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How to Update a Traditional Staircase
Paint and Contrast Give Your Stairwell Some Contemporary Dash
Rebekah Zaveloff, owner and principal designer of KitchenLab, co-founder of Design in a Bag.com and Houzz contributor. I'm a self-professed tile nut and believer in good design for all! You can also visit me at: http://kitchenlabdesign.com and http://designinabag.com
Rebekah Zaveloff, owner and principal designer of KitchenLab, co-founder... More »
If you find yourself gravitating towards modern and clean design but live in an architecturally traditional home, you might find the staircase to be that one spot that's tough to modernize without ripping it out and starting over — and that can be an expensive proposition. But if you have staircase that's all honey colored wood or traditional white and wood, here are some ways to give it a new look. All it requires is paint and the willingness to go for it.
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I learned from my mom that black and white always works, period. Whether in fashion or interiors, whether it's a traditional or modern space, there's nothing like a black and white palette that says timeless. Black can add a bit of edginess to any room and help a room from becoming too sweet. No matter how traditional, any piece of furniture painted black is transformed instantly and can work in just about any space. I apply the same concept to architectural details such as your stairs.
The graphic quality of black and white can make a space more conducive to incorporating modern furnishings and bright colors into the mix.
The graphic quality of black and white can make a space more conducive to incorporating modern furnishings and bright colors into the mix.
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Don't be afraid to mix styles in a space. Take the concept a black handrail, newel post and railing a step further and paint the front door black. And add an unexpected modern light fixture and rug. I just can't say enough about this foyer. I love the tension between the heavy and traditional newel post, doors and crown moulding and the uber graphic rug and modern pendant.
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| A black newel post, railing and stair treads take this stairwell from country to country cool. |
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Even if your tastes lean towards the classic, you can still make your staircase feel more updated and contemporary by adding a bit of black. As you can see, the wood floors in a home often set the palette; they're the majority of surface area in any home. Adding contrast with a black railing helps this space from being muddy and all one color.
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A black handrail accentuates the elegant curves of this stairwell. Black and white conveys elegance. Consider the difference between a dark suit and a tuxedo — there's just something about a tuxedo ...
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If you have lighter wood floors and are a bit afraid to go as dark as black on the handrail and newel posts, stain your handrail and just the tops of the new posts a dark chocolate brown. This only really works if the newel post design lends itself to a two-tone treatment.
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The gray walls add a modern feel to this traditional stairway. Again, the newel posts here lend themselves to a two-tone treatment. The brown stain is so dark it almost reads black. I love the graphic effect of the dark handrail zigzagging and leading your eye upward, and the contrast between the dark treads and white risers.
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Or you can go all out and paint the entire staircase black. This foyer would look so incredibly different if that staircase was all stained wood.
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As you can see, even light wood floors work wonderfully with a black handrail. Add a fabulous modern light fixture and you've transformed your traditional staircase.
Charcoal gray is a soft alternative to black. I just can't get enough this stunning entry. Notice how the stairs and stringer are gray, but the base trim throughout is white. The treads here look like an off-black. The addition of a modern pendant really takes this from traditional to something more.
The modern doors in the back work wonderfully with the otherwise traditional space because the stairs were painted gray. I can't imagine this space with a traditional stained wood and white stair.
Ideabook published on July 12, 2011.
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I am not a fan of oak, but when I remodeled the kitchen, I kept the oak cabinets as they were in good shape and I couldn’t justify the expense of replacing them. I did, however, have a built-in cabinet and bookcase made, painted with a fern-green and topped with maple stained dark (mahogany, perhaps?). I am remodeling the master bath, and eventually the guest bath and powder room and plan on the same dark cabinetry.
I want to get rid of the carpeting on the stairs and replace the upstairs hall carpeting with hardwood, which, unless I want to redo the entire house, will be red oak with a similar finish. I will keep the white painted risers and spindles. My contractor suggested that a way to tie in the darker finishes would be to refinish the handrail and newel post in the dark finish matching the cabinets. I have a really hard time envisioning things until they’re actually shown to me. Does this sound like it might work? I’d like to reduce the impact of all the oak but don’t want it to look random.