Interior Staircase Photos

Interior Staircase Photos

Interior Design Tips - Don't Overlook Lighting When Designing Your Staircase

Lighting is an important element of stairway design. This does not need to be especially bright, but the risers and treads should be bathed in sufficient light to ensure that they can be distinguished. Ceiling-fixed down-lighters provide ideal lighting so long as suitable fixing points are available. Alternatively, wall-fixed lights (either downlighters or uplighters) will provide good illumination, but these should not protrude dangerously into the stair space and care should be taken to ensure that glare from bulbs is not viewed while either descending or ascending the stairs.

The small landing formed where stairs change direction can provide a useful platform for an interesting decorative treatment. If space permits, a grouping of console table and one or two chairs will transform this otherwise rather boring area.

Stair windows come in all shapes and sizes - sometimes in the form of a feature to be embellished upon, but all too often an architect's disaster to be disguised. If you are lucky enough to possess one of elegant proportions, much can be made of this. The contours of an interestingly shaped window are best preserved by fixing the treatment within the reveal, and this is one situation where a festoon blind or festoon curtain can be deemed appropriate.

Curtains do not look good if they stop half-way down a wall or if they dangle aimlessly over a top step. In such cases a single drape, swagged to one side with a chunky rope tie-back can look most effective. Shutters offer another solution and can take on decorative importance if echoing the outline of an attractively shaped window.

Should privacy not be of concern, an unadorned window can be framed with a painted stencil border on the surrounding wall. Another suggestion involves fixing glass shelves across the front of the window to display a collection of beautifully colored glassware or healthy plants. The best way of dealing with an unattractive window is to minimize its importance by treating it in the simplest manner possible and by selecting a fabric to blend in with the surrounding wall color. The eye can be further distracted from an ugly window by hanging dramatic pictures on adjacent walls or by fitting an attention-grabbing floor covering.

Spiral staircases continue in popularity. They offer a solution where space is at a premium and can look most decorative. But beware: they take up more space than you might imagine and are generally not as easy to negotiate as conventional stairways. It pays to plan ahead - if you intend to introduce children or the elderly into your home, this style of stair-case may prove a hindrance.

Source:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Interior-Design-Tips---Dont-Overlook-Lighting-When-Designing-Your-Staircase&id=3000125

Interior Staircase Photos