Are you looking for modern staircase design ideas? Then you’ve landed at the right place. Though serving an essential functional purpose, staircases have the potential to elevate an entire house. So much more than a means to get from point A to point B, stairs can be the main event.
Modern Staircase Design Ideas
From interlocking treads to dramatic corkscrews, the Mehraaz group has spotlighted twenty-five unique stairs that prove it.
1. Contrasting Wood:
Light and dark wood make a beautiful pairing on a staircase that links the main floor of a four-story Alabama lake house to the bedrooms. Designer Susan Ferrier used the same finishes throughout the house. The walls are whitewashed, rough-cut pine planks. The steps are in a dark Jacobean stain.
2. Contrasting Patterns:
The staircase in a California home becomes a graphic installation with patterned tiles by Country Floors. The contrasting mix works thanks to a standard color palette.
3. Antique Spiral:
In the foyer of a 1920s Spanish Revival house in Dallas, designer Dana Oatley Ortego installed a corkscrew staircase, originally from Paris, that was pulled out of a clothing store in Oklahoma.
4. Bold Stripes:
The original staircase in this fifth-generation family estate got a colorful update with Benjamin Moore’s Brookside Moss and Safety Black.
5. Secret Nook Ladder:
In a Manhattan maisonette, a ladder leads to a secret room that designer Christopher Maya found, all sealed up, and turned into a “fantasy room” for the children.
6. Textural Moments:
This modern space designed by Arent & Pyke is an experiment in material with layers and layers of textural interest. The single green marble step at the bottom of the staircase is an understated and sophisticated touch.
7. Modern Wood Staircase:
Beautifully crafted stairs of interlocking walnut treads lead to the widow’s walk of designer David Netto’s Southampton, New York, beach cottage.
8. Mediterranean Touches:
Terra cotta and blue mosaic tiles, as well as the intricate balusters, give this Los Angeles home designed by Leanne Ford a Mediterranean flair so every day can feel like a European vacation.
9. Stone Floaters:
Architect Ray Booth established new openness in the foyer of a 1961 Houston house, replacing carpeted treads and risers with stone “floaters.”
10. Family-Friendly and Cozy:
Remember the space under the stairs. Designer Matt O’Dorisio created this cozy corner for a family getaway. Built-in banquettes have drawers for board games.
11. Modern Meets Traditional:
Studio DB knows how to make an entrance. The classic staircase frames the more modern, experimental statements in this open foyer. The simple wainscoting accentuates the beautiful bones of the home.
12. Classic and Ornate:
Elaborate and hypnotizing, the classic iron-wrought banister is the heart of this Tasmin Johnson-designed space. Modern wall art also draws up and contemporizes traditional elements.
13. Smooth Swirls:
Never underestimate the power of plain white. Modern, organic, and unique, this spiral staircase designed by Robson Rak is beyond dreamy. The continuous white swirl of a fence looks smooth and soft to the touch.
14. Nature-Inspired Cocoon:
“With references to the dark, ominous cliff and stoic elements that comprise the coast, there is a deliberate departure from the ocean, as inspiration. The result is a palette of dark and textural timbers, stones, textiles and refined metals,” says design firm Hecker Guthrie. This nature-inspired, cocoon-like stairwell is warm and mysterious, giving the impression that it leads somewhere magical.
15. Whimsical Neutrals:
The whimsical pattern of the upholstered stairs, the pink framed artwork, and the decorative gold baluster ornaments energize this workspace designed by Tamsin Johnson.
16. Stairs as Bookshelves:
Designers Bill Brock Schmidt and Richard Dragisic’s New York loft apartment is just 640 square feet. “We had to be inventive,” Brock Schmidt says. The staircase leading to the bedroom loft incorporates bookshelves, and the landing doubles as a sideboard and bar when they entertain. “All the glasses get stacked on the lower steps,” Brock Schmidt says. “Of course, that means we quite literally can’t go to bed till we clean up.”
17. Industrial Ease: (Modern Staircase Design)
Industrial and gritty, these concrete stairs with a chicken coop wire banister are cool without even trying.
18. Natural Stone Color-Blocking:
Natural stone stairs exude an air of elegance unlike any other. Designer Tamsin Johnson color-blocked earthy hues, grounding the otherwise all-white space. The sculptural light fixture peeks out and adds a modern touch.
19. Dramatic Stairwell:
This dramatic stairwell by Hecker Guthrie looks more like an art installation. The minimalist concrete floating steps allow the space’s natural beauty to shine as the sun peeks through, creating varying shadow patterns throughout the day. It looks like heaven on the other side.
20. Art Deco-Inspired:
Designed by Arent & Pyke, this architectural staircase is both timeless and modern. The double frosted glass doors and burnt orange rug lead the eye right to them, but the wooden enclosure obscures them, creating mystery and intrigue. The organic curve sets the tone of rhythm and flows throughout the home.
21. Funhouse Maze: (Modern Staircase Design)
Akin Atelier gave this stairwell a funhouse effect with mirror panels. The mirrored wall makes the stairs look like they stretch out into infinity and beyond, while the plush, icy gray carpeting adds a more sophisticated warmth.
22. Angular and Sweet:
This angular stairwell designed by GRT Architects is clean, crisp, and minimalist without feeling cold and remote. The lavender-painted rails assert a sweet, lighthearted tough that softens the sharp angles while simultaneously making them pop even more.
23. Abstract and Painterly:
Leanne Ford gave this lackluster staircase an artistic makeover. To revamp your outdated or traditional stairs, paint them black and then grab a paintbrush. We love the abstract and bold brush strokes here.
24. Contemporary Elegance:
‘Moments’ rather than looks best encapsulate a home’s positive impact. The ultimate moment experienced in Magnolia House is the slow and elegant descent down its new sculptural staircase, the symbolic spine of both the home and the project,” writes designers Arent & Pyke. The jib door is continuous with the baby-blue painted paneling to not interrupt visual flow while providing extra storage.
25. Geometric Juxtapositions:
If this striking steel staircase designed by Hecker Guthrie doesn’t stop you in your tracks, we don’t know what will. The juxtaposition between the spiral and linear motifs is simply mesmerizing. The staircase also helps obscure the minimalist outdoor shower, enhancing privacy without blocking the view.
