Top to bottom, staircases perform both functional and aesthetic roles in our multi-story homes. Typically, a prominently located feature—often in a front foyer or near the front entrance—staircases can fall anywhere along the spectrum from eyesore to eyepopping style statement, including bland and unremarkable.
Obviously, you want the style of your staircase to be compatible with your home’s overall look. But a staircase remodel can inject new character, helping lean your design in myriad directions from traditional to transitional to industrial, contemporary, or the ever-popular modern coastal just to name a few. Keep in mind that darker woods skew more formal, while lighter or grayer-toned woods, especially those with pronounced grain or distressing, lend a more casual edge. Light natural wood combined with white and, sometimes, black can create the increasingly popular modern coastal vibe.
If your current staircase is not bringing enough to the style party, following are a few ideas that will take it to the next level. Since the myriad options can be somewhat overwhelming, it may be helpful to think in terms of four main components: handrails and balustrades, treads, risers, and inner string wall, that is, the interior wall where stairs attach. Regardless, choice of material will play a significant role.
Balustrades are often made of wooden spindles with various profiles topped with a wooden handrail. But there is a whole world of other options just waiting to be tapped with handrails blending or contrasting. For balustrades, consider ultra-modern panels of clear or tinted glass, metals in a range of colors with silver and black being among the most popular, and styles from sleek cylindrical spindles to cable railing, mesh, panels, or virtually any motif you can dream up, say Hollywood Regency or Art Deco. Wrought iron with perhaps a stylized branch or other plant motif can lend charming rustic appeal. For an ultra-modern approach that can, nonetheless, look very warm if combined with wood, consider a steel stair-to-ceiling spindle-style balustrade that creates a stair screen. Alternatively, these screens can be made of materials like cording or woven wicker.
For treads, consider wood, stone, concrete, or even a carpet runner, especially if you have young children or pets. These days, carpet often gets a thumb’s down, but there are contexts where it is just right: it certainly muffles sound, but it can also look skate that edge between traditional and current. A precast steel staircase supported by a wall and screen-style balustrade is an unexpected industrial option to consider. Risers in the same material as the tread will lend the most visual cohesion. But for a different kind of visual interest and focal point, choose bold or subtle, sophisticated or whimsical wallpaper, tile, or paint for your risers. If you are game, wood and metal treads can float, that is, attach only on the inner string wall.
You can float all but, say, the first three stairs if you desire the option of some under-stair built-in storage. If you need more storage, the area under the stairs can be a prime spot for shelving, cubby-, or pull-out style storage, as well as for handsome display.
Things get really interesting when you begin to ponder ways in which to combine materials. One simple way to approach what can be overwhelming is to think in terms of contrasts like warm and cool, both to the touch and to the eyes. For instance, wooden newel posts, handrails, treads, and risers—“warm”—combined with black metal cable railing balustrades—“cool”—can evoke a farmhouse, coastal casual, or industrial modern aesthetic depending on the finishes and profiles. Stairs can even be edged with materials like metal for a bit of pizazz.
The interior wall of your staircase is an essential component of its overall impact, but can be easily overlooked. Wainscoting is traditional—with board and batten looking coastal—often with photos or art above. But why not contemplate blocks of monochromatic tile; veneers of brick, stone, or wood; or maybe even a skim coat of concrete if you aspire to a more industrial look.
Finally, in your stair make-over, consider lighting. A trio of options include under the lip of the tread, intervals at the base of the interior wall, and under the handrail on the interior wall. Stair lighting is not essential, but it can up both the safety and drama of your staircase.
