Navigating Stairs with Vision Problems

Dear Melissa:

I’m getting on in years and while I can still climb the stairs in my home I have some vision problems and sometimes the stairs look like one solid color to me. My children are worried that I’ll fall. I’m beginning to think they’re right. Is there anything I can do short of moving into a ranch? W. H., Illinois

Dear W.:

Yours is not an uncommon situation, since we baby boomers are all aging (gracefully and otherwise). I’ve actually given a lot of thought to this problem. Good lighting is of course crucial, and rarely provided on staircases I might add. You need to highlight the edge of each tread so that the steps don’t blur together. This can be done in several ways depending on your budget.

Let’s get the two most costly solutions out of the way first. One is to have a carpet installer inset a narrow strip of carpet, in a second color, along the edge of each step; another choice would be to have an electrician light each tread – anything to create definition.

The least costly remedies are to remove the carpeting and stain or paint the edge of each tread. If someone is artistic, this accent strip could be a lovely stenciled design. No matter which solution you choose, get in the habit of keeping your hands free and ALWAYS using the handrail. M.A.K.

Fitting a Square Peg in a Round Hole

Dear Melissa:

We have a corner fireplace in our new family room creating a problem angle. The shape of the room is no longer square, but now has five sides. We don’t want wall-to-wall carpeting covering our beautiful wide-plank floor, but how do we place a rectangular area rug in this weird shape? N.M., Texas 

Dear N.:

You don’t. You could try a round area rug, but unless you are using a round table or a circular seating arrangement, that might be difficult to work with. I would recommend either a bordered area rug from your local carpet store, or a canvas floor cloth painted by a local artist, custom made to fit the contour of your room. This fun shape will accent the architectural interest of the room. Your palette and patterns are limitless. M.A.K.

Carpet Care

Dear Melissa:

How should I care for a cotton area rug? It’s handmade and fairly expensive. Should I risk washing it? S.M., IL 

Dear S.:

Only if you want a misshapen pile of strings when you’re done. Fragile carpets should be treated professionally with stain repellants, kept out of direct sunlight, rotated regularly, and dry cleaned by a carpet expert. Treat carpets like the investments they are. Good care will prolong their life expectancy. M.A.K.

A Magic Carpet for a Dog

Dear Melissa:
Help, I need some advice on rugs.  I have to have many rugs around the rooms on my first floor, due to one of my dogs who won't walk on the wood floors, so there are more rugs than normal.  My colors tend towards blue and burgundy and are either oriental-type or braided mixed around the areas.  I need to purchase a runner for one area.  Should I be "matchy, matchy" and get the exact same rug as the others in that room nearby, get that same rug in a different, but complementary color or should I get a different type entirely (such as another oriental-type?

Thanks for any help you may be able to give me. J.D., LA

Dear J:

Interesting dog. Have you tried socks?

There are no right or wrong answers in decorating, only effects. Here are some questions you can ask yourself in order to make the right decision. What effect do you see when you look over all these area rugs? Do you see pleasing, delineated groupings of furniture, or is the look rather choppy and busy? Is a hodgepodge of rugs the first thing that catches your eye when entering your home?

Here are my suggestions. If the look is too busy, you might do better with an attractive wall-to-wall carpet for a quieter, more continuous look. If you are happy with the area rugs, consider the effect that a matching rug would have versus the effect of an additional pattern. Where do you want the viewer’s eye to go? Where in all honesty will it go? Here’s a little tip: if you have too many rugs and too many patterns, all you’ll see are rugs, not the furniture, or the view, or the fireplace, etc. If everything looks good as it is, will an additional pattern be distracting?

In either case, any combination of the same colors will help tie the look together. M.A.K.

Dear Melissa:

I recently inherited a beautiful 1823 American Empire loveseat. Unfortunately, it clashes with our carpeting. The piece is a gold-camel color, but the carpet is a lovely kind of mauve…What do we do? Reupholster or re-carpet? What would you do in an established room? C.D., UT

Dear C.:

First of all, is the fabric on the loveseat original upholstery? If so, I’d get it appraised before you inadvertently destroy the value. If not, consider which is in worse condition. If they are equal, work the numbers to see which cost is the lesser of two evils. You’re in the same ballpark with an inexpensive carpet and an excellent upholsterer.

Must you reupholster? Does the loveseat clash with all of the furniture in the room? Get out your crayon box. Could you incorporate the loveseat into a color scheme like mauve/burgundy/gold,  or mauve/slate blue/yellow, or mauve/periwinkle/turquoise/yellow? If you can’t work it in, I should caution you that while gold is still popular and  historic, mauve --while outdated --  refuses to die. A similar shade of pink is comning in. M.A.K.