Round or steep, wooden or marble, every staircase requires some or the other decor to make it a part of your home. A part that is in sync with the rest of the decor and screams out your personal design taste.
Staircases, as we know, have a very significant use case in our homes. They provide smooth connectivity to different floors, and the space beneath the stairwell offers diverse utilities. From being used as a private photo gallery to a laundry room and even as a bar station or wine cellar, there are plenty of basement stairwell ideas that you can use.
In this blog, we will discuss the 20 best basement stairwell ideas that will amp up your home interior and give you a more elegant stairwell space.
Top Basement Stairwell Ideas
1. No Door Staircase
Often, when planning for a basement stairway, people stick to the plain old cramped up and congested doorways. So here, one basic thing you need to understand is when we are talking about basements. It’s already a suffocated area with lesser ventilation. Therefore, keeping the staircase with no doors will not only give more space to your home but also leave the basement stairwell breathing with ample light and air.
2. Drawers in The Staircase
This is the most widely used DIY Home decor option. You can utilize the space below your basement stairwell by adding drawers to the stairwell. Drawers are the best when it comes to maintaining extra items. They offer a modern yet classic approach to home decor and help keep the home out of the clutter.
3. Stairwell with Cupboards
Well, this is just like one of the basement stairwell ideas we discussed above, the basement stairwell drawers. One difference in the basement stairwell with cupboards is that it has doors instead of drawers and offers wider space. Often one drawback with drawers is that they can make the space look cramped up with too many storage units, while in the case of a cupboard, there is one single unit. Hence, it is much easier to manage.
4. Contrasting Materials
Now this is the first of the two contrast-based basement stairwell ideas in this list. Contrasting materials here refers to using such materials in the basement stairwell that is completely different from the other interior of the house. For example, if your house is all made of wood, with wooden decor, having a marble staircase will bring extra attention to that portion, thus making it look impressive.
5. Contrasting Colours
As mentioned above, this is the second of the two contrast-based basement stairwell ideas. Here what you can do is choose a particularly distinct color for the staircase steppers or railings, to make it appear as a distinctly customized part of your home decor. Most often, what works best, in this case, is to choose a color that is not completely off from the rest of the home interior but rather complements it in its own vibrant manner. Also, picking the right shade or color combination can lead to a customized energy flow in your home.
6. Customised Railing
This is another one of the best basement stairwell ideas. In this, all you have to do is just pick a customized railing that goes with your personal style. For instance, many people tend to go with classic wooden staircases, but the railing is made of iron or any other material. Also, the style of rail can be customized as per one’s preference. Newel is the top cap of the railing post. So, what many people do is keep the whole staircase simple while using some crafty newel cap.
7. Wide Staircases
Now this is perhaps the easiest way to make your basement stairwell look grand and luxurious. While planning your home interior design, try to keep staircases wide. Although it definitely depends on the space as well, in case you have that opportunity, you must go for wide steps. Wide basement stairwells not only give your home a grand interior but also ensures the safety of the house members, owing to its wide foot space.
8. Spiral Saves Space
Now that we have talked about people with big and spacious homes, let’s discuss those with small, compact houses. If you have a home with less foot space to build proper basement stairwells, you can opt for spiral staircases. They not only look elegant but are safe and easy to maintain. Spiral staircases are mostly best-suitable for duplex homes, where two or more levels need to be connected. Therefore, if you have a multi-storeyed house, spiral basement stairwell ideas will suit you.
9. Staircase with Runners/Carpets
Staircases can be difficult to decorate and clean, and that is why making any excessive design additions may prove to be more difficult to manage. So, we have a solution. When we talk about staircase decor, it’s not just the wall paint or the size and shape of the staircases that count. So, what better than to use staircase runners or carpets as basement stairwell ideas? So here’s the deal. Runners are basically long and continuous carpets specifically made to use on stairs. They are easy to wash and can be changed whenever you want to change your house’s interior.
10. Multicolored Steps
Now this is definitely one of the fun and quirky basement stairwell ideas. If you wish to give your home or basement area, particularly, a young look, then you can opt for painting the step risers in a spectrum of pastel shades, or even you can plan out a particular color shade to showcase on the step risers that goes with all other themes of the home decor. Multicolor risers are truly one of the most eye-catching basement stairwell alternatives to go for. Especially if the rest of your home has a plain interior, like beige or white, then having colorful steps will really amp up your lifestyle.
11. Under Stair Bar Station
Often it is experienced by many people, especially in small homes. That their dreams and aspirations of having a luxury lifestyle that includes a special wine cellar or home bar station remain unfulfilled. However, here we are offering one such basement stairwell idea that would certainly fulfill this desire of yours without you having to pay bucks. One thing you can do is craft a compact space right below your staircase and put a liquor cabinet for a more chic look.
12. Kids’ Playroom
One problem that many new parents living in small houses face is that they cannot provide ample playing space. One of the best solutions to this is utilizing your basement stairwell space. So our next basement stairwell idea is to create a small playroom for your kids under the stairs. This will not only solve your problem but also create a neat playroom. Although one precaution one must take while planning a basement stairwell is that the building stairs are sturdy and safe so it doesn’t break and harm the children anytime.
13. Staircase Photo Gallery
This is perhaps the most common stairway decor idea you must have across. That’s right! Making an open photo gallery on the wall adjoining the staircases. Photo gallery staircase gives your home interior decor a personal touch. Imagine looking at those special, happy moments as you ascend your stairway every day. There are many ways to incorporate a photo gallery on the basement stairwell, such as hanging polaroids, creating a sectional collage, or even a huge family portrait.
14. Slide with Stairs
Stairs are not just a piece of decor to play around with colors and decor items. Rather, they create a well-connected vibe in your home. Stairs connect different parts of your home to one another. However, one drawback of having stairs is that sometimes small children or elderly families may get prone to injuries or find it difficult to use stairs. In that case, one of the best basement stairwell ideas would be to include a ramp or slide with railings on the stairs for those who are unable to use stairs otherwise.
15. Raw Wood Finish
It’s been rightly said there’s no better charm and elegance than originality. Therefore, incorporating raw wood finish in home interiors is one of the most natural yet aesthetic basement stairwell ideas. Wood finish stairwells create a clean home interior decor. Wood stairs come in different shades, dark and light, along with different wood types. So, which type of wood you choose will determine the feel of your home interior. Choosing dark-colored wood will give a warm homely feel, and if you go for light-shaded wood, your home will certainly look airy and bright.
16. Artwork on Stairs
Have you ever seen those lavish, retro-themed homes with step risers having beautiful artwork? Guess what? They are not so difficult to achieve. All you have to do is pick your favorite artwork or the one that goes with your other room’s interior. The best place to utilize this style of decor can be used on staircases leading to kids’ rooms. For instance, if the staircases lead to a toddlers’ room, you can paint the risers in a jungle theme or superhero theme, and so on. And in elegant artwork if you wish to go for a more elite look.
17. Wallpapers
This is another of the most prevalent yet underutilized basement stairwell ideas. Most often, you must have observed people using crafty wallpapers in their home decor. But using a single wallpaper style all over the home is something that many people do, so not really impressive. However, there’s one unique wallpaper idea for basement stairwells, i.e., using a completely different or contrasting wallpaper on the staircase wall. This will not only give a unique characteristic to the staircase but will balance out the whole home decor.
18. Lights & Lamps
Imagine ascending the stairs with small, elegant wall lamps lighting up your home and your mood. So here’s another elegant basement stairwell idea. You can use lights on your staircases in different ways. One way is to use lights or lamps as the newel caps. Often it is observed that staircases and, especially, basement stairwells are neglected in terms of lighting. But even the ancient sciences of Vastu Shastra have recommended keeping all parts of the home well-lit.
19. Screens
This is another one of my favorite basement stairwell ideas. Do you often wish to have a certain partition while ascending the staircases in your home? Or maybe you might want stairs to not give a clumsy look? Unfortunately, unlike windows or doors, it’s not right to use curtains. That’s where screens come into use. Screens are basically structures that act like curtains but are better fixated and rigid than curtains. They can be made of wood, metal, or even plastic, for that matter. They are placed in place of railings, creating an elegant space section in your home.
20. Indoor Plants
Plants are indeed the most naturally creative decor item. Even when looking for basement stairwell ideas, indoor plants can make for one of the best interior decor elements. There are plenty of ways to use green indoor plants as a staircase decor element. Such as, you can keep plants on alternate stairs or at the first and last step only. Another way to use plants on staircases is by planting creepers on the staircase railing so that it gives a majestic lush vibe inside the home when it grows.
Final Thoughts
Now that you have read all the different basement stairwell ideas. We are sure you must be clear on how you will decorate your basement stairwell.
However, if you are still confused about which basement stairwell ideas to go with, here are a few things to consider before making your final call. The first and foremost thing to make sure of is your budget.
Choose staircase screens only if it falls within your budget, as they can be a bit on the costlier side. Another factor to consider is space and safety. If you have small kids in your home, staircase wall lamps might not be a safe option.
So, the bottom line is to consider everything before finalizing your basement stairwell decor ideas.
