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13 Colourful Staircase Designs That Ride the Rainbow

Here are colours on stairs that transform a flight or a landing into an adventure

Vaishnavi Nayel Talawadekar
Vaishnavi Nayel Talawadekar22 June 2018
Houzz India Contributor. Internationally published architecture, design and art journalist. www.mangomonk.com
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Staircases can do more than just connect two levels of a home. They can serve as charming focal points and elevate a space, literally and figuratively. More and more, stairs are being incorporated as decor elements in modern Indian homes and staircase designs are evolving across a spectrum of patterns and palettes. Structural features like risers, treads, balustrades and handrails are finding new forms in colour, appearing in painted, carpeted, tiled and stenciled finishes.

Whether you’re adding a staircase in your home or are looking to overhaul an existing design, colour can be a magical way of infusing quirk and character into your space. Transform your staircase into a work of art by gifting it a piece of the rainbow. Borrow ideas from these colour-happy homes.
1. Graphic pops
Bold, graphic slogans as staircase details can be a wonderful way to infuse blocks of colour into your home, while also adding a touch of whimsy and wonder. Graphic pops can give pace to a sidelined staircase and turn it into a vibrant centrepiece.

This eye-popping use of multi colours for stairs straddles the rainbow effectively by combining various shades and tones. The slogans, appearing in a range of fonts, offer a fantasy comic book vibe.

Tip: If you do choose multicoloured graphic images, make sure to keep your surrounding walls and banisters light, to highlight your focal piece and to avoid a jarring effect.
User
2. Gloomy skies
A pair of soft stair colours can add visual variety to a subdued space without overwhelming the colour scheme.

The sky on a typical monsoon day is reflected in the blue and grey bands of this staircase. With the risers painted alternately in pale blue and soft grey, punctuated with a few white ones, the staircase steps provides a mellow serving of colour to an otherwise vanilla space.
3. Driftwood style
There’s something about organic, rough-cut materials that lends to a raw and rustic appeal.

This compact staircase, painted in a harmony of shades, effectively lifts this warm, stone-clad space by breaking away from the peanut palette. Each panel is designed to resemble weather-beaten driftwood dipped in a unique hue.
studio ATARA
4. Ombré elevation
An ombré staircase that chases the rainbow can be a cheerful addition to a restrained space. The gradual colour progression in a straight flight of stairs will allow you to embrace a spectrum of hues without creating a clutter of colour.

Seek inspiration from this ombré staircase design, whose colour fade is gentle on the eye. Sheathed in lino, this staircase is a welcome contrast to the white exposed-brick walls.
Stewart Construction
5. Mediterranean sweep
If you want to marry contemporary minimalism with classic, old-world mystique, consider combining wooden treads and traditional tile risers.

This curved staircase design is inspired from Mediterranean style, with stair risers dressed in tiles carrying vibrant jewel tones and signature Mediterranean motifs.

Tip: For a traditional effect, choose indigenous Indian tiles like Jaipur blue pottery and Athangudi to display on your stair risers.
Design Squared Architects
6. Rainbow splashes
Bright colours can make for brilliant overlays on stair risers, particularly if the rest of the room is understated and neutral.

This staircase design makes an effortless visual statement by adding a fun, colourful twist to a pared-back decor scheme. The white walls form the perfect cocoon for a sweeping rainbow range of colours.

Browse more colours for stairs
Moon Design
7. Nautical treads
Invite nautical hues into your home with cool blue treads juxtaposed with sparkling white risers. Not only can blue and white serve as a visual respite from the tropical summertime heat, the combination can also lend to year-round beachside vibes.

In this home, soft-blue and navy-blue treads, laid alternately, are a refreshing yet subtle breakaway from the neutral palette.
Palmerston Design Consultants
8. Scintillating stripes
If you’re looking for a quick colour-fix for your stairscase, a stair runner might just be your best option.

A flatweave striped rainbow runner offers a zing of colour to this white-and-chestnut space, while also serving as a creative decor piece.
JWT Associates
9. Wallpaper risers
A pinstripe design can take days to master with paint. Instead, opt to seal your risers in a colourful wallpaper to achieve a perfect finish. Wallpaper ensures consistency in design and leaves little room for error, unlike paint.

Here, vivid pinstriped vinyl panels work as eye-catching riser overlays between each step.
Michael Richman Interiors
Michael Richman Interiors
10. Spiral spectrum
A spiral staircase can be a conducive canvas for colourful experiments. Lay each triangular step with a colour of the rainbow and create a progression of shades that give the effect of a full colour spectrum.

A bird’s eye view of this home presents the spiral metal staircase as a dazzling colour wheel that beautifully offsets the black-and-white floor and walls.

Browse through more metal staircase designs
TreHus Architects+Interior Designers+Builders
11. Flashes of colour
A staircase centred by assorted ribbons of colour can be a fun way to add pockets of vibrancy without dominating the auxiliary decor.

In this home, pure white stairs are lent colour, character and creativity with a sequence of brightly painted ribbons that run down the centre, serving to reflect the owners’ fun-loving personalities.
12. Sunny staircase wall
If you’re wary about adding colour to your steps, a good workaround is to give your staircase wall a cheerful makeover.

In this candy-inspired home, a white staircase is overlaid with a lavender runner and flanked by a wall painted in bubblegum blue, pineapple yellow and mint green.
Tallon Perry Interiors
13. Multicoloured spindles
Steps are not the only way to lift colour into your staircase. A staircase design can just as easily be given boosts of colour through a thoughtfully coloured range of spindles.

See how this daisy-white landing is transformed into a colour-blessed escape with multicoloured stair spindles in a variety of colours.

Read more:
Step It Up: 10 Staircase Designs That WOW
Most Popular Staircase Designs on Houzz India

Tell us:
Which of these colourful staircase designs would look best in your home? Tell us in Comments below.
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