If there is a storage cupboard underneath the stairs, then I think its best to let go of the open risers. At the end of the day when it comes to stairs, I think you need to make simple decisions, don't complicate it. Sometimes spaces fuss over stairs and they can look great, but they are very impractical, expensive and dangerous. I think if you live in a house with no kids and no elderly, then you can lash out and go for something with more design risk. I think the timber stair profile shown in your picture looks great, and would work well with your vertical timber beam balustrade. However timber stairs can be noisy and quite slippery. If you are using carpet upstairs then you could consider running carpet all the way down the stairs. Don't do the half half thing. In order to finish the edge of the stairs neatly, I would edge the stairs with the plaster finish continuing from the cupboard wall, all the way up to the edge of the stairs and making an edge profile for the carpet to be neatly tucked into. By doing this you could still get the stepping silhouette which would look very cool. Then the beams could run off the plaster surface and not the edge of the carpet. Ultimately carpet may be annoying to have to vacuum, but it is a lot quieter, considerably cheaper and safer than timber stairs. Hope that helps. Good luck with it.

I would move couch away from wall and place lamp in between it and wall, I'd then move dining table a bit back towards wall. I'd put a table behind couch. I don't think you'd need a chair in corner of you did this. need Need photos of the right hand side of room to see if this works.

Photo's would be super handy , but as a general rule I wouldn't do skirtings and doors in a similar tone to your walls . Unless you are a kindergarten , you wouldn't do red doors and yellow skirtings with blue walls , but my attitude is that anything that adds to a room along your desired theme is good ! I take it your doors are plain -- even in rental properties of mine , I have changed plain flat doors to ones with 3 or 4 panels , and painted them stark white against painted or wallpapered walls . Half a dozen doors like that are around $1000 , a solid timber front door in a similar style $400-500 -- suddenly , the tenants think I am looking after them ( generally it's done between tenancies , but you know what I mean ) . If it's your own place , even moreso .

This is amazing! So many great ideas. North is corner of garage bottom left of pic. And completely correct on window near boundary. Backyard is much better view. This would also work to do a deck on the back of the house off new kitchen dining area further in the future