A Year's Worth of Smart Home Solutions

Give a traditional stair railing an unexpectedly playful sensibility by painting the balusters a rainbow of closely related bold shades. You don't even need to bust your budget on dozens of cans of paint; simply select a few strong colors, then mix them with each other or white paint until you achieve your desired hues. Apply each shade to one or two balusters so that the colors gradually intensify as you work your way up the stairs. Here, vivid lime-greens, turquoises, and teals seem to leap out from a backdrop of all-white. A polished wood handrail tempers the look, elevating it to a sophisticated take on painted trimwork.