It's time for a refresher course. We've covered some of these ideas before but one tends to forget, so today let's review some awesome ways to decorate a staircase.
With the exception of grand windows or a fireplace a staircase might be the most architecturally interesting feature of your home. It makes sense to enhance stairs with unique decorating ideas. There are many facets of a staircase that have potential for change; treads, risers, spindles, bannisters and the walls along the staircase as well. Let's break it down feature by feature.
Treads and risers
Wooden stairs just call out to be painted. Painting stair treads in an accent colour can make a staircase really stand out. Black is a classic choice if you have white risers and railings. I can also see red, navy blue and if you're really brave something like chartreuse or even pink. After all, it's just paint and can be painted over again and again.
Designs can be painted on the treads and the risers to mimic a carpet runner. There are thousands of possibilities here for colour and pattern. Use a solid colour and a stencil on the risers or tape off a specific pattern to mimic a carpet runner. Be careful with bold patterns on the treads. Something like stripes may give you vertigo, which is not good when you're walking on stairs.
Whichever pattern or colour you choose, talk to your paint supplier about the right paint for the treads. You don't want to make them slippery so you may have to include an additive in the paint to give it a non-slip texture.
Split the difference
You can paint the treads in a solid colour (or carpet just the middle of each tread) and do a totally unique treatment on the risers. Collections, like old licence plates, can be adhered to the risers for a unique feature. Other fun ideas for risers include decorative tiles, house numbers, wallpaper, photos, decoupage, peel and place decals with quotes, cute silhouettes, decorative wooden relief accents, fabric, barn board, beaded panelling and vintage buttons. As long as the items you are attaching to the risers don't impede the use of the stairs the sky is the limit.
Walls
The wall along the side of the stairs is a great place to install wainscoting or a facsimile, like textured wallpaper or bead board. These projects take a bit of precision because you're working on angles so if you don't think you can take on something like this just install a chair rail a few feet up from the stairs and paint the bottom in a different colour than the top portion of the wall. The effect will be similar to wainscoting but a lot less fuss than the real thing. Also, it's easy enough to change the look as desired. Simply remove the chair rail and paint out the wall.
A photo gallery along a stairway wall can be a great feature. Go big-floor to ceiling for maximum drama.
Use colour to create focus on the walls surrounding the stairs as shown in our feature photo courtesy of Sico Paints. Bright colours on partial walls can be stunning, especially when balanced with white railings and trim. The ceiling is even painted in our sample room, which is yet another consideration you can make for your own space.
Although the runner in our feature photo is actual carpeting, this could be mimicked with paint. This particular pattern is a bit detailed but if you've got the time it can make for a great conversation feature. It's a lot less expensive than an actual carpet runner and you can change the look fairly easily and inexpensively with paint.
The railing and spindles
For the most part, it is a good idea to keep the railing and spindles neutral (white or natural wood) if you are using colour on other parts of the stairs and walls. Another general rule of thumb is to paint the spindles white and paint the railing the same colour as the stair treads. If you paint the treads black and the risers white, for example, then paint the railing black and the spindles white. If you went with a colour on the treads, like dark purple, paint the railing in dark purple and keep the rest white and so on. This is just a general rule that need not be strictly adhered to if you're adventurous with colour.
Step up your decor by decorating your stairway. There are many unique and fun ideas to discover.
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