The humble staircase isn’t so humble anymore. If you have an upstairs, it’s likely that the stairs are a truly dominant design feature of your hallway. Despite the domineering nature of the staircase, a lot of people seem to forget the stairs when it comes to interior design. We’ve all been to houses – maybe even your own house – where the staircase is covered with shabby carpeting and peeling wood. That shouldn’t be the case.

It’s time for us to start treating our staircases with the respect they deserve and make them a design feature in their own right.

 

Choose the right material

The first step is to find a material that is right for your home. You’ll want to be sure that there is consistency in the flow of your home – you don’t want a sharp transition from wooden floor to lime green carpeted stairs, for instance.

Once you’ve decided on a base material for your stairs, whether that’s wood, carpet or something more outside the box like tile, it’s time to beautify your staircase. If you have more classic looking hardwood stairs, go for an interesting stair runner that complements the room. A vibrant stair runner can provide a much-needed injection to a drab wooden staircase. Plus, not only will it look great, but having a runner on wooden stairs also makes them safer by ensuring that they don’t get too slippery.

If you choose to go for a carpet, ensure that you invest a reasonable amount into it to ensure high quality. Your stairs are subjected to some of the heaviest foot traffic in the home. Geometric patterns can add depth to your stairs and make for a particularly interesting look. Ultimately, with a carpet, you should be looking to utilise designs that really stand out from the crowd, otherwise, you could end up with a rather mediocre set of stairs.

 

Add a unique twist

To really have your staircase stand out as a design feature, you need to consider any unique twists that you could add. This may be as simple as applying a well-placed lick of paint, to using your stairs as a sort of canvas for your next art project.

Wood is the ideal material for adding some seriously unique features to your stairs as it’s so customisable. Sometimes just adding a splash of paint can dress up a wooden staircase, giving it new life and a layer of personality. Painting bright accents, particularly whites and yellows, onto your stairs can help give darker wooden stairs a rejuvenating highlight.

If painting isn’t your thing, consider opting for some decals to add to the stairs. These are perfect for those looking to do something different, bold and innovative. Graphic stickers can take the personalised aspect of the stairs to new heights. Decals can be images or words, lending an eye-catching, playful aspect to the staircase.

 

Dress up the banisters

So you’ve given your stairs that refresh they were crying out for, and now they’re looking pretty fantastic. But we want the entire staircase to become a prominent feature of your interior design. Many people see their banisters as being purely practical, a tool to prevent any unexpected falls down the stairs. Banisters, however, can be so much more than just safety tools.

When decorated well, banisters can go a long way to pushing the identity of your staircase as a design feature. They’re another aspect of your hallway that can be used to bring a personal touch into the home and are incredibly versatile.

To ensure that your banisters really make your staircase a design feature of your home, you may want to consider using non-traditional materials in your designs. For example, experiment with materials like copper or steel to inject an industrial feel into your home. Thinking outside the box is potentially the best way to boost the presence of your staircase.

 

Consider lighting

To make your staircase really pop, consider using some unconventional lighting. Lighting up the walls running alongside your stairs is fast becoming the standard for brightening up your staircase. However, for that more unique feel, you may find that installing LEDs in the stairs or banister themselves could be the way forward.

Incorporating small LEDs into your stairs – especially when combined with a dimmer switch – can make your stairs really stand out as a design piece. Built in lighting imbues the stairs with an untouchably modern personality, as well as a perfectly sleek sense of contemporary grandeur. Plus, they’re perfect for those tired evenings when you want to drift upstairs to bed – without shocking yourself awake with those bright hallway lights.

 

If you’re looking for more expert advice on how to make the most out of flooring materials, get in touch with a member of the Hudson Flooring team! We’d be delighted to help you out.

 

Posted in Stair Runners