Whether you are renovating your home or building from the ground up, a staircase is a likely addition. But how can you make the staircase fit well with the rest of the house? Should it match the flooring or is ok to be different?
Stairs should complement the rest of the house but do not have to be the same color as the flooring. It should, however, match so that it brightens up the stairwell and adds a general piquancy to the structure as a whole. Stairs are the pathway to two areas of the house and thus can add character.
It can be difficult to know what goes well with what and will be entirely up to what you as the homeowner decides. It can, however, be nice to get someone else’s view so here are mine.
1) Different Color
Whether your house is a splash of color or just a view of neutral colors, giving the stairs some additional color can add a good feel to a home. Color can even give your body an energizing boost.
Something that can be nice with having a colorful staircase, is that it gives you the chance to use colors to energize the rest of your home. By using lighter or vibrant colors the light in the home will reflect better and give a greater gleam to the house.
Also, creating a staircase that has color can add a nice change in scenery to the home. It can help step away from the culture of matching floor to stairs and give you as a homeowner greater satisfaction.
Allowing a different color to be added to your home on your staircase can be more permanent than other decorations. Just be aware that adding color to your stairwell may be nice at the time, but later on, may look weird or just wrong. But a few decorations that match can help diffuse the tension that it can create.
As long as the color coordinates well with the house, the home will have a feeling of rightness and bring satisfaction.
2) Same Color
Simply because color adds vibrance and flavor to a home, it does not necessarily mean that the stairs are the only way to bring that into a home. It is perfectly normal for a staircase to have the same coloring as the floor of the rest of the house.
When the floor and stairs match it creates a seamless flow that can add a certain dignity to the home. It will look as though it fits, giving the stairs an air of precision.
But it may also be a strange addition if the floor that it leads to is different from the color of the floor above or below. In this case, it may be better to go with a different approach.
3) Contrasting Colors
Sometimes the best solution may be to create a staircase that matches the floor with each step, but the supporting wood of the stairs itself can be a color that augments that coordination.
By doing this it can break away from the natural tendency to have everything the same color, but also give it the look of formality that you desire.
For instance, if you have a dark wood flooring that leads to the stairs, then having that same flooring up the stairs gives it uniformity, but the railing up the side may be a stark white that brings out the very texture of the wood flooring.
4) Black Or Dark
Another idea to think about is just having the staircase a darker color than the floor itself or even just black. This can give the staircase a crisp feel as you travel its length.
Giving it a darker coloring most likely matches well with whichever color your floor is. This means that the dark color will not look out of place in any way and will keep its virtue of matching nicely.
Another perk of having a darker flooring to a staircase is that it will not look as dirty as quickly as some other, lighter colors do. This keeps the staircase looking nice, even though cleaning is still in order just for sterilities sake.
5) Lighter Coloring
A good contrast that works just as well as the dark coloring is having a lighter coloring than the floor of the rest of the home. This can be a lighter shade of the floor itself or even just plain white.
This gives the same effect that having a different colored staircase gives and allows a more formal feel to the overall house in general. It brightens up the stairwell with light and yet keeps the traditional look.
6) Carpet Vs. Wood
Something good to think about is whether you want your stairs made from wood or just have them carpeted. There can be many different factors that play into this decision.
Depending on what the floors in the rest of your house are can help make this decision. Often it looks good to have the same kind of flooring. But it can look good to have a wood floor with a carpeted stairwell or vice-versa. This gives a nice contrast to the house’s feel.
Also, keeping the staircase clean is an important factor in the decision. A wood flooring is easy to sweep and clean but will look dirtier faster. In contrast, the carpet will be more difficult to clean with a regular vacuum but will look less dirty. Carpet hides more dirt.
7) Pattern Vs. No Pattern
Another chance to brighten up or complement your stairs with the flooring is to give your stairs a painted pattern. This can allow for a spark of color that wouldn’t be in the house anywhere else.
Patterns can give volume to the staircase that can really go well with the rest of the house. They can add a uniform look to a stairwell while giving more vibrance.
An argument against patterns is that there is a sense of too much that can occur. Sometimes it is just best to leave the stairwell its plain color without trying to spice things up.
8) Glossed Stairs
Glossing stairs can be dangerous for those who are using them. Glossing is a technique used on wood that gives a nice shine to the wood itself. But glossed wood can be highly slippery and if used on a staircase can create a danger to your guest or even yourself.
But that’s not to say that gloss cannot be used to brighten up your staircase. It shouldn’t be used on the tread, or steps, themselves, but can be used on the supporting wood that won’t be stepped on. This will give a nice finished look while keeping those who are using the stairs safe.
Stair Design
A good thing to think about when making decisions about the colors you are going to use is what your stairs look like. The design can add a complementary feel to your staircase.
For instance, a curving staircase with an open side and a wall side would look good having a uniform, similar design as the floor, instead of using color to augment its overall feel.
But a straight staircase in a more modern home can look very good with a splash of color that helps bring about the vibrancy that you are looking for.
Complementing The Rest Of The House
Many may ask what it means to complement the rest of the house. Does it mean to match colors together? Does it mean to formulate a series of designs that will go well together? Or does it mean to simply create an atmosphere that feels and looks good?
I would argue the last one is the best way to compliment your home. It can be difficult to picture that atmosphere when it’s not in front of you, but seeing colors together can help imagine it.
Also, an idea is to make a small model after you have picked colors and what you want and see if it looks good or not. Of course, the finished product is going to be slightly different, but at least you will get a general feel for what you are making your house look like.
Colors That Match Well And Compliment
If you do decide to add some color to your home through the staircase what colors will work well together and what will complement each other? What will look good side by side?
Some common colors that match well together can be found in this table below. By seeing these colors together you can begin to see what goes well together and you can even experiment with your own colors to see what works best for you.
| Blue | Yellow |
| Navy | Teal |
| Black | Orange |
| Maroon | Peach |
| White | basically every color |
Using matching colors is crucial to allowing your home to look its best while giving the correct feel. Complimenting can be difficult, but it is possible. It simply comes down to your own proficiency in knowing colors that work well together. Make an effort to discover the colors that you like and you will be able to decide on a good color scheme for your stairs.