The staircase is one of the most practical elements to any multistory home, which is probably why it’s so often overlooked. For example, look at one of the great ongoing gags on the ABC sitcom Modern Family, where Phil Dumphy vows to “fix that step” every time he trips going up the staircase.

Let’s give the staircase some much-needed love, because in far too many homes, it’s a missed opportunity.

We wrote about high-end, architectural staircases yesterday, but today, we’re highlighting two fun and simple ideas for sprucing up the stairs from Gabrielle Blair at The Stir:

Painted runners. Carpet runners may be more traditional, but they can easily slip, which is a viable concern for aging homeowners or those who have kids. Painted runners (pictured above) can create depth and contrast, as well as hide nicks and blemishes if you have light-colored wood or white steps.

Staircase wallpaper. Talk about bold! Adding wallpaper to stair risers (seen below) is as simple as purchasing fresh wallpaper or perhaps using some leftovers used elsewhere in the home. For instance, if you have a hip washroom on the top floor, use the same wallpaper for the staircase to make it pop.

[Photos courtesy The Stir and The Haystack Needle]

Ceilings: they don’t matter until they do. People give much more attention to the ceiling’s flashier sister, the wall — so many choices for colors and decor! But the ceiling is just sort of… there.

Nonetheless, there’s a lot of room for a decorating statement on the ceiling and MSN Real Estate runs through various ceiling types. Here are our favorites:

• Panel ceiling: This wood ceiling might scream 70s basement, but with beautiful wood, it can give off a rustic woodsy vibe.
• Tin ceiling: These ceilings are gorgeous and intricate and add a lot of detail to a room. The downside is that they can cause extra noise.
• Cathedral ceiling: This soaring ceiling can add space and light to a room (it looks especially great with large windows!). If you’re going for a cozy look though, this might not be the best choice.

What kind of ceilings do you like?

Image courtesy of MSN Real Estate

11 Tips for Adding Personality and Style to Your Kitchen
CasaSugar
Make your kitchen quintessentially you without swinging a single sledgehammer. CasaSugar shows how you can revitalize the kitchen through deliberate use of artwork, accessories and personal artifacts. Besides, what can a stainless steel refrigerator really say about you?

Home Offices That Earn Their Keep
Houzz
Whether you run a business out of your home or you’re in the business of bring work home, a home office should be just that — equal parts home and office. Here’s a look at functional home offices that also reflect the personality and style of their owners. Bottom line: There’s no harm in adding some creature comforts to your workspace.

Space Planning 101
Home Renovation Guide
For most homeowners, spacing is a matter of feel. But feel doesn’t work so well for architects and interior designers. Here, the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) and Design Works, Inc. have formalize the art of spacing with a very helpful tipsheet.

Create a list of improvements to boost your home’s curb appeal. Where does garage door replacement rank?

It should be somewhere near the top, because according to Remodeling Magazine’s 2011-12 Cost vs. Value Report, garage door replacement averages a 71.6 percent return on investment.

According to Charles and Hudson, garage door replacement nets a large return because:

• It’s relatively inexpensive
• It positively influences the opinion of potential home buyers
• It can dramatically improve energy efficiency

Garage doors make up a sizable portion of any home’s exterior. Factor the hundreds of options, including colors and materials, and new garage doors can really add a signature touch to your home.

Here’s a kitchen question for you: let’s say that you want to change something in your kitchen, but it can only be one thing. What would it be?

• Replacing your old linoleum countertops with granite or quartz adds instant modernity to your kitchen. But will it make the rest of it look shabby?
• Maybe you’d knock down a wall to connect the kitchen with the living or dining room. This really opens up your home, but without improvements to the kitchen, do you really want to put it in a position to be seen?
• Appliances: New appliances can look great, but if this were your choice, it’s probably because you need things that work better. You’ll definitely get function, but will you choose form too?
• If you dislike your cabinets, you could choose to paint and get new hardware which would probably satisfy your desire for change. But sometimes that’s not enough, and replacing them is necessary. However, its back to the countertop conundrum then: will your gorgeous new cabinets only serve to highlight the parts of your kitchen that you dislike?

What one part of your kitchen would you change? Let us know in the comments!

While we all yearn to own the perfect home, is it possible we’re overlooking the perfect spaces that already exist? It might be a quiet breakfast nook, a tucked away computer desk or even a comfortable reading chair with just the right light for reading. Whatever the case, those perfect spaces are worth celebrating.

If your home is without one of these perfect spaces, it’s time you created one.

Samantha Shoech over at Houzz has photo inspiration for creating standout spaces in your home. They can be as simple as a wall organizer or as complex as a reading den (like in the photo above).

If your home already has one of these spaces, what is it, where is it located and what does it mean to you?

[Photo from Susan Jay Design]

Ah, the humble shower. It’s the way most of us choose to get clean every day, but it’s usually a pretty simple affair: you stand and the water pours over you. If you wanted to lie or sit down in the shower, you would end up with a face full of water and would probably end up just choosing to take a bath.

Luckily, there’s a (luxurious) solution: Meiré und Meiré, a German company, offers “…a private spa, presenting the architectural inspiration for a tour through water competence.” They even have a solution for anyone who has wanted to lie down and take a relaxing shower.

What do you think? Would you ever want something like this to give you more showering options?

Images courtesy of Meiré und Meiré.

At the last week’s International Builders Show in Orlando, Marvin Windows as pleased to be visited by renowned designer Marianne Cusato.

We were able to take a few minutes of her time to discuss her approach to design and using a home’s space efficiently. She shared some great thoughts on how to use windows wisely — thinking about their size and placement as a way to make a home feel larger and more enjoyable and even helping add value to the home.

Not all square feet are made equal, Cusato said. ”Paying attention to little details — simply where a window is located, the size of the window — will exponentially make a house feel larger, live larger and be much more pleasant at all times of the day.”

Windows don’t just let light in. They let you look out, so you are, in effect, “borrowing space from outside,” Cusato said.

Many homes have lots of windows concentrated in the front of the house, which looks nice and can, at times, provide nice views. But spreading the windows more strategically throughout a home can add tremendous value as it helps establish a connection with the outdoors. Letting people interact with the outdoors — either physically or simply through well-placed windows and great views — is an important part of making a house feel like a home.

Here’s a brief video that includes some more thoughts from Cusato:

For 2012 interior design trends, everything old is new again.

Interior design experts are calling 2012 the rebirth of rustic style. While aged elements have grown in popularity over the past several years, reclaimed materials and antiques will steal the spotlight in 2012 as more homeowners look for opportunities to live sustainably without compromising on style and craftsmanship.

As HomeDesignFind.com points out, interior designers can be expected to liberally employ reclaimed woods throughout the home int he coming year to inject character and vitality. (For example, check out the wall covering in the photo above.)

The rustic style trend has many benefits, but here’s the crux for good measure:

• It’s sustainable. As I alluded to above, rustic style is sustainable because it reduces the demand for newly created goods and reduces unnecessary waste.
• It celebrates heritage. Heirlooms are often the best antiques. Using elements from previous homes into a new home creates a sense of lineage and tradition you just can’t get from a home decor chain.
• It honors craftsmanship. We all want our home to feel well-built and strong. Antiques signify longevity, careful keeping and sturdiness.

Does your have any rustic design elements or heirlooms you’re proud to feature?

French McDonald’s restaurants will soon have a new look. It’s designed “for the brand to get back to family-based fast food dining instead of the image that it had become over the years as a teenage hangout.”

Compared to the current Mickey D’s, this design is sparsely elegant. Some of the wall panels recall an old diner, hearkening back to McDonald’s roots.

What do you think? Do you love this idea or does it take away from the Golden Arches you’ve always known? Check out Design Milk to see more pictures!

Images courtesy of Design Milk