When decorating your home, don’t neglect to take a good look at your stairs. You can add decorative touches to a stairway that will make the steps a virtual showcase and a grand entrance to your space. From placing items on the steps to adding decorative pieces to the stair posts, you have a number of design choices to take your home d©cor to the top.
Items on the Stair Steps
A quick and easy way to dress up a stairway is to place decorative items on the stair steps. At Christmas you can place small, brightly wrapped gifts or decorative angels on each stair step. During the rest of the year, place candles or baskets strategically out of the way from the main stepping path near the wall.
You can also purchase baskets that are specifically shaped to fit a staircase and display your favorite plants or florals.
Embellished Risers
An interesting way to decorate your stairway is to embellish the riser space between each step. You can paint or stencil a design or saying on your risers. Or you can add decorative tile to the riser spaces to coordinate with a tile floor above or below the staircase.
You can also find a wallpaper pattern that complements your decor and apply it to the risers to create a bold impact on your stairs. This design element looks best if you use a wallpaper design that isn’t already in the room. Check wallpaper catalogs for additional coordinating prints to use instead of using the same print from your walls.
You can make your stair riser embellishment as simple or fancy as you like. Either way it will give your stairway greater appeal.
Create a Gallery of Artwork
The long expanse of wall next to most stairways lends itself to creating a terrific gallery for artwork. Add a few simple framed pictures in a row that rise with the staircase. Or you can create a collage of assorted pictures in different sizes on the wall with a common theme.
Some of the most interesting stairway galleries use non-traditional artwork. How about mounting a collection of empty picture frames? Creating a collage of all different picture frames in different shapes and sizes can be a whimsical way to bring an art gallery to your stairway wall. Just use the same color paint or a monochromatic paint scheme to unify the different frames.
Your stairway wall is also a great place to show off a much-loved collection that may be gathering dust in your home. Do you have a butterfly collection or anthology of vinyl records you just love? Why not use your stairway as a way to display them and turn them into works of art?
Embellishing the Stair Posts
If your budget doesn’t allow you to replace ordinary stair posts with more decorative posts, try embellishing them instead. Place decorative elements between the existing posts to make interesting patterns.
If you have a rustic d©cor like a cabin or cottage, place lengths of natural tree limbs between the posts to bring the outside in. Of if you have an art deco design in your room, you can mount small stained glass art pieces between every other post that carries the design of your room up onto the staircase.
Decorating your stairway is a natural extension to decorating the rest of your home. Adding a few decorative touches to the stair steps, risers, walls or stair posts can create focal points in your space to enjoy with your family and friends. Use some of these ideas for your stairway and you’ll be able to take your home d©cor over the top.
