These 58 Stunning Staircases Are Sure to Inspire Your Own Grand Entrance
Consider this your motivation to reach new style heights.
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 52 of our all-time-favorite staircase designs. These beautiful staircase ideas will help you plot out your own grand entrance.
The Bright Staircase
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.
The Penthouse 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.
The Indoor-Outdoor Staircase
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.
The London Staircase
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.
The Fresco Staircase
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.
The Vista Staircase
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).
The Library Staircase
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.
The Salmon Staircase
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.
The Charleston Staircase
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.
The Serene Staircase
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.
The Florida Deco Staircase
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.
The Mint Staircase
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.
The Ombre Staircase
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.
The Hand-painted Tile Staircase
Old-world craftsmanship sails brilliantly into the new world inside this California home designed by Mark D. Sikes. In the entry, hand-painted tiles (NS Ceramic) climb the stairs alongside an Italian Moorish table.
The Woodland Staircase
At this Connecticut house designed by Miles Redd, a mural of an Italian landscape forms a grand Arcadian canopy over the domed stairwell, wrapping it in towering greenery. Custom-printed mural, Iksel Decorative Arts. The leopard-print carpet is by Patterson Flynn Martin.
The Whimsical Staircase
At textile designer Richard Smith's home in the English countryside, a victorian tented wardrobe brings a carnivalesque sense of whimsy to the entry. A natural fiber woven runner on the stairs lends a casual sense of ease. Table skirt, Madeaux
The Greenbrier Staircase
As one of the most beautiful places to visit in the South, it's no surprise the Greenbrier boasts one of the country's most elegant staircases. Designed by Dorothy Draper, the West Virigina resort's presidential suite staircase is the epitome of chic featuring a graceful curve, fretwork railing, and a red runner trimmed in black.
The Striped Staircase
In this Connecticut Colonial home designed by David Netto, a striped runner climbs the stairs in classic fashion. Audubon watercolors and Pablo Picasso earthenware hang in the stairwell. Door color, Wythe Blue (Benjamin Moore). Carpet, Woodard Weave
The Painted Staircase
Brown and blue never looked so fresh than in the staircase of designer Matthew Carter's Bahamas cottage, where a blue painted runner climbs the brown-painted stairwell decorated with mid-20th-century photos of Florida and the Bahamas. Stair “runner” color, Maritime Blue, Benjamin Moore
The Sepia Staircase
At this Connecticut home designed by Markham Roberts, a custom sepia landscape mural by Anne Harris Studio envelops a curved staircase in the entry hall. Jute rug, Serena & Lily
Sarah DiMarco is the Assistant Editor at VERANDA, covering all things art, design, and travel, and she also manages social media for the brand.
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