How to spruce up a staircase and add value to your home

We hear a lot about creating spaces: the family snug, the open-plan kitchen, the home office, the gallery walls of a cloakroom.

But, when it comes to makeovers, the staircase often seems to be neglected.

However, the functional spine of the home is finally being used to make bold design statements in everything from traditional Victorian terraces to ambitious new-builds.

In one way or another, the staircase has always played a substantial role. In films, characters make dramatic arrivals down sweeping structures and no TV costume drama is complete without a grand cantilever staircase, with portraits hanging above it.

What’s more, staircases are vital in revealing something about the house, its history, its inhabitants.

‘Staircases often are the first item of joinery that you encounter,’ says Rajeev Fernando, who runs Ebonisto, an online joinery shop.

‘And a well-considered staircase becomes a point of focus that enhances the character of the building as well as adding to its overall monetary value.

‘It’s a feature you would expect to last decades if not centuries, meaning it is a tangible legacy of the stair builder as well as the person who commissions the design.’

Whether you’re going for open treads with glass balustrades, steps painted in different shades or a white-rendered sculptural masterpiece, the staircase provides the perfect canvas on which to express personality.

Brilliant banisters

The banister is an easy place to start. To achieve the ultimate minimalist effect, removing and replacing it with a glass wall allows a de-cluttered and fuss-free staircase.

For a high-end look, EeStairs, a bespoke staircase company, uses laminated toughened glass in many of its designs, including a stainless steel and glass circular staircase created for a private home for £55,000, although more simple models start from £30,000.

But smaller, inexpensive items can also work well: imagine antique walking sticks taking the place of spindles, or even old Victorian iron railings, given a new lease of life with paint and care.

Paint adds drama

‘It has become incredibly popular to paint staircases in bolder colours,’ says Joa Studholme, colour curator at Farrow & Ball. ‘It creates instant drama in the hall and a grounding backbone through the centre of the house.’

Colour is an easy tool to effect change in something. A staircase might feature rainbow-coloured risers, or it might carry off a dramatic ebony shade, helping it to set the tone of a house.

Fun runner

For carpet purists, there is still some fun to be had if opting for something individual. Sophie Cooney is behind a collection of striking New Zealand wool carpet runners.

‘My designs are very different to the traditional runners in that they are not linear lines,’ says Cooney, who began her business after she started looking for a runner for her own home.

‘They are a blend of traditional and contemporary kilim-style motifs with plenty of colour.

‘I believe a runner can be the foundation of a beautiful entrance, and the entrance is the starting point to a beautiful home. For my own house, I wanted a runner that would bring life and soul to our hallway.

‘After struggling to find what I was after I decided to design a collection based on a more contemporary kilim style.’

For a bold, block colour runner, Roger Oates’ Hadley range comes in fruity mandarin, plum and bright pink, and costs £88.50/m.

Open treads

Open-tread staircases, which have gaps between each step, look stylish and allow light and air to flow through the stairs.

For safety reasons, the gap between each tread must be no more than 100 mm, known as the ‘baby’s head rule’.

Open treads look particularly chic with glass balustrades. Stairbox provides open-tread oak staircases from £880 and glass balustrades from £125.