Monday, February 21, 2011

Voila....and another decision!

the stairs
A few weeks ago we made the decision to put a runner on our stairs. Partly, because our poor old dog, Hampton, is having trouble getting down the stairs.  I mean the poor thing will sleep until 2:00, just so that he doesn't have to make the dreaded trip down the stairs of doom...more than a few times his poor legs have just slid out from under him and he has taken a not so graceful ride down.    The other part is, that I am sure it is just a matter of time before our kids take a tumble....(I fell down my parents stairs as a teenager with my baby brother on my hip and socks on my feet...socks no more on the stairs, and a runner went up in that case too!)

soooooo,

YAY!  I get to pick out something fantastic....Oh, NO....I have to make a decision, with all of the great options out there.  Luckily, I pretty much narrowed it down to one company, a go to, for me.  I mean they created rugs just for Dogs!  No brainer.  They have soooo many options, great colors, and pattern....Dash and Albert of course!  I love the DaBomb runner in my kitchen.


I narrowed it down to 3 options.  (A good rule of thumb when designing is keep your options to 3, much easier to decide) I know it looks like 4 options, the top green was an actual runner they had in stock to see how many I would need.
 

My local retailer, an amazing little shop Cottage and Vine, was so nice to let me take some samples to see what worked.

**(note, this is not the Cottage and Vine of my blogger friend Rene....that is actually how I found her!)**

Drumroll..... I chose option #1.  I wanted to keep with the black and white theme I have going on in the foyer.


Here are the details.

We chose the Indoor/outdoor diamond ivory pattern.

We had 3 runners (2.5' x8') installed for 14 stairs.  ($275 total).  A great return on a not so huge investment, and if we want to change (as will probably be the case in a few years, it is not like we spent a ton and would feel bad tearing it out!)

We DID have it professionally installed.  But after seeing the installation, I think it would be a good DIY project.  As a matter of fact, I there is a fantastic tutorial on the subject over at the blog.....What am I going to do when I grow up.  We had it installed upholstery style instead of waterfall. (upholstery is wrapped around the stair, a more finished look, and you don't have to clean behind the rug!)
On to the other decision.  I have had these brass stair rods for a while now, scored at an auction for $12!  (they retail for upwards of $30 apiece!)  I thought it would be a no brainer and we would install them, now I am having second thoughts...and would like your opinion on the subject.

                    With Stair Rods                                                                          Without Stair Rods

I think I have already made my decision, having seen the photos, but am stilll curious as to you alls opinions.

Oh and last of all.....



"Oh, you shouldn't have, a stair runner just for me?"


"Did you say breakfast was ready?"  See ya:)"

(it was after a little bit of cajoling, I think the pattern was getting to him!)



****(UPDATE)*****
We went with OUT the stair rods and have been loving it....and Hampton still loves them too:)





24 comments:

René said...

You, my dear, are a girl after my heart. I want your stair runner! Been wanting to do this forever and here you just whipped it up one day. Your choc. lab is so sweet & reminds me of our first child/dog Whitman. I'm torn on the rods. Maybe no for now, but hang on to them?

-Rene

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Love the runner. Great choice. I think it looks great with the rods and without. Hugs, Marty

Cathy said...

The runner is fantastic, love that Dash and Albert pattern! I like the rods, they are a nice, elegant touch.

Cathy

A Perfect Gray said...

love. love. love. that's the pattern I was hoping you'd choose.

I like the 'no rod' look! but that's just me!

great job...

donna

KatiePerk said...

Excellent choice! It looks great! I am a fan of the no rod look, but either one works for sure!

mom said...

I say "NO" to the rods. I think it looks very smart and finished sans the rods and a little bit fussy with them -- but what do I know -- I defer to your (and your design bloggers) sense of style. Happpy for you, happy for the kids and Happy for Hampton:-)

LiveLikeYou said...

That's adorable!! I got a big sisal to cover most of my living room floor when Truman was old and falling. I love Dash n'Albert rugs, you can wash them, they're priced well and they so happy!! Looks super fab!!

My Interior Life said...

Love your rug choice! I used to have an entry rug in that same Dash & Albert diamond pattern except in Chocolate brown. Now it resides on my screened in porch as it's indoor/outdoor - it can withstand anything!

I think I would also go without the rods. It's such a nice, fun, casual rug that the brass rods seem a little out of place. But, they do dress it up. I'm no help at all!

Meredith Jewell said...

I love your runner! And I'm happy to hear that your pup isn't scared to come down the steps anymore (after all, he's a part of the family, too)! But I think I'd go without the rods...they're very nice indeed, but I like the simplistic colors of your runner with the design that I think it's perfect "as-is"! It all looks great!

Sixty-Fifth Avenue said...

Love your runner! And the picture of your sweet dog at the top of the stairs. I like the look without the rods.

Gastronomiss said...

My vote is sans rods. This looks so chic, Gretchen!

I think Hamp would agree.

I died over seeing him at the top of the stairs. I could see a thought bubble forming over his head, a big ?, and an audible herrrooooooommmm Hamp sigh, then down he went. Ha!

SHERRY HART said...

Looks great! I love Dash and Albert. Have a runner and area in my kitchen...the outdoor type also for my dogs :)

Jessica @ Decor Adventures said...

Hi Gretchen,

Just found you blog, love what you have going on over here :-)

We actually need new runners too and I love the pattern you've selected. I'm going to look it up.

Thanks for the inspiration!

Anonymous said...

LOVE this runner (and the black and white staircase)! I'm currently working on my basement, and the stairs down are carpeted (read: nasty!). I plan on tearing out the carpet and putting in a runner (young kids/dogs/my clumsy self/etc.). The pattern you chose is so fun!

I know I'm late to the party, and you chose not to use the stair rods, but at $12 I would try painting them black with Rustoleum spray paint.

Hhhmmm, wanna sell your stair rods? lol.....

Gretchen Deaton said...

So glad I saw your pictures! I was looking at the Dash & Albert website, trying to decide on a runner for our staircase. I liked the black and white, too. And now I can see what the finished product would look like! :)

Your black handrails also caught my eye. They look great. Did you paint those yourself? And if so, how?

Thanks!
And my name is also Gretchen. ;)

Jen Kershner said...

I'm curious. Was the $275 the cost of installation? Where did you find someone that would install the runners? We purchased ours almost a year ago and have been paralyzed by fear ever since! I really want to get this job done and would happily pay $275 to accomplish it!

Kris @ Driven by Décor said...

Your stairs look beautiful - this is the exact runner that I was considering using for my stairs but I was worried that it might be a little slippery, as many indoor/outdoor rugs tend to be. Would you say it's slippery at all?? Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Great post. You did an excellent job that helps your cute Hampton a lot. I really love the stair runner that looks awesome. Thanks for sharing.

Brooke Kernick said...

LOVE the runner! Is it slippery though? I'm trying to figure out the right surface and don't want anyone to take a slide!
Thanks

JDub said...

I love this! My questions are: did you have a carpet company or upholstery company install it? Is there a pad under it?

Newly West said...

Love this idea - so you did not use padding? Did you just have the guy staple them to the stairs? Is the caroet still looking good?

mkcp007 said...

Love the runner and staircase. Very classic and simple. The runner you chose is it the diamond/graphite color?

Kim Graf said...

can you please tell me the width of your stairs?
thank you

Norman's Farm Market said...

I just completed this on my stairs and LOVE IT SO MUCH! I had this blog post saved for a year and just got around do doing it. I purchased exactly the same runner from the same place. Makes my house look so elegant. I'm so nervous because my cat keeps scratching at it. I chase her around the house so she doesn't do it! Thanks for the inspiration.