40 Ways To Make Your Staircase A Stylish Focal Point In Your Home

A staircase is often the first thing you encounter once you step into a home. Although the primary purpose of this ubiquitous feature in multi-story homes is to provide a safe path to other floors, it also has the potential to transform how your home's interior looks. For this reason, it's essential to ensure that it is beautiful and complements your existing decor. Unfortunately, though, this feature is often far down one's priority list when decorating a home. 

If you are not fortunate enough to have a staircase that makes a statement, you will be glad to find out that there is much you can do to transform its appearance. From implementing a gallery wall to playing with colors, textures, and natural elements, revamping your stairs doesn't have to be difficult. In fact, with a bit of creativity and experimentation, you can quickly turn your old, tired staircase into the focal point of your foyer.

1. Incorporate plants

Although plants are a popular addition to home interiors, they rarely appear on the staircase. Incorporating plants on your staircase will not only improve its appearance but also bring much-needed attention to the space.

2. Install lighting

Another thoughtful way of making the staircase stylish and the center of attention is to add stairway lighting, particularly on the steps. Doing this will also ensure it's more visible and safer to use at night.

3. Throw down a nice stair runner

Finding a lovely stair runner for your staircase is an excellent way of introducing style and elegance to this important space. Of course, there are no rules for which color to go with. However, finding a bold option may be a brilliant way of making your staircase stand out.

4. Tile the risers

What better way to introduce style and personality on your staircase than tiling the risers? The beauty of using tiles on the risers is that you can find patterns that suit any style you have in mind.

5. Spruce up stairway landing

Make your staircase stand out by including shelving, a carpet, and other fun additions for the stairway landing. You may also get creative and spruce up the space with stylish statements and eye-catching artwork.

6. Consider an accent wall

If you have a regular, mundane staircase, one way of drawing attention to that direction is to create an accent wall. This might take the form of paint or even installing tiles with elegant patterns to introduce some drama to the area.

7. Accessorize with hanging lights

Accessorize your staircase with floating lights that also double as elegant décor pieces. If you have the space, you can install chandeliers for the sake of lighting and also introducing a classy touch to the space, as illustrated above.

8. Make use of the under-stairs space

Interested in making your staircase stylish and hardworking? Think about how you can utilize the extra space under the staircase. For instance, consider converting it into a DIY home office.

9. Go for a bespoke design

Let's face it; most staircase designs look almost the same. However, if you want to make yours truly unique and stylish, think about having a custom design that represents your personality and differs from the rest.

10. Add interest with wallpaper

Wallpaper works wonders for many interior spaces, including staircase walls. If you don't want to commit to permanent paint, peel-and-stick wallpaper is a good option for introducing some visual interest.

11. Get creative with a gallery wall

One way of sprucing up an empty wall in your stairway is to hang family photos. However, if you don't want to mount frames randomly all over the wall, organize the pictures with other wall decorations to create a unique gallery.

12. Introduce some texture on the wall

If your staircase doesn't stand out, introducing an element of texture can significantly add visual interest and personal style. The painted brick on the stairway wall above creates an appealing industrial look.

13. Personalize with art

The stairway is just the right place to display your favorite art pieces. To make the pieces appear even more elegant, consider going for those with similar themes and frames. For example, a dark frame feels right at home in the above photo against the light wall.

14. Roll down the carpet

Although a stairway carpet is primarily used for comfort and noise reduction, it is also a great addition when you need to improve the style of your staircase. Carpets exist in different colors, giving you plenty of options to choose from. The famous red carpet is superb if you want to make your stairway pop.

15. Color coordinate

Introducing visual interest to your staircase does not have to be too complicated; one way of achieving this is by using paint to create a striped pattern up the steps. It can be visually stimulating and elegant, especially when you opt for cool colors like the above white and green pairing.

16. Go bold with color

There is nothing quite as eye-catching as a freshly painted staircase. To create more visual interest, experiment with bold colors coupled with softer tones to balance out the effect.

17. Match the treads with the walls

Are you interested in achieving a balanced and stylish mood for your stairway? Go ahead and match the color of the wall and the treads. In this example, the dominant green wall color is echoed on the staircase to achieve a cohesive color scheme.

18. Black out an adjacent wall

Creating a moody vibe on the staircase is one brilliant way of introducing drama to this particular space. Since painting an entire wall black may not be ideal for your home's lighting, be sure to include a few hanging lamps overhead.

19. Exposed brick for an industrial feel

Exposed brick is popular and can look stunning when employed on a wall adjacent to a staircase. Not only will it help you add some personality to this space, but it is also a good way of making your staircase stand out.

20. Get creative with the balusters

Although the primary purpose of spindles or balusters is to provide structural support to the handrails, they can also double up as aesthetic works of art that will take the visual appeal up a notch. Instead of having regular vertical metallic pieces, consider a unique design for your staircase.

21. Experiment with different colors

Give your staircase a facelift by getting creative with color. Different colors adorned on the stairway threads or risers will make your staircase more vibrant and likely to stand out.

22. Integrate books

Why not display your impressive collection of books along with a modern stairway design? This helps improve the aesthetics of your home and also draws attention to the staircase.

23. Replace the balusters with metal rods

Switch your regular balusters with vertical metallic rods to give your staircase a unique industrial feel. Also, you may consider installing lighting on the stairway to take the visual interest up a notch.

24. High contrast

If you are looking for an attention-grabbing combo, try bright and dull paint for your staircase risers and treads. For example, you can stain the treads with a dark color and paint the staircase risers bright white to achieve an elegant, high-contrast finish.

25. Implement a Victorian style

The old Victorian style will surely give your staircase a unique aesthetic appeal. Instead of going for ordinary wooden tones, you can include bold colors like deep blue and gold, as demonstrated above.

26. Add a newel post

The final post at the bottom of the staircase can add a solid focal point. A large newel post creates a visual presence that will be a significant draw to your stairway space. Although you can have one custom-built, you can also buy a reclaimed one from an antique store.

27. Modernize with glass

Are you interested in adding a modern twist to your otherwise regular staircase? Consider installing a glass balustrade. This glass barrier will allow plenty of light to your staircase, not to mention create a modern aesthetic.

28. Get creative with the handrail

A banister is a prominent part of the staircase. Therefore, give it a personal twist instead of going for a conventional wood or metallic handrail. This red banister is bold and uncommon thanks to the zigzag design.

29. Special spindles

To make your staircase stand out, every detail matters, including the spindles' design. In this example, the wrought iron spindles feature rectangular shapes with clean lines ideal for a modern home.

30. Go big on wall art

Nothing demands attention more than a large piece of art mounted on an idle wall. If you are not a fan of multiple small pieces of art, consider mounting a large piece that will turn heads.

31. Contrasting handrail

If you are on a tight budget and need to update your staircase, consider painting the handrail a color that contrasts with the spindles. The handrail in this example also contrasts beautifully with the grey wall.

32. Stripped rug

With a grand staircase, you don't need to do so much to turn it into a focal point. Because of the clean white color scheme, a plain rug with horizontal white stripes is enough to balance the colors beautifully.

33. Embrace minimalism

In a minimalistic interior, less is more. In that regard, consider installing a floating staircase that will be functional enough yet nice and elegant. In this example, the wooden floating staircase brings much-needed visual interest to an unadorned interior.

34. Wooden handrail

What better way to complement a hardwood floor than having a wooden handrail to match? The white and wooden tones look elegant and stand out against a white wall.

35. Mixed materials

The combination of metal and wood introduces a tantalizing contrast when used correctly. In this design, the metallic frame provides the necessary strength to the staircase, while the wooden treads make the space more warm and welcoming.

36. Install slatted wood panels

Introduce style and drama to your wooden staircase by installing slatted wood panels. Although this is a minor detail compared to others, it can effectively make your staircase a focal point and add style to that particular space.

37. Wood and iron cables balustrade

Although quite unconventional, combining wood and horizontal iron cables for a balustrade is enough to introduce style and attention to your stairway. In this example, the horizontal iron cables introduce a contemporary touch to an otherwise traditional staircase design.

38. Have fun with some writing

While this might not apply to staircases in every home, it can be a great addition to the staircase leading to your child's bedroom. So go ahead and print a few loving and playful words that your children can look at whenever they run upstairs to their room.

39. Include a small plant garden

Instead of potted plants indoors, why not create a small garden by the staircase? It will bring the necessary drama to this part of your home and introduce nature's goodness indoors.

40. Add some wall tiles

Installing multicolored tiles on the wall up the stairs makes for a colorful and festive stairway. This tactic works wonders against a white wall, and installing the tile near the stairs will prevent the addition from feeling too imposing.