Stairs!

I've been thinking a lot about my stairs today.  To cut costs in the eventuality that something else boring like the sewerage may need thousands of dollars spent on it, we have decided to hold off on carpeting the house.  The three bedrooms were going to be redone in a natural oatmeal wool blend and the studio and stairs were going to be done in a chunky sisal (I think).  This was a bit of a shame for about an hour and then I started thinking of the fun things I could do in the meantime.
As the stairs were going to be carpeted they will be made from crappy timber that will probably need to be painted to look any good. This opens up a world of ideas....
A bold, fun, bright colour?

Just the treads, just a runner, the treads and the rises?? So many questions.  Maybe some choice words, or images?

These tiles are amazing but I don't think they will help with keeping the budget in check!

 

I think my absolute favourites are the raw timber but unless I can fake it with a good stain I don't think this will work.

 

Let me know if you have any ideas - I'd love to hear them.