Both ideas are great. I never store my shoes in bedroom wardrobes. I have an inbuilt wardrobe in the laundry and two sections are for shoe storage. As soon as everyone comes home the shoes are taken off and left in the laundry so they can aerate and then they get put away in their clear plastic labelled boxes or the hanging shoe shelves (for everyday shoes eg sneakers, work shoes etc.)

I think directing your question to a carpenter or a builder/contractor might be best.

It is a funny stair with a mixture of styles. The open riser is a more contemporary look, whereas the newel post, balusters and handrail have a very traditional look. Painting it white will not improve this mismatch of styles. If you paint the treads white then you will be regularly re-painting them as painted stair treads wear back to the timber quite quickly with foot traffic. From your photos it looks like you have a traditional, older style home, so you may want to consider replacing the stair with a new stair that has a more traditional look that doesn't look like a stair that was added in cheaply by a builder who had no idea when your first floor extension was done. However, a traditional stair will make your hallway seem more closed in without the open risers, and having the underside enclosed. The other option is to go very contemporary with steel and timber which is visually lighter and is in contrast with the rest of the entry hall. It is a really important visual element to the entry of your home and a coat of paint is not going to fix its problems. Best of luck with your considerations, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls

assuming that you will be painting the walls i would allow at least equal to a large living area for co st of varnish and materials to do the stairs..it will be a fiddly job and to get the best result takes extra time and would be a shame to compromise on the quality of the finish although would n't be that difficult to DIY but would need lots of time for preparation for filling nails holes and sanding in between coats with at least two coats of varnish and i would allow at least 3-days labour and a there are numerous wardrobe companies in Melbourne so unless you want a high end custom finish a few quote will provide a base line to consider and/or test some of the online wardrobe systems eg IKEA or Kaboodle for price of materials and then add several days labour for assembly and installation and your builder should be able to suggest suitable options as it's often cheaper for them to organise these extras than to pay for them separately