Your stairs don't have to be tall and boring. With a few simple stairway decorating ideas you can give the space a unique, unforgettable atmosphere. Why not paint an aphorism on the risers, to welcome climbers? Perhaps you'd enjoy a brightly painted stairway, or a medley of faded photos hanging at your sides. Here are 6 simple stairway decorating ideas to inspire you.
1. Riser Decor
For very little money, you can decorate your stairs with a stunning pattern. Though painting the treads in the stairs makes little sense, as foot traffic will soon wear off the pattern. You can use craft store stencils to paint a pattern on the horizontal back of the stairs (the riser). A trellis motif is especially beautiful and will look stunning in black or white.
2. Portrait Medley
Decorate your stairway with a menagerie of pictures on the wall. Buy a selection of craft store frames in a range of sizes and shapes. Paint all the frames in the same hue, to give them uniformity. Then frame old letters, poems printed in cursive, or family photos in sepia finish. Hang the pictures without a strict pattern but in symmetrical lines.
3. Sideways View
If one side of your stairway is open to view, consider decorating the side of the stairs with miniature photos. At a craft store buy 6x4 frames. Paint them in the color of your choice. Then frame beautiful greeting cards. Especially charming are hand-craft greeting cards sold by artists at arts & craft shows.
4. Whimsical Messages
Decorate the risers of your stairs with a message that will seem like a mounting billboard from below. You'll find beautiful wooden letters at craft stores. Paint the letters, then hammer them to the back of the stairs (the risers), forming the words of a short poem or aphorism. You can also use stencils to paint your message if you prefer.
5. Striking Color
Set your stairway apart from the rest of your living space with a bright hue. Paint the walls flanking the stairs in purple or yellow for a modern, light atmosphere. Choose dark earth-tones for a classic, dramatic look. Or choose pastel hues like sage or periwinkle for a country ambiance.
If you have overly tall walls, you might wish to limit the reach of this simple stairway decorating idea by painting only two feet of wall and adding a diagonal chair molding border where the paint line ends.
6. Galvanized Floral Display
Place flower pots in galvanized buckets and decorate your stairs in a cascading display. Place a bucket on every second or third stair, not to overwhelm the display. And if you have pets or young children, consider hanging your buckets out of reach, in a cascading line on the wall.
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