Our stairway has wrought iron balusters and jatoba-wood rails, treads and risers.

The skirt board is a maple veneer. We wanted it to match the jatoba wood so we hired a painter who specializes in wood faux painting to finish it.

We wanted some carpet for a stair runner, but wanted it to have the same feel as the oriental rugs in the house. So we ordered long skinny rugs and cut the trim off. Our carpet layer then cut and installed them to follow the path of the stairs.