16 Modern Staircase Ideas That Take Your Home to the Next Level
A staircase offers your home excellent utility, but it’s also an opportunity for creativity and innovation in your interior design. Homeowners today are increasingly looking to replace their conventional staircases with modern and stylish alternatives that help them access different levels of their homes and elevate their living spaces’ overall look and functionality.
There are plenty of perks to renovating the staircases within your home. Safety, aesthetics, and space optimization are a few reasons individuals are drawn to modern staircase ideas. You should replace old or unsafe staircases, so why not take the opportunity to incorporate a new style, material, or concept that makes your staircase an architectural feature of your home? Changing the staircase design may enhance other interior or exterior design elements. It can even maximize your space by swapping a straight staircase for an L-shaped or spiral staircase.
Here are some of our favorite staircase design ideas, from sleek and minimalist designs to bold, eye-catching statements. There are plenty of possibilities that can turn your home’s staircase into a functional work of art. Use these staircases as inspiration for safety enhancements, space-saving solutions, or ways to add a touch of modern elegance to your living space.
1. Switchback Stairs in a New York Townhouse
This minimalist staircase by architect Shane Neufeld is a beautiful blend of form and function. The townhouse in New York, New York, originally featured a stacked stair; however, this switchback design makes it feel bigger and brighter. The staircase is built from white oak treads and a painted steel handrail, allowing natural light to filter between the stairs offering more illumination to the dark area underneath.
This custom spiral wood staircase comes from the mind of architect Fred Babcock. His redesign of this modern log cabin in Salt Lake City, Utah, contributes to the home’s bright interior without blocking any natural light. The stairs’ organic light-toned wood blends beautifully with the cabin’s interior colors, flooring, and stonework.
Located in an industrial-modern home in Charleston, South Carolina, this unique floating staircase commands attention. Designed by architect Kevan Hoertdoerfer, these stairs are best suited for an adult-only home for safety. Artist Tess Thomas painted the stairs’ colorful wood treads in this home, but you can vet local artists if you want to recreate a similar aesthetic in your home.
The stairs of the well-known West Yorkshire home, Farnley Hey, feature a visually appealing textured side panel. Homeowners Harvey and Victoria own the home Peter Womersley designed in 1954. It features living spaces defined by columns, shelving units, and changing levels and textures—elements the staircase captures while maintaining a look of casual sophistication.
Charles Gwathmey designed the Sedacca House in East Hampton, New York—a home renowned for its sculptural, geometric style. The dramatic sweeping curves of this steel staircase evoke a blend of luxury and practicality in the beach home’s main living area.
With a sleek, high-end look, this Viewrail floating stairway with glass railing blends form and function perfectly for those seeking a luxurious touch. The transparency of the glass ensures those using the stairs stay safe without limiting the room’s visual space.
Architect Lionel Morrison is known around Dallas, Texas, for his modernist designs, like this staircase at the back of one of his homes. The light-color wood and full-length windows make the confined stairwell feel much more spacious. This no-fuss staircase design is the ultimate in utility while maintaining a clean, bright look.
This Halifax, Nova Scotia home has a rooftop patio accessed from the second floor via an exterior staircase wrapping the house. Designed by architect Peter Braithwaite, the Cor-Ten steel offers the home a modern-industrial design that sets it apart from the neighboring single-story cottages.
In smaller abodes, spiral staircases are a practical way to access the second floor without taking up too much space. This studio apartment designed by Douglas Stephen & Partners was built in 1965 and has undergone an upgrade in recent years. With a compact, playful look, the bright yellow underside of this spiral staircase brings a bit of fun into a split-level in London, England.
With a minimal and understated look, this floating staircase and landing design evokes a less-is-more philosophy and architectural style. Architect Carlo Gaspari converted a former knife-making workshop in Abruzzo, Italy, into a sophisticated residential property. The design pays homage to the home’s name—Casa del Ferro (the Iron House)—by using iron within the interior design, such as the staircase.
Houses with a closed-off stair room, such as this North London flat, can use dramatic colors to create a memorable passageway. Patalab Architects turned a strange transitional space into a striking stairwell by replacing a wall section with open shelving to allow more daylight, painted the stairwell in a blue from Dulux, and painted SLV Plastra wall lights to make this stairwell pop.
This open steel staircase design helps to preserve the stunning views, letting in plenty of light for a bright, continuous look. This simple aesthetic offsets the textured black-stone wall that bisects the contemporary home designed by Safdie Rabines Architects of San Diego, California.
Drew Mandel Architects renovated this 1924 Toronto, Ontario home, adding a sculptural staircase from the basement to the top floor. With elegant, flowing curves and warm-toned tread, this design complements the home’s modern aesthetic with simple sophistication.
Found in Seis am Schlern, Italy, this ornate, gothic-style staircase is a showstopper. The black metal tread and railing heighten the home’s drama and elegance. Designed by Italy’s Network of Architecture, the idea behind the detailed staircase design is that the further one ascends, the more it heightens intimacy.
This white-painted timber-and-steel spiral staircase makes a grand statement, evoking a luxurious and sophisticated aesthetic. Conceived by architects Stephanie Little and Anthony Chenchow in Sydney, Australia, the entire home design hinges on arches and curves—illustrated notably in this ribbon-like staircase.
Known as the Stairway House in Minato, Tokyo, this larger-than-life staircase has earned a reputation. Starting on the property’s forecourt, the oversized ashen staircase continues through the glass facade and into the house. From a design perspective, the stairs establish a connection between the interior and exterior of the home while creating a functional passage between home levels and the outdoors.
Top photo by Ellis Creek Photography
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