Okay, let’s face it- stairways can be awkward sometimes. They can be awkward to decorate, awkward to look at, and awkward to carry laundry baskets through. People generally try to get through them as quickly as possible. Though they are high traffic areas of the home, they’re often treated more like necessary transitions to somewhere else, rather than spaces that are all their own.
Fun fact: Stairways don’t have to be awkward. Even tiny ones. It’s true.
There are so many things that you can do to your staircase to add interest, and to incorporate it into the rest of your home. Ways to make it look more open, ways to make it look more inviting, ways to make it look like part of where you live. Let’s chat about some of them.
Art, photos and frames:
Start by adding visual interest to your stairway. Art pieces or photos are a great way to accomplish this. Use different sizes and shapes of frames for a fun, funky staircase.
Image via Houzz
For something a little bit more simple and elegant, use the same frame with coordinating art pieces or photos. Using the entire wall space (to the ceiling) is a great way to make a small space like a stairwell seem a lot bigger. Experiment with different layouts and see what works!
Image via Houzz
Mirrors:
Mirrors are the number one way to make a small space seem bigger. They have this magical way of opening a room right up, and are the perfect addition to a tiny little stairway. Again, you can choose from a number of different mirror methods to achieve the look you want. Use one big mirror, three or four medium sized square or rectangular mirrors, or lots of little mirrors of different shapes and sizes… you could even try incorporating them with your art pieces if you wanted to get really crazy with it.
Image via Delight by Design
Image via Houzz
Built-in Book-cases:
Now there’s an idea! Make your stairway useful for something other than huffing and puffing and tripping and falling. Kill two birds with one stone by beautifying your stairway AND adding more storage space in your home. You can thank me later. Here are some beautiful examples of this thrilling idea:
Image via Houzz
Image via Houzz
Accessorize:
Think of some other things besides art and family photos that you can use to spice up your stairwell. There’s really no limit to where you can take this, but here are a couple of ideas for you:
Image via Cote de Texas
Image via Houzz
Put it all together:
Any one of these ideas would work beautifully on its own, but just think of what would happen if you were to put them all together. Stair perfection. Mix and match. Use what you have available, or stop in to the Home on the Range showroom to find something new… we’ll help you out!
Image via Houzz
Bonus:
Did you notice the light fixtures throughout this post? Lighting is another great way to add interest and feeling to your stairway. A stairway is a beautiful place for a chandelier, or a set of unique wall sconces.
Thanks for visiting, I hope everyone has a great weekend redecorating their stairwells!
- February 1, 2013
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