As a design opportunity, staircases are often overlooked. Yet the possibilities for adding special, personalized touches to your flights are nearly endless. From highlighting a favorite color to using a rope to create a nautical handrail to setting your staircase aglow with LED lights, these fun ideas can take your stairs from basic to brilliant.
Alt Breeding Schwarz Architects
1. Run wild with a runner. One classic way to boost your stair style is with a runner, and choosing a knockout pattern can add a fun vibe. From animal prints to bold stripes, there are patterned runners out there for a wide range of tastes. Prints and patterns are great options for high-traffic areas such as stairs because they help conceal wear and tear.
Animal print runners are among my favorite patterns to use because they’re timeless, neutral patterns that still feel brave. In this example, the black paint on the stair treads and handrail echoes the black accents in the runner, pulling the whole look together elegantly.
Browse stair runner rugsAlison Kandler Interior Design
2. Show off a favorite color. If you love a particular color, why not create your own custom runner out of that color with paint? Designer Alison Kandler color-matched a treasured scarf to get just the right lilac for a painted stair runner in her Santa Monica, California, home. To avoid overwhelming the space with too much color, she used white paint on either side of the runner, on the balusters and handrail and on the walls. This really allows the color, as well as the artwork, to take center stage.
The whimsical staircase perfectly suits the style and mood of Kandler’s Southern California beach cottage, where bold pairings of blues, pinks and greens are on display throughout the home.
5 Ways to Beautify Your Staircase With Paint
3. Or add a rainbow of colors. This rainbow stairway in a London house is composed of various hues of linoleum applied to each riser (the part of the stair that faces you as you make your way up), seen here, and the tread (the part of the stair you see as you travel down).
Here’s a view of the same staircase from the top of the flight, looking down.
Crisp, unadorned white walls allow the varying colors to stand out, without distraction from other decorative elements. Hits of these colors appear in the rest of the home, most notably in the eclectic living room’s vibrant seating.
4. Add a creative handrail. A handrail is a prominent spot to make a statement — the one on the left side of this staircase is made of rope. Wall brackets hold the rope in position, and it’s knotted at the end. The handrail fits in so well because it shares a similar neutral tone with the wooden handrail on the opposite side. A basket and decorative items at the foot of the stairs feature woven texture, creating a subtle nod to the rope. If you’re looking to create a cool nautical or coastal vibe, this clever upgrade could be the perfect handrail solution.
Heidi Caillier Design
5. Add a newel post. Newel posts are the final posts on a staircase. A large one can anchor the bottom of the stairs and serve as a strong focal point. You can purchase reclaimed newel posts at antique and architectural salvage shops, and you can find new and reclaimed ones online. A talented carpenter can incorporate a new or reclaimed newel post into the existing handrail of your banister.
Browse newel postsDeCurtis Design
6. Get creative with balusters. Balusters, also called spindles or stair sticks, typically run vertically and support the railing. But this photo shows that baluster designs have come a long way from that traditional vertical orientation.
A custom baluster design like the one seen here can make your staircase a work of art. This particular pattern works well for this home, where its angular design is echoed in other rooms, including the bar stools in both the kitchen and outdoor living area.
Martin Gardner Photography
7. Create a posh path with lighting. Stairway lighting is critical for safety, but it can also be used to help create a particular mood. Here, LED lights on either side of the stairs create an ethereal glow that adds a modern, even futuristic touch. Combined with the home’s minimalist architecture and aesthetic, the lighting also feels luxurious.
If you’re interested in creating your own LED-lit staircase, you’ll want to consult with an experienced electrician who can size up your staircase to let you know the extent of work that would be involved.
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