Up and down them several times a day, we don’t always see our useful staircases as a thing of beauty. However, this utilitarian part of the home can become the most showstopping piece to an interior design, using imagination and calculation. Consider the sheer size of this installation, and how by making it more sculptural, more personally styled and unique to the space we can manifest something magnificent. If when visualising a staircase you see straight treads and solid risers, compliant spindles and dutiful banisters, then this enlightening gallery of 53 awesome staircase designs will open up you up to a whole new way of linking the levels.
Beautifully Baroque. At The Romanian Athenaeum, Bucharest, Romania, four pink Carrara marble spiral staircases create a magnificent spectacle. The building was designed by the French architect Albert Galleron and opened in 1888.
Split materials break up the bulk of an open-plan staircase. This example features luxe black marble on the lower three treads and glossy white marble for the remainder of the climb.
Snake it to make it. Sharp metallic treads, linked by oblique alternating sides, are suspended on barely there balustrades. The single continuous piece of metal folds into itself like the ‘Snake’ in the old computer game – always twisting but never touching.
The secretive staircase. Cubism flows through the metal veins and wooden organs of this body of work. Planks, panels, and wooden cuboids are suspended on black framework to fashion an offbeat tower with secretive sections.
Linework meets metalwork. This skinny staircase appears like thin black linework on a blank white page. Iron rungs aren’t really a thing of comfort underfoot, but the simple structure fulfills its purpose in a restricted footprint.
Clever cubes. The balustrades of this modern staircase design are a pattern of overlapping cubes, which form shelves for books and display items beneath the treads, and handrails above.
Integrate a staircase into the room by combining it with furniture. This black suspended staircase design stops short of the floor, where a last few wooden treads are amalgamated into a low slung storage cabinet with book nooks.
Fulfill a futuristic fantasy. Glossy white steps merge with light reflective wall panels in this futuristic home design. Softly glowing stair lights accentuate the recessed risers.
Create a look of weightlessness by omitting the first riser. When only a shadow can be seen touching the floor, even the heaviest of staircases will seem to float.
Let your staircase be something else – or several things. A platform, a bench, a desk, a small table; this staircase appears to be all of those things before fulfilling its final destiny.
Colour yourself happy. If you have a favourite colour then don’t reserve it just for the walls or the furniture of your home. Put it right at the heart, like this bright pink powder coated staircase.
For a multicoloured version, take inspiration from Mondrian inspired interior design. Block in black outlined cubes with primary yellow, blue and red for your own piece of De Stijl.
Break down the design to only what is needed. Individual floating treads appear to extrude directly from the wall of this minimalist home. The uncomplicated banister is like a line drawn with a ruler – no flourishes, no visible fixings.
Illustrate optical illusion. Each section of this staircase slopes away at an increasing angle until they are no more than treads at the top, creating a twisting illusion.
Banisters and balustrades can be beautiful. Yes, staircase barriers are a safety aspect, and modern interior design often seems dead set on making them as invisible as possible, or eliminating them entirely. However, these panels can also be viewed as an opportunity to inject beauty and elegance.
Taller times. Many modern staircases are now favouring taller balustrades that connect the treads directly to the ceiling, creating an encased effect that still lets the visual and the light pass through.
Stack it with storage. Floor level storage volumes and bookshelves stack the underbelly of this wooden installation – some of which run off along the full width of the room to form a desk and home office shelving.
Book storage in and around stairs isn’t a new thing, but there are always new ideas on how to do it. Book lovers will adore this extensive library staircase.
Entertain the child in you – or the children in the family – by incorporating a fun slide into the design. This doesn’t have to look clumsy or garish in childish colours, explore the possibilities in your favoured staircase material.
Many open plan dreams are thwarted by the awkward placement of an immovable staircase, but don’t be discouraged. With some coercing your stubborn central staircase could become a mere accent in the room. Think blending wall panels on the lower half, and low profile open treads to the ceiling space.
String it out. Wires can be crisscrossed to form an attractive pattern down the side of an open staircase. This dark metal design has great contrast with the warm wooden treads showing through it.
Bring peace to a stairwell with the sound of trickling water into an ornamental pool. The gentle sound will carry up the stairwell to the next floor too.
Love layers. Rather than joining shallow steps at their edges, this design layers large flat square platforms one on top of the next, sliding away in the direction meant to climb.
In this entirely different layered look, great wooden volumes have been stacked like a dangerously giant game of Jenga gone rogue. The resulting recesses make perfect storage nooks for books. The uppermost block is utilised as a desk on the mezzanine home office.
Work with what you have. Whether or not this staircase was built from actual architectural offcuts, this chunky tread staircase would make the perfect addition to a home filled with upcycled curiosities. The heavy wooden steps would also be at home in a modern rustic setting, or in an industrial vibe pad where raw concrete reins alongside a plethora of plants.
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