14 Best Staircase Ideas For An Elevated Home

Glass Railing

Floating white oak stairs connect the wide open main floor of the home to the treetop bedrooms and office above. “We liked the idea of integrating elements of wood with the glass – it was another way to remain true to the home’s modern-yet-warm aesthetic,” says designer Laura Fremont of TOM Design Collective.

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Mind Tricks

From the front door, a commanding staircase leads down to the dining and living rooms, and up to the second floor’s four bedrooms, media room, home office and gym. “You know immediately when you walk in that this is a house geared to entertaining,” designer Tracy Kundell says, pointing out the tall colourful dining room chandelier that’s visible from the front entry. Warm, natural white oak flooring and Thermory ash ceiling panelling ground the towering space. 

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Pit Stop

The staircase and landing show off the home’s original panelling to great effect. Designer Victoria McKenney and husband Adrian Stevens made a bench especially for Radish the dog so she could take in the street view. Bird plates the couple purchased in Paris sit above the windows. Victoria adorned an upper hallway wall with a fantastic grass- cloth mural that references the gardens outside. An antique pine cabinet acts as a linen cupboard and is a nice foil to the modern plinth from Victoria’s furniture collection.

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An Art Piece

“As you enter the home, a glimpse of the kitchen is visible through this wood-and-metal geometric screen,” says lead designer Alison Connor. The staircase doubles as sculpture, thanks to wooden steps and risers. Light from the windows above streams through the banister’s pared-back spindles, offering an ever-changing display of shadows.

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Natural Elements

“When you walk into the house through that door, you’re met with the grandeur of these enormous red cedar logs. They’re completely integrated into the home’s design,” says designer Darina Bellini. The stairway leads to the lower-level living and kitchen area, where a rustic vintage chair adds height to a display of favourite books.

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Curve Appeal

The flowing open staircase was designed to be a major focal point in the understated new architecture and bring light through the space. (The third floor houses a guest room and full bath.) Designer Sheree Stuart doubled down on the staircase’s drama by installing uplighting at intervals all the way up. “We put them on a timer – it’s like candlelight for your home,” she says.

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Pet Escape

No one in the family was forgotten in this reno: a wee door lets Petey the Cat access his litter under the stairs.

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Bold & Beautiful

This dramatic stairway features mixed media that ties into the rest of the eclectic loft.

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1, 2, 3, Go!

At bedtime, homeowner Edwina Grittani goes from a landing she stencilled in a mosaic pattern to stairs she stencilled with numerals. “We used gas pipes to create the handrail,” she says. 

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Art gallery

Flooded with natural light, the entry hall and stairway double as an art exhibit where three-dimensional objects, such as a trio of mid-century vases, mingle with flat canvases. The console table in blue-grey nods to the home’s harbour views. “In any new project, we take our cue from the geographical location,” says designer Philip Mitchell. The antique alabaster pendant imparts a sense of history.

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Bright & Bold

The front hall is a breath of fresh air — and a harbinger of the bright, playful spaces to come. A stair runner from Turkey feels rooted in history, while the pendant light has a futuristic presence. From there, designer Ami McKay carried colour into the rest of the house. “We needed to make sure that when you look to the right and the left, it all pulled together,” she explains.

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Patterned To Perfection

This home has a palette not restricted to only paint. “Wallpaper is making a serious comeback,” says designer Jacquelyn Clark, “and with good reason. It’s an incredible way to add wow factor.” She applied it to only small areas, like the wall going up the stairs and a landing, so it makes an impact without breaking the bank.


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Hidden Treasure

The central staircase, hidden behind a sculptural screen, adds an artistic architectural element that was also cost-effective. “The screen that’s providing the guard is also supporting every stair tread,” say David Battersby and Heather Howat of architecture and design firm BattersbyHowat Architects. “So it’s interesting but also essential.”

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Bright Entryway

In the foyer, the staircase’s natural wood handrail and treads were a purposeful choice. “If we had painted them black, it would have drawn the eye up the stairs as opposed to straight through the cottage to the lake,” says designer Lidia van Zyl.

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