes 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 gonna catch your eye contrasting black and brass on a white stringer really beautiful I think this is a great example if you are all 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 transitional aesthetic 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 battle strades 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 in most rooms in most rooms. runners when we're creating these boards for clients so that we can understand what is the energy happening as you kind of go up and down these stairs like because you're not putting any other furniture as the stair 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 ballastrades it can be like a real scarf moment for the home don't you think totally I love this detail and I think the way to do it right end caps or do we run the stair all the way underneath the runner? 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. I remember when we first started I was in the industry and I was just like the runners kind of like the red carpet you're just spreading it down the stairs and so therefore why would you have weird end caps? Because it's supposed to be believed that it's going over a full tread all the way down bottom riser. I think when it is. I think when it is between looks, then it's mounted to like the sub floor and it just looks so... The heights aren't usually right, you can tell. Yeah, and it's just, it really is just a different experience. And sometimes they use carpet as the runner instead of an actual beautiful broad loomed or needlepoint looking. Yeah. People, this is where you're going to splurge on your carpet allowance. You're going to get yourself something really nice. What are some of our favorite carpet lines? We love Stark. Roger Notes is such a fun new one new one. look it up to have such darling stripes if you love the holiday if you love anything charming if you love soul 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 cue 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 think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I go usual carpet everywhere else, but your runner, I think is your time to like really show off. Yeah, you're gonna splurge on your 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 gonna have a chandelier that's mounted in the entry way, probably the center of the entry, maybe, maybe it's in the center of the center of the center of the center of the center of the center of the center of the center of the center having sconces graduate up with that handrail just looks so considered it's a design detail that's always overlooked people don't always think to put a sconce on the wall and this is a moment where