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What is a staircase, but a corridor improved by elevation.  

–Catherine  Gilbert Murdock

Staircases are an excellent canvas for taking your home interiors to the next level. Usually people avoid climbing up the stairs for some reason. Transitional space from one level to another usually is left unattended, boring & uninteresting. Introducing your staircases with a dash of personality, colour, character or style can really make your space outstanding and interesting.

Logs of wood, flat stones served as a staircase for the first human structures back in history. Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia gave the world massive staircases. Stairs grew as buildings rose from single storey to multi storey and now skyscrapers! They evolved in sync with civilization, providing some distinctive styling options.

A pre-constructed staircase in your interior or exterior space, be it work or home, can be recreated and enhanced with use of available eco-friendly materials like stone, wood etc. It can be the place of imagination for your style with elegance and beauty. If you’re building up a new place , then natural light openings need to be your first priority, be it windows or fixed glass, depending on the space.

Sustainable options such as concrete, stone, steel and wood prove to be better for the structure of stairs because of their properties of high strength and adaptability. A variety of innovative alternatives can be designed using combinations of textures, colours and finishes among materials . 

The important factors to consider while decorating/ designing your staircase are safety and comfort. And then make it interesting!  Therefore designing  the staircase with optimum size of treads and risers adding railings, balustrades is of utmost importance.  The styling can be categorised as per choice and practicality such as….

Enhancing the elements of staircase –

Wooden / steel / bamboo handrails, Metal/ wood/ stone/ glass/ bamboo balustrades, Wood / Stone / terrazzo treads & risers.

Space below the stairs can be put to use for storage, if needed.

Wall Cladding/ Panelling –   

Marble/ Natural Stone, Wooden/ Fluted Veneers, Glass with textures and tints, for added light & sheen, Paints / Wallpaper – to brighten up the walls, Coloured tiles -plain, patterned and textured.

Adding Elements- 

Wall decor, collage of  frames, Wall art painting/ murals, Fabric/ Upholsterers at mid landing, Decorative / simple Mirrors – add depth & light, Textured Glass or Stained Glass – add interest, Potted plants – lots of variety in stone/ brass/ ceramic/ terracotta/ metal.

Lights- 

Spots on the side of the riser, Profile lights below treads along the flight, Pendants for chandeliers, Wall sconces along the stairs.

Natural light – openings planned & designed while construction.

Tips:

1. Differentiating riser & tread with different materials.
2. The riserless staircase having only wooden or stone slabs as treads, can give a classy look when styled with toughened glass and a steel railing on the other side.
3. Adding elements of history or your family pictures or portraits, multiple family pictures set together, creating a story can be intriguing.
4. Carpets can be dangerous or slippery, hence can be avoidable . Stairs are high traffic areas, so it’s difficult to maintain them.

Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase.

-Martin Luther King Jr.