My parents' old house had a wonderful oak front staircase that my six siblings and I used to race up and down, taking them two or three at a time, with only a casual hold on the railing. I don't know how we managed to never slip or fall. Now, the timber backstairs were steep, and had narrow treads and were poorly lit. We NEVER ran up or down them, but held tightly to the railing and hoped to heck we managed to stay upright. As an adult, my previous home had carpeted stairs, which I slipped on (wearing socks) and fell down twice, though thankfully I was closer to the bottom than the top. My current home has timber stairs with three narrow stainless steel runners stood on edge and inset horizontally across the front of each tread (this is supposed to help reduce risk of slips). I doubt I will get over the anxiety of taking another tumble, so I never go down them wearing socks, and if barefoot, I hold onto the railing for dear life and take it nice and slow. So far so good.

love the idea of the very dark walls with a very dark floor and try complementing the opposite window coverings with your courtyard garden...subject to climate and sunlight, consider potted bamboos and azaleas with white roller blinds to look like shoiji screens for a Japanese look or plantation shutters with palms or Aussie natives with wooden venetians or ferns and sheers but always include the window furnishings to complete the outlook from your extension

Hi everyone, thank you all so much for your comments- each one has been really helpful & thank you to those who have complimented the work. I still fluctuate with whether I love it or not, but as jdublya says, i think its just a mid reno freak out! My original colour choice was a dark brown, but unfortunately following other suggestions, it ended up being black. Anywho I will continue to push through with all the other plans- light grey walls, white door frames and doors, and black handles. Then have a think about wall art - frames etc. Once all of that is done i will post an update and let you know if we decide to change anything with the stairs. Also thought I'd mention that the colour of the flooring on the first level has come out a lot more red than it actually appears in real life. I am quite excited to finish the project but of course with limited funds, 3 kids, 2 dogs and a kitten it takes a lot of time! Sit tight, will update as and when :) Thanks again all, your encouragement is encouraging ;-)

Thank you for letting us view this project Andrew. The photos don’t really do it justice - especially the way you’ve extended that amazing back area with the high ceilings, creating so much extra space, light and height in a style that makes it look not an add-on but a part of a much bigger, sensitively styled home. Can’t wait to work with you on our project!