As one of the most used areas of your home, you want your staircase to feel bright, airy and inviting.
But unfortunately, a small staircase can often feel dark and enclosed, creating an almost claustrophobic atmosphere.
It’s not always possible to redesign your staircase entirely to create a larger space – this takes time and money and quite frankly, not every home can accommodate a large staircase. However, there are a few ways you can make it appear larger.
In this blog, staircase experts, Wonkee Donkee, have collated their top 4 ways to make your small staircase feel bigger.
1. Choose lighter colours.
Starting easy – choose a lighter colour scheme.
Lighter colours are a great way to make a smaller staircase feel airier.
Painting your staircase a light colour is a great way to incorporate lighter colours into your space.
If your hallway and landing are also painted a light colour, you could paint the walls on either side of your staircase to match, creating a continuous feel and further enhancing your space.
If you want to continue this uninterrupted style, consider painting your stair risers (the horizontal part between each step) as well. Painting them to match your walls will create the illusion of more space.
If your budget stretches slightly further, why not switch out elements within your staircase (your handrail or spindles for example) and opt for a lighter stained wood instead?
2. Add a staircase runner.
If your staircase is narrow, a runner is a great way to make it appear wider.
Not only does this create a sleek, stylish feel, but it’s also an affordable way to add texture to your staircase.
You can choose a carpet with horizontal stripes to further increase the illusion of a wider staircase or draw the eye upwards with vertical stripes – giving the illusion of both a wider staircase, thanks to the carpet runner, and a longer staircase thanks to these stripes.
Because of the massive range of carpet runners available, there’s something to suit any style.
If you’re working with a tighter budget, consider painting a runner instead of using carpet, this will achieve similar results, minus the added texture.
3. Let the light flow.
Natural light is key when it comes to creating a bright, welcoming atmosphere.
Unfortunately, a dark space often feels smaller than it is. So when it comes to an already small staircase, you want to make it as bright as possible.
An easy way to encourage natural light to flow is by replacing your spindles with glass panels.
Glass panels allow light to flow through to your staircase wherever possible. Even if natural light is minimal in this space, a glass panel allows as much as possible to flow.
For spaces that have minimal natural light – maybe there are no windows nearby – make sure to consider your lighting options to ensure brightness is attainable.
4. Avoid unnecessarily bulky stair parts.
To enhance a small staircase, you need to keep the features as simple and delicate as possible.
Unfortunately, this means saying goodbye to any bulky elements – chunky spindles and large handrails, for example.
You could replace these with thinner alternatives, even wall-mounted handrails where possible.
Remember, simplicity doesn’t mean boring.
You can still opt for gorgeously styled spindles, just try to choose more subtle versions.
Alternatively, you can get rid of your spindles altogether and instead choose glass panels. As well as their favourable light-related properties mentioned above, glass panels are a flawless, simple addition to any staircase.
Ready to upgrade your staircase?
No matter your budget, there are several options when it comes to making your staircase feel bigger than it actually is. Which will you choose?
