If you’re looking to make some changes to your home without completely renovating, consider upgrading your staircase. Here are 10 gorgeous staircase ideas that will add beauty to your home.
Your staircase can be a great space to bring some new life to your home without significantly remodelling. A fresh coat of paint, or a fun new runner can make a space seem all new. Read on for ten staircase ideas that’ll leave you daydreaming about your next summer project.
Wood and White Stairwell
If you’re going for a classic look, it’s hard to go wrong with wood and white. This creates a clean, elegant look that won’t age over time. (For a really classy look, why not add a chandelier to your staircase; view here for more.)
You may want to leave your handrails and the tops of each step natural, finished wood. Paint the front of each step, the banister rails, and the stairwell walls white. Depending on how simple a look you prefer, maybe hang a few minimalist photos in the stairwell.
Stair Runner
A stair runner is a great way to protect your stairs, as well as add a fun pop of color that can be changed any time. You can choose a muted, simple stair runner if you want to create a softer space. Or if you love bolder looks, grab a runner with bright patterns and fun colors!
You may want to take into consideration the space around your stairs when choosing a runner. For instance, if your walls have a geometrically-patterned wallpaper, you’ll want to get a runner to match. By the same token, if you plan to get a bold runner, you want to make sure the space around it is simpler, or the space may become overwhelming.
A Staircase with Storage
There’s nothing like a home feature that also has great functionality. Sure, it’s a wonderful thing to have a beautiful staircase. But what if you could have a beautiful staircase that also doubles as storage space?
Closets under the stairs are a classic, and they’re a wonderful option. But if your staircase won’t accommodate a closet, consider putting drawers into that space. This can be a great spot for family members to stow backpacks, shoes, coats, and the like.
Nature-Inspired Staircase
It’s always a good idea to bring a little of the great outdoors inside. Your staircase can be a great spot to do that.
Use small logs and sticks with the bark stripped off to form your handrail and banister. You’ll want to sand down the pieces to make sure no one gets a splinter, but especially for the banister rails, leave as much of the natural shape as possible. One especially beautiful piece can serve as a final post at the bottom of the stairs or on a landing.
Ceramic Tile
The banister on stairwells get a lot of attention, but you can make just as big a splash by decorating the fronts of each step. This often-overlooked space is waiting to be customized and add an unexpected flair to your home. For instance, consider putting ceramic tile on the front of each stair.
Get a cool patterned ceramic tile and attach it to the front of each step. The more texture it has, the better! So long as pieces jutting out won’t trip people up, this can be a great spot to express your creativity.
Stairwell Display
If you have an especially large or busy family, it’s a pretty good bet that you spend mornings running up and down the stairs trying to get everyone out the door.
What if that space could serve as mission control for all your home organization? With the right display, your stairwell could be beautiful and functional!
Hang a dry-erase calendar, a magnet board, or a cork board on the wall in your stairwell. You can use this to organize family schedules, hang important reminders, and make sure no report cards or permission slips get forgotten in the mornings. This can also be a fun place to display kids’ art!
Photo-Front Steps
If you have a straight staircase with no turns or landings, you can use the fronts of the steps to build an image. Each step can be a piece of the picture, forming a stunning view for anyone standing in front of the stairs. An amazing example of this technique can be seen in Vienna.
There are a few ways to accomplish this look. If you’re the artistic type, you may want to paint an image on the stairs yourself. If you’re more left-brained, divide an image into appropriate portions, have each printed on adhesive material, and stick them on the front of each step.
Ombre Steps
If you’re not quite up to the challenge of affixing a whole image onto the front of your stairs, or if you’d like a simpler look, why not do an ombre staircase? Ombre has been very trendy for a few years now, and it doesn’t look like that craze is going away anytime soon.
Paint each successive step a slightly lighter (or darker) shade than the last. It may be easiest to do this from darkest to lightest, as you can simply add in a little bit more white for each step. In no more than a weekend, you can have a gorgeous new staircase!
Creative Handrails
Who says handrails have to be wood, or even solid? Get creative with your handrails! If you have a themed space, this can work particularly well.
For instance, if you have a nautical-themed space, you may want to use large rope looped along the wall for a handrail. You could even grow vines along a trellis for a truly green effect! The sky’s the limit, so let your imagination run wild.
Stripey Spaces
If you’re looking for something undeniably fun, why not add stripes to your stairs? These can take the place of a more traditional runner, while still creating a similar effect.
Paint three blue stripes down the center of white stairs for a nautical look. If you want to go really crazy, use washi tape to create multi-patterned stripes down your stairs. Just make sure to use a good sealant to preserve the look!
More Gorgeous Staircase Ideas
If you’re looking for more staircase ideas, as well as other home makeover articles, visit the rest of our site at Interior Idea. We provide motivation, inspiration, and interior design ideas to inspire the world. Check out our latest posts, and get some great new ideas for upgrading your home.