As the first impression to many guests and visitors, and as the view that welcomes you home each day, your staircase is a focal point that sets the tone for your home. Many people decide to invest in stair runners to ease concerns about slips and falls or to help muffle sounds. Functionality aside, we love a stair runner for the color, warmth and personality they can bring to your foyer. Striped stair runners and/or adding a striped border are a classic look in historic and new homes alike.

Centered by Design recently partnered with longtime local business, Lewis Floor & Home to install a dreamy herringbone striped stair runner in the 1890s Victorian home of our former COO/Creative Director, Meghan. Partnering with Lewis Floor & Home was a true pleasure! Their showroom offers so much to homeowners looking for everything from carpet to tile, stone and much more.

BEFORE

Lewis Floor & Home has been serving Chicago’s North Shore neighborhoods for decades. Their longstanding reputation and extensive selection of wool carpets made choosing them for this project an easy decision. It’s truly enjoyable experience touring their showroom and seeing all they offer.

THE PROCESS

We visited the beautiful Lewis Floor & Home showroom in Northbrook, IL to see and feel different carpet options. As big proponents of color and pattern to make a statement the incredible options from Roger Oates Design stood out. This UK based company weaves everything on-site and their wool runners are incredibly creative, with many color and pattern options, along with customization. They specialize in creative colors, striped stair runners and beautiful borders. Roger Oates runners are also 100% wool, making them incredibly durable and long-lasting. After working with our local representative Susan from Lewis Floor & Home, Meghan chose the Westport Collection in Indigo. Westport Indigo is a textured herringbone ground, a generously sized border of sky blue is punctuated by a contrasting rib section. This type of runner is known as a flat weave runner or carpet. See more gorgeous runner inspiration from Roger Oates here.

The Lewis staff was extremely helpful; educating us on install options (waterfall vs. hollywood) and discussing whether or not the landings should be mitered. In this case, the landings were mitered for a beautiful connection of the lines in the runner, and the installation was waterfall style. See more below about installation styles. After decisions are made, a brief site measure is conducted and an estimate is sent. The install date was scheduled once the carpeting arrived at the warehouse. There is a several month wait for custom woven runners, but they are worth it!

AFTER

Isn’t it beautiful?! Before you run out and start shopping for your own, here are a few things to consider.

• Pick a Trusted Vendor: With so many variables of carpet styles, materials, and installation specifics, it’s important to find a vendor who can help guide you and educate you on the process.

• Width: Determine the width of your stairs to ensure the runner you like will fit properly. For wider stairs, selecting a runner that comes in larger widths or opting for a broadloom carpet that can be cut down may be necessary.

• Budget: Establishing a budget beforehand can help narrow down your options and like anything, prevent overspending. While quality materials like wool may come at a higher price point, they offer durability and longevity that may justify the investment in the long run.

• Installation Style: Decide on the installation style that best suits your preferences and staircase. For example, Waterfall style cascades the carpet down each step, while Hollywood style wraps tightly around the edge/nose of the stairs. Hollywood style is very crisp and tailored, while waterfall style can feel more casual. Waterfall style is great for patterns because it does not interfere or break the pattern. It is often chosen when the stair has molding because it drapes beautifully (like the after pictures here!).

STRIPED STAIR RUNNER INSPIRATION

Using a striped stair runner is a classic choice for almost any style of home. Colorful stripes can feel whimsical and fun, while a neutral stripe can be preppy and tailored. We love how versatile a stripe can be and Roger Oates has really mastered so many styles of stripes! Here is a look at some of our favorite installation pictures.

We hope you feel informed and inspired! Follow us on Instagram @CenteredbyDesign to stay up to date on our current projects! This post has been sponsored by Lewis Floor and Home, but all opinions are our own and truthful of our experience with the brands. Thanks for supporting our blog and sponsors!