Staircase Design Ideas

Your home’s staircase is often in a central part of the house and can be a true attention-getter. Whether your taste runs in the traditional or the contemporary style a home’s staircase can make a statement about the home’s design and owner. If you are building a new home or remodeling your present home there are many options of stairway styles to choose from to express your personal distinctive taste. We mention a few in this article, but the choices are only limited by your imagination, so create!

Traditional Staircase Design

Often when thinking of a traditional staircase a picture of a dark, closed-in place for the utilitarian purpose of accessing one floor from another comes to mind. This is no longer the case for homeowners designing a stairway. Today’s traditional staircase can have elegance, drama and built with beautiful elements. The two staircases above reveal an open hallway at the top of the stairs and a dramatic foyer from which the staircase rises. You can choose from a variety of balusters some fabricated in an intricate design in various metals or painted and stained round, square or carved wood. Choosing the color, material and the sweep of the staircase design can offer your home a look that can compare to the stairs of Tara in Gone with the Wind or your unique personality.

Staircase Baluster & Banister Ideas

The baluster is a closely spaced support for a railing and sometimes called a spindle vertically installed to the handrail and the floor. By their sheer number, they can influence the look of a staircase. Balusters can be fabricated in a variety of materials and can be as creative as you desire. The traditional use of round painted balusters for staircases has expanded to include iron and copper artistically created to offer your home a unique design element that is often the focal point front and center of the home.

Ornate or Simple Railings

There are many types and styles of iron balusters and banisters to choose from that can complement your home design. From ornate to straight rods to contemporary and from matte nickel, low sheen black, oil rubbed copper and more the baluster you choose can create the special look that fits your decor. Consider matching the balusters to other finishes in your home such as hinges, cabinet hardware, faucets, and lighting fixtures. You can create your own custom stairway just by mixing and matching various iron balusters.

Modern Staircase Design

Stainless Steel Cables or Tubes

This style railing system was usually found in the outdoor stairway but has now trended into the interior staircase often used in the contemporary design. The thin cable or metal tube creates clean lines when horizontally installed and gives a sleek look appealing to the modern style. Popular in city settings especially lofts and condos by lending itself to maximizing viewing and opening up small closed spaces.

Another Staircase Remodeling Idea

Glass railings are a new innovative choice to grace your home. Glass panels fit the contemporary and modern decor well and are especially good for showcasing floating stairs. These panels are affixed to the stairs by stainless steel bolts adding to the contemporary look and can be paired with a metal or wood handrail or none at all like in this contemporary staircase.

Texture & Color

A staircase can bring more than function to your home’s design. A needed element in most homes the stairway can be a design contributor by pairing different materials and adding texture and color to the interior spaces. This stairway’s natural stacked stone wall, stained wood steps, railing and box newel coupled with custom designed iron balusters add a warm and rustic look and feel to the home.