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Consider this your motivation to reach new style heights. Residential Glass Staircase
Staircases are the spine of the home. Not only do they bridge together the rooms and stories within a house, but they're often the first space a guest encounters at the entryway. As such, staircases serve dual purposes: they must be welcoming as well as functional.
With such an, ahem, elevated role within a home, staircases deserve just as much decorative consideration and polish as the rest of the home. For example, staircases make for ideal spaces for modern wallpaper or a dash of unexpected color. Unique lighting, an artful collection, and statement-making runners are also brilliant ways to enliven staircases. Finally, banisters made of hand-forged iron, custom fretwork, and even inlay tiles can transform stairs into sculptural masterpieces.
Read on to discover a striking collection of 64 of our all-time-favorite staircase designs. These beautiful staircase ideas will help you plot out your own grand entrance.
Fashion designer Liz Lange sought to preserve a lot of the original details of Grey Gardens in her restoration of the historic East Hamptons property. In the foyer, she restored the staircase's banister and railing before calling in Jonathan Adler to infuse the space with daring style.
One of the first things architect Paul Bates did after purchasing his Birmingham cottage was tear out the dated stair. Then, Bates rebuilt the staircase off of his kitchen with solid curved walls and lacquered handrail caps that assert a sense of glamor.
Jubilant star-patterned walls and a striped stair runner welcome guests to the upstairs of this Maine summer house designed by Matthew Carter. At the top of the stairs hangs a collection of antique wildlife prints (McDonough Fine Art) along with a classical gilded wood mirror.
Architect Eric J. Smith and designer Steven Gambrel aimed to reinvigorate the home's Art Deco roots in their redesign of this 1920s New Jersey estate. In the stairwell, an elegant arched window is flanked by Lourdes Sanchez’s Dots (left) and color lithographs from Le Corbusier’s Le Poème de l’angle droi pay homage to the home's origins.
For this Houston estate, designer Charlotte Moss commissioned a “Birds of Texas” painting series from decorative painter Bob Christian to perch along the stairway. Moss specifically asked for the paintings to be in varying sizes and frames “so it looks like it sort of happened,” she says. “What grounds this house is a personal connection between people and their things, a true expression of their interests.”
A collection of shells, sponges, and coral displayed in the stairwell plays up the coastal qualities of this Bahamian estate designed by Amanda Lindroth.
With ample space, designer Miles Redd decided to transform the stair landing at this Block Island retreat into a cozy reading nook. Waterfront by Arthur Kimmel Getz and the collection of blue-and-white ceramics speak to the home's seaside setting.
Tour-de-force decorator Mary McDonald's embarked on a journey to transform this Pebble Beach château from drab to sophisticated. Her immediate solution was to cast a soft glow throughout the house by way of white paint and luxe materials. A Gothic-inspired wrought-iron banister adds elegance to the limestone staircase.
As loyal patrons of Canadian art, former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and his wife, Mila, wanted each room of their Montreal penthouse (designed by Les Ensembliers) to showcase their beloved art collection including the stairwell. The family’s French poodle, Hugo, leads guest up the stairs past a treelike sculpture specially commissioned from Canadian artist Laura Santini.
Design duo Brooke and Steve Giannetti created the central staircase in this Los Angeles villa to "conjure an old French courtyard.” Steve used the same stucco and rugged limestone found on the home's exterior on the walls and planted ivy along the stairs. The outdoor lanterns (Shades of Light) and double-story glass-and-steel windows ensure the stairwell is constantly filled with light.
Designer Gary McBournie and architect Mike Fisher of Studio Indigo set out to honor this London rowhouse's original Victorian spirit by way of architecture and color. An example of this is the curved, aqua staircase topped by an oval oculus that pours daylight into the house’s core.
Bountiful jasmine, bougainvillea, and plumbago climb up the spiral staircase in Renvy Graves Pittman's Bel Air estate as part of a Chinese fretwork fresco by artist Haleh Atabeigi. The windowsill houses a collection of antique ginger jars.
Peaking past the marvelous wood-carved library lies a wondrous garden vista (Gracie Studio) in the double-height staircase of this Ashley Whittaker-designed Connecticut estate. An antique scroll-arm settee (RT Facts Design & Antiques) is given new life with the help of a plush yellow fabric (Holland & Sherry).
Architect James F. Carter jokes that the most common thread through the “hodgepodge" in his personal Birmingham home is the books. There are cases in the library, dining room, and master bedroom, and even along this stairway to the second floor. The antique American chair is in a J. Robert Scott fabric.
While his San Antonio home may traditional showcase architecture, the interiors burst with edge and energy thanks to Todd Romano's deployment of intense color. Salmon pink serves as the vivacious backdrop for English and Dutch dog portraiture and European allegorical paintings. Todd Romano is in the entry with English Lab, George.
Serving as her design laboratory, decorator Ceara Donnelly's 18th-century Charleston home comes alive with clever color and bold patterns. Tumbling-block flooring by decorative artist Stephanie Poe dresses up the entry stairway. A platinum lustre Christopher Spitzmiller lamp sits atop japanned library steps from Mario Buatta’s estate.
Bodron/Fruit made the most of every square foot in this Nantucket home even in the entry stairwell. Framed abstract artwork by Eva Lundsager and an early 20th-century oak hall bench found at Lassco in London greet guests before they venture upstairs.
In this Summer Thornton-designed Florida home, the ceiling-height white oak cabinetry with lattice door panels mimics the geometric railing of the staircase while separating it from the kitchen. The Bunny Williams Home chair is covered in a Raoul Textiles fabric.
In total "Gusto" fashion, the family team from Palm Beach's beloved Casa Gusto sought to evoke a sense of comfort and familiarity in the staircase of the Kips Bay Palm Beach Show House. The walls are swathed in Saybrooke Sage by Benjamin Moore with hand-crafted papier-mâché goods from the shop.
In the entry of this Atlanta home redesigned by architect Yong Pak and designer Melanie Turner, an ombré stair runner from The Rug Company greets guests in ascendant shades of jade. Tile flooring, Kelly Wearstler for Ann Sacks.
Sarah DiMarco (she/her) is the assistant editor at VERANDA, covering all things design, architecture, art, gardens, jewelry, travel, wine and spirits. She also manages social media for the brand.
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