Your home is lovely, my thoughts are if you are hesitating about the dado rails, maybe consider turning them into an elegant and timeless feature, by converting them to wainscoting? (I sense from your question that you are not a devotee of the Victorian style :-) I also agree with what the others have mentioned about changing the colours to something more neatural like a shade of grey that you like or a dusty blue, and leaving the lower half white. For a more updated look, you could look at updating the pendant lights to something a little more classic, (to your taste of course) and if budget permits, changing to carpets to perhaps a hardwood floor. All the best, I hope this helped. Ive attached a picture and link to an example. http://www.charmingzebra.com/2011/07/wainscoting-success-sort-of.html

We used plastic grommets that go in the post holes for the wire to go through and solves this problem. They are available on eBay - search for "grommets for balustrades". Hope this helps

Hi, Look up Syzygy, they do aluminium lacework, in new and reproduction patterns. I used to sell their products in a hardware store in 1982 so know their products have stood the test of time. I believe their head office is still in Melbourne but have agents Australia wide, I once went for a job interview with them when I first went to Melbourne to live - wasn't successful, but the owner was fantastic and offered me a lot of advice that helped me in my career ever since. Good luck. Andrew http://www.chatterton.com.au/about-us/

Hi Linda As Oklouise has said above, there are standards for the height range (riser) and the depth (going) along with a maximum pitch of the overall staircase (2R+G). It is a concern that you have fallen twice and we only ask as the photos aren't clear as to the proportions. It's no issue if you don't want to provide them. That said, if the going dimension is short then you are always coming down the stairs with the back half of your foot only. Regarding slippage, most flooring companies are not supplying nosings as the slip ratings can usually be achieved with high build coatings eg the Duragrip PLUS. This could probably be applied straight to your stairs as they are with a bit of a buff up first. Regarding the handrail, we have done curved handrails up and around these sort of staircases. I would suggest it would be money well spent in having the existing rail extended up and around the corner for safety so that the place where the steps are most tricky has a firm support. As it sits now you only have an end to hold onto. Cheers