Mind My Beeswax: Solution for a Clumsy

OUCH! I fell on my stairs again yesterday and my bruises are turning a healthy purple right about now. I've never had stairs in my life and this is taking a lot of getting used to in my old age. On our house hunt, I never wanted stairs but we didn't really have a choice when this was the only house we were able to get. I fell for the first time about a month after we moved in, and my ass hit 4 steps before the big landing. This time I fell going UP the stairs, if you can even imagine that. I'm just clumsy. So in order to soften up my landings, I really need to do something about this. My dad gave me the idea to install a carpet runner, and I actually kinda like it! The carpet makes the home feel homier. I need to do some research about how to install it, but here are some ideas below to get me inspired.

I'm thinking of going the neutral way so that it can last forever with my ever-changing style.