I would say the check option is the existing pole. Could you work with it with custom storage? To remove it you will need to have a professional look at it as there are many variables.

sure, you hang it from the roof.......you just have to make sure the roof has sufficient structural strength designed and pin-pointed directly above the support post position................ nothing a set of skyhooks couldn't handle......

In all seriousness, stairs in that "U" configuration with corner winders need support at each internal corner. If it was made out of steel possibly the thing could be designed without posts and floated but with the existing expressed timber stair you can't easily substitute some form of retrofitted support structure -it's going to be either an expensive, clunky or likely both.

If you're after a a cheaper option perhaps reconsider the room and think about a way of getting space elsewhere or in a different way, for example such as potentially reconfiguring the living space and using the underneath of the stairs to house the TV by building in some joinery around the post, or building it in as a cupboard to declutter......

There's always an opportunity within the constraint

Good luck PD :)

www.pauldistefanodesign.com

thank you both! I think changing the stairs might not be worth the cost.. we'll look at other option