Sunset Makeover: How to Style Your Stairway Like a Pro
Staircases are a design opportunity—here's how to maximize their style potential.
A terracotta pot from Thailand and artwork by Lena Wolff turns this minimalist corner at the 2016 Sunset Idea House into a focal point. (Carol Shih/Sunset)
More than a mere way to get up and down a home, staircases represent an aesthetic opportunity—whether it’s a subtle design statement or a new seating area. Here, at Sunset’s 2016 Bay Area Idea House—get your tickets now!—interior designer Lauren Geremia let a simple plant and art piece speak volumes. Read on for more styling ideas that turn a stairway into a showstopper.
1. Metallic mesh
A two-story atrium at the 2015 Sunset Idea House in Denver presented architectural firm Design Platform and interior designer Megan Hudacky with a way to layer contemporary details into the original 1950s ranch. Next to a first-floor sitting room flooded with sunshine from a two-story atrium, a stairwell installed with custom metal mesh panels brings light down to the basement level.
3. Seating nook
Another residence in Manhattan Beach, California—this time the home of interior designer Jill Soderlund and her family—features an enviable stairway destination. “The upstairs landing is nearly the size of a bedroom,” says Soderlund, who decided to maximize its functionality by turning it into a reading alcove. A built-in bench, bookended at the corner with storage, makes it a natural hangout for her three children.
4. Mirror wall
Co-owner of green building firm Hammer & Hand, Daniel Thomas wasn’t daunted by the shape of the “semidistressed” 1888 Victorian he purchased in Portland. After the duo at Bright Designlab pulled out drywall ceilings to make room for skylights and expose the original rafters in a hallway, Thomas enlisted a designer friend (who happened to collect vintage mirrors) to create a light-reflecting installation. Painted white frames unify the collection and also serve as a subtle nod to Victoriana.
5. Pendant light cluster
Suspending a series of light fixtures in a stairwell area is a good way to play up a home’s height. In this third Manhattan Beach home, a living room measuring 22 feet wide means every inch should be maximized—which is exactly what designer Tim Clarke did. A trio of pendant lights over the stairs draws the eye, and their ribbed forms make for a subtle pattern that doesn’t overwhelm.
