Lighting the stairs is a crucial but sometimes forgotten part of any interior design. Though essentially functional, stairwell lighting has the potential to dramatically alter the atmosphere of the heart of your home if done right.
In addition to being a necessary safety feature, well-lit staircases allow you to ascend and descend in comfort throughout the year. There are as many ways to light a staircase as there are staircases.
In addition to its functional value, LED stair lights may be used to create eye-catching aesthetic features and focus points in a variety of interior settings. This is why you should think about how the lighting on your stairs might complement the rest of the space.
The contour of a curving staircase can be emphasised with the help of hallway lighting ideas and stairwell lighting.
To make it appear as though the steps on an open riser staircase are floating, the light source can be concealed under each tread. When not illuminated, LED tape sunk into the underside of the step is inconspicuous. But when lit, it provides a very delicate, floating effect. This does double duty, illuminating the stair tread below and producing lovely shadows around the underside of the stairwell.
You can place a warm-white LED Flexi Strip under the steps to make each step glow softly. It can be cut to any length and shape to fit your stairs. As an added bonus, the LED flexi strip is dimmable, so you can set the perfect mood with ease. If you want to inject some colour into the room, a flexi strip in the hue of your choice is the way to go. If your staircase is set just a little bit away from the wall, you can put lights into the staircase itself to make a glowing line along the edge of your stairs.
Why not illuminate the stairs from below on a contemporary staircase with open backs? For a sleek, contemporary look, try installing multipurpose stair strip lights under each stair tread; these lights will uplight the wall of the room behind.
Consider installing a huge pendant light in the centre of a hallway with high ceilings. Make sure there are switches on both the top and bottom of the stairs so you can turn the lights on and off from any level. In order to avoid any potential for stumbling around in the dark when ascending or descending stairs, make sure that switches are installed near all entrances and at each landing.
It’s possible that you won’t want to place any lights in or around the treads of your staircase at all if it’s on the smaller side. When this is the case, wall lights are a good choice. Pick a design that will go well with the furnishings already in your house. Wall lights are an element that can contribute in both a functional and aesthetically pleasing way, but they are frequently excluded from staircase lighting solutions.
Pick recessed lighting to illuminate the path along the wall. Different effects can be experienced depending on how high they are mounted above the stair treads. Set them higher for a wave of light and lower for a skimming effect. Wall-recessed lights can be paired with spotlights or up/downlights to give soft lighting on half landings or stair corners in a staircase that has nooks.
Also read: 7 Steps to Having Awesome Movie Nights at Home
