Stairway to Style

For most homeowners, staircases can be a necessary bane. You need them because they connect one level to the next. But they also take up usable space. Instead of letting your stairs stifle your home décor, why not turn them into style statements? Insideshows you 10 ways to do it.

1. Slick On A Lick Of Paint

One of the easiest ways to do up your stairs is to paint it. And, why limit it to the steps? Paint the banister, the walls, and even the underside of the stairs. Create contrasts or shade your way up. Home-Fix stocks a wide array of paints. Go ahead and have fun because if you do not like what you have done, you can always paint it over.

2. Paint A Rainbow

While you are exploring where to paint, think about what colours you can use. The progressive nature of stairs make them the perfect canvas for painting a rainbow on. Otherwise, let go of your inhibitions and create a mosaic of colours.

3. Pen Down Your Thoughts

Think of each step as an empty page that you can write on. You can pen down your thoughts, your address, the lines of your favourite poem, or even number the steps. If you do not trust your own writing, Art Friend, newly opened at Plaza Singapura, has an extensive range of stencils to guide you along.

The wall along your staircase can be your notice board, too. Fill it with lines from your childhood stories or nursery rhymes, put down a quote that inspires, or create a text graphic on it.

4. Pretty It Up With Paper

Why should wall paper be limited to the wall? You can cover your stairs with wall paper. The Wall Story at IMM Building has an amazing range. Go a little crazy and cover each step with a different wall paper if you like. For the best contrast, keep the surrounding area as plain as possible so your stairs really stand out.

5. Tile It With Style

For a Mediterranean feel, you can introduce colourful tiles to your stairs. Go for shades of blues and earth tones with a splash of orange and ochre, colours that mimic the sand and surf. To channel some Costa del Sol vibes, use white concrete for your stairs studded with irregular grey slate slabs. Home will feel like a holiday hideaway.

6. Step Lightly

Stairways can sometimes be a little dark. If you have to light yours up, take the opportunity to play with lights. Go to Sense N Bedeck at IMM Building and try out different lights or floor lights that can create interesting shapes and shadows to add depth to your stairs.

7. Create An Optical Illusion

Let your quirky side take charge and create optical illusions with your stairs. Their symmetry makes them great canvases for playing tricks on the mind so try out geometric shapes or line the walls with mirrors that transform narrow stairways into endless open spaces. They can become such fun places to explore, you may not mind climbing up and down those stairs all day long.

8. Make Them Into Art

Murals need not be limited to walls. You can create them on your stairs as well so you can enjoy art every step of the way. Some artistic flair is needed though.

9. Put It To Work

If your stairs are going to take up precious space, make them work for you. Turn each step into a drawer for storing knick-knacks; build shelves beneath the stairs for your books; turn the odd space there into a cozy rest stop – let your imagination take flight!

10. Accessorise, Accessorise, Accessorise!

Shelves have long been the place to display decorative items. But why stop there? Steps make great places to showcase your travel souvenirs or collectibles. Even the walls along the stairs can be used to put up paintings and pictures, or carve out recesses to put in decorations. Novelty stores like Feeling at Bugis Junction or Precious Thoughts at several CapitaLand malls are great places to browse for bric-a-brac. For potted plants, go to Raffles Florist or Petals by SF. Pick up a few deliciously-scented candles from The Body Shop and make stair-climbing a sensory experience.

As long as you think of your stairs as a part ofyour home décor, you can use them to connect your entire home both in form and function. Go ahead and take that first step on your stairway to style.

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