By Mi-Ling Stone Poole –

DEAR MI-LING: I have a dilemma.  My front entrance has beige/taupe flooring and then there’s a bit of hardwood and then there’s steps going downstairs right into the rec room which has grey commercial carpet.

I want to put Berber carpet on the steps going downstairs-which are 9 in number and a bit steep. What color should I use on my steps?

Gayle

DEAR GAYLE: I would use a Berber mix with taupe, cream and grey. You can also find Berber with a hint of brown, orange, burgundy, green or blue in the blend. The options are unlimited depending on your color palette there are endless combinations. But any of the above colors would blend well with what you have and the colors are neutral enough for any changes that you may want to make in the future.

If your budget allows consider using the Berber in the rec room as well. Another option is to add a wood floor in the rec – room then you could find a nice area rug to give the room a punch of color and to blend with the colors you’re using in the house.

Hardwood installed on your stairs would be a good choice if you didn’t have concerns about the steepness of the steps. For safety issues you might want to steer away from the possibility of slipping on wood floors unless you want to add the wood and then carpet the center of the steps.