There are lots of design ideas you can select from when getting hardwood stairs for your home. You just have to find a design that suits your lifestyle and personality. For instance, if you have kids, some hardwood stair designs may not be appropriate.
This article will explore several design ideas according to the different components that make up hardwood stairs. You can then choose the perfect hardwood stairs for your home based on your unique needs.
Different Hardwood Staircase Design Ideas For Your Home
Before choosing from a list of design ideas for hardwood stairs, there are some factors you need to take into consideration. First, you need to think of the size of the installation space. Then you need to budget for the project to avoid wasting funds.
When drawing up a budget, bear in mind that different hardwood stairs designs may cost you differently. A budget will help you curb your expenses while achieving the best hardwood stairs design for your home.
The complexity of some staircase designs may require more materials and labour input. Consequently, you’ll be spending more on installing hardwood stairs.
Moving on, here’s a list of ideas you can implement for your next hardwood staircase project.
Different Hardwood Stairs Design Ideas According to Their Types
Choosing a hardwood stair starts with the shape or type that you want. There are different styles of hardwood stairs that you can use for a duplex-style home in Ontario. See them below:
1. Hardwood Floating Stairs
Floating stairs is one of the best contemporary designs you can have in your home. Floating stairs make you feel like you’re floating in the air. The good thing is that you can achieve this using hardwood.
Floating stairs make your home unique and stylish because it’s not a common design. Unfortunately, many people don’t use floating stairs because they feel it’ll give way unexpectedly. But that’s not true. Floating stairs will only give way if the constructor is inexperienced or if the materials are inferior.
Asides from that, floating stairs is one of the best hardwood design ideas to jazz up your duplex. The only thing is that you need to use floating stairs in a home without children because it mostly doesn’t come with railings.
2. Straight Hardwood Stairs
Straight stairs only go one direction, and that’s directly upwards. Straight stairs don’t change in direction. They only move upwards directly without curves or bends. Straight stairs are the most common stair types in both commercial and residential structures.
Hardwood serves as a perfect material for straight stairs, and they’re a good stairs design idea for every property. You can also add a central landing to make your straight stairs stylish. A central landing is a space in the stairs that makes you take two or three steps before continuing your flight.
Straight stairs with a central landing are best for buildings with floor heights that are above 12 feet. The most common feature of a straight stair is that it’s easy to construct.
3. U-Shaped Hardwood Stairs
As the name implies, a u-shaped stair consists of two flights of straight stairs with a u-turn in the middle of the walk line.
U-shaped stairs easily fit into the plan of an architect because of their shape. The midway landing of a U-shaped stair can also serve as a resting point for elderly or sick people.
U-shaped stairs are a tad more tedious to build than most stair types. Nevertheless, the easy fit of u-shaped stairs into architectural plans makes it an architectural interest. It’s one of the best hardwood stairs ideas for your home.
4. Hardwood Spiral Stairs
A spiral stair winds around a central post or column that gives it a unique look. Spiral stairs have a compact design that makes them eye-catchy in every home or place.
A spiral stair is a good hardwood design idea for your home if you want to add an artistic feel to your duplex. One good thing about spiral stairs is that they can be aesthetic and fancy railings easily make them beautiful.
5. Winder Stairs
Winder stairs have an L-shape. Winder stairs are more popular in modern homes because their compactness makes them attractive. However, one thing about winder stairs is that they can be harder to navigate than an L-shaped stair.
6. Library Ladder
Some stairs look like ladders but can be a means of access to the upper part of your home. Typically, certain building restrictions don’t approve ladders as a means of access in homes.
You may be able to get approval for a library lifer, depending on the installation space. For instance, a loft will benefit from the installation of a library ladder.
7. Split Stairs
You can also call a split stair a bifurcated stair. Bifurcated or split stairs start from the base then go straight up to a landing pathway.
From the landing, the stairs split into two other sets of stairs that face opposite directions. But the two sets of stairs lead to the same location.
Split stairs add an architectural statement to your home. Split stairs also give your home a grand entry.
8. Curved Stairs
Curved stairs are mostly at the entrance of many homes because they add elegance and create a remarkable first impression. However, curved stairs have a larger radius and don’t form a full circle. The large radius of curved stairs makes them easy to tread, but they’re difficult to build.
9. Cantilever Stairs
Cantilever stairs look like they’re floating on air without support. But the contractor must affix the stair stringer to one end of the treads to make cantilever stairs gain balance.
Cantilever stairs make your room spacious and interesting. Hardwood gives cantilever stairs a distinct look which makes it a preferable stair design idea for your home.
Different Hardwood Stairs Design Ideas for Railings
Railings are defensive barriers that prevent people from falling off the side of stairs. You can use railings to add to the beauty of a hardwood staircase.
10. Hardwood Stairs with Fancy Railing or Barriers
Fancy railings are one of the good ideas for hardwood stairs design. Hardwood stairs with a combination of fancy barriers will give your house an exquisite appeal.
Fancy railing on hardwood stairs mostly suits luxurious homes because of the artistic detailing on the railing. Such creative detailings can make your house look elegant and grand.
We offer fancy staircase parts in different designs. But, we recommend you choose a railing that blends with the colour of the house. Materials like iron, aluminum and metal form the best fancy railings.
11. Hardwood Stairs with Glass Railing
Glasses can also serve as excellent railing for hardwood stairs. Combining hardwood stairs with a glass railing is one of the best staircase decorating ideas because it never goes out of trend. All you need to do is keep the glass railing neat and ensure the staircase is always kept clean.
12. Hardwood Stairs with Wooden Rails
Expert furniture makers can carve out a wooden rail with a good design or pattern to complement your hardwood stairs. You can paint the wooden railing with nice homely colours to make it more attractive.
Be sure to choose calm colours that suit the ambiance of your home. Wooden rails can give you one of the best railing designs if the constructor is equal to the task.
13. Hardwood Stairs Side Wall Railing
Hardwood stairs with sidewall railing are popular in Asian-style homes. The stairs’ railing is attached to a wooden sidewall that hides the stairs behind it. Children can’t fall off the side of a hardwood stair because the sidewall railing acts as a protective measure.
Related Article: How Much Do Hardwood Stairs Cost?
Different Hardwood Stairs Design Ideas for Risers
A riser is a vertical gap between one step and the next one on a staircase. As little as a riser may look, it can enhance the look of hardwood stairs if you design them properly. See the various design ideas for risers below.
14. Hardwood Stairs with Natural Risers
One easy way to beautify the riser of your stairs is to use natural wood to contrast a dark wood floor. You can also use the same wood and colour for the risers.
15. Hardwood Stairs with Painted Risers
Adding a touch of paint to your risers is a stunning hardwood staircase design. For instance, you can pair a dark wood colour with white risers/accents. The combination of these colours will leave your stairs looking very nice and welcoming.
16. Hardwood Stairs with Decorative Risers
If you feel like adding an artistic feel to your home, you can decorate your risers by painting or using tiles. It’ll serve as a chance to add a little touch of art to your home.
Of course, it’s an enjoyable process if you’re painting a pattern by yourself. But to avoid mistakes, let a professional take over.
Other Decorating Ideas for Hardwood Stairs Design
This section comprises a list of hardwood stairs design you can adopt to make your stairs look welcoming and beautiful.
17. Ambience Lighting
Lighting is one of the ways to make hardwood stairs look more attractive. Go for yellow, small lights for a charming effect.
18. Mini Garden
Adding a few greens is a good idea for a hardwood stair design. Simply keep some beautiful indoor plants on every stair to decorate the staircase. You can use spider plants, cacti or begonias to design your hardwood stairs.
19. Wood Grain
The human eyes appreciate patterns fitting into each other seamlessly, which is one major wood grain feature. Woodgrain direction or flow is a part of the major visual cues you have when you’re about to lay a floor into a stairway. The first stair should have a grain that blends with the floor to make it appealing.
20. Hidden Storage
If you’re looking to make the best storage space in your house, you can convert under the step to one. Having storage space under your stairs is a very good way to utilize the space under your stairs.
21. Classic Wooden Staircase
A classic wooden staircase is perfect for almost every interior design. A classic wooden staircase is the safest wooden staircase because of the use of protective railings. It also adds elegance to every home. Traditional wooden staircase designs have been around for a long time.
22. Stairway To Heaven
Stairway to heaven is a hardwood stairs design idea that’s perfect for modern duplex apartments. Stairway to heaven doesn’t consume much space like other stair types, and it works well with wooden flooring. Stairway to heaven gives a minimal look yet appearing stylish.
23. Color
Colours add a spark of life to things. After choosing the type of hardwood stairs you prefer, a good design idea is to add a splash of colors.
You can be creative with colours and paint one or two strategic points to make your hardwood stairs more attractive. In most cases, it’s best to use the same colour on the floor for your stairs.
24. Wall Craft or Painting
Another amazing design idea for your hardwood stairs is to be creative with the wall in that area. Beautiful decoration on the staircase wall makes it more attractive. You can also hang bold, fanciful artwork to enhance your staircase area.
25. Study Area
When constructing your hardwood stairs, a good design idea is to create a study space under the loft-style stairs. A mini-study room or small library can fit under the stairs if you design it properly.
When to Change the Style for Your Hardwood Stairs
One constant thing about life is change. Hardwoods are durable, but there must be times you have to either change the stairs design or break it down completely. See the factors that necessitate a change of style for hardwood stairs.
Choice
Certain internal elements may factor in a need to change the hardwood style in your home. Perhaps you’re already tired of staring at the same hardwood stairs.
Or maybe you have children now, and a floating staircase seems like a bad idea. Choices like this will mean you have to change your hardwood stairs.
Bad Condition
If your hardwood stairs are in bad condition, it may be time to change them completely. SIgns that you need to change the stairs include:
- Creaking sound
- Physical weakness in some parts
- Wood rot
- Sagging treads
- Termite damage
- Physical crack
Once you notice any of the signs above, you need to change the stairs. Then you can seize the opportunity to change the design of the hardwood stair to a finer and more contemporary design idea.
Total Home Renovation or Remodelling
From time to time, it’s okay to change the look of your home by renovating some key areas. The renovation process involves breaking down some parts of the house. After removing the old stairs, you can install one of the finest hardwood staircase designs for your home.
Related Article: 20 Wood Panelling Makeover Ideas
Final Thoughts
The stairs in your home speak volumes about your standard or taste in quality. The stair design you choose will become a part of your life for quite a while, so you need to be careful while making a design decision.
Above, we’ve provided 20+ hardwood stairs design ideas for the average homeowner in Ontario. Here at LV Flooring, we offer different staircase parts to bring your dreams to life. Look through our collection today!
