Throughout our renovation, there was one project that came up again and again: installing a stair runner. It’s not a huge structural change, so it didn’t need extensive planning. It’s truly just a decor update. We knew it needed to come at the very end of our renovation (no one needs contractors tracking dust and dirt on a newly installer runner, no matter how well covered it is). And we also knew the expense was going to seem to outpace its function.
But as we neared the end of the renovation — or, at least, the bulk of our renovation — it became clear that the stairs and hallways needed softness. We decided to throw it in the overall budget (what’s one more thing as you close in on the end?!), and we’ve had zero regrets. No less than four friends have since purchased stair runners from the same shop. I think this might be the most clear testament we’ve truly reached adulthood — everyone’s excited about trading runner recs.
How We Decided on a Stair Runner
I knew I wanted a wool stair runner and, while the patterned runners caught my eye in the shop (there were an overwhelming number of options!), our second floor ultimately dictated our decision. The meeting of the classic basketweave tile in the bathroom with the dramatic checkerboard in the kitchen is already a lot of pattern. Adding in a pattern on the runner felt like visual overwhelm. It was too much.
Instead, I opted for a more solid wool with a subtle tone-on-tone pattern. My hope is the wool will be more versatile in the long run than going for another natural fiber, like a sisal, and, so far, it’s held up.
A One-Day Project With a Huge Impact
The installation of the stair runner was a wild process. It’ll come as a surprise to no one that we did not DIY it (though I know that’s possible!). After we decided on the rug, we placed the order with the rug store, and the materials arrived within two weeks. The installers were so kind to squeeze us in just two days before my baby shower — a rapid turnaround from ordering to install.
On the day they showed up, there were massive rolls of carpet. While they had the rough measurements, which were necessary for ordering, all of the exact measuring is done on the day of install. They rolled out the rug pad, the rug, and made cuts as they went. One installer sat in the living room, which we’d cleared out as a workspace, and bound the runner as they went along. It was shockingly fast and precise.
Within less than a full workday, the runner was installed from first floor all the way up to the third. We made on-the-fly decisions, like how to decide on the width given the impossibly narrow stairs and the varied measurements throughout. And, by the time the installers walked out the door, I knew this was the finishing touch project we’d needed all along. Had we skipped this, our entire renovation — yes, the entire thing — would have felt like it was missing some final button. It was the quick, one-day project that made perhaps the biggest impact.
Do you mind sharing the shop you used in DC? Thanks!