3. Replace your banister. Using a wooden slat wall is a great way to camouflage stairs or, conversely, to show them off. Using thin slats with wider spacing, as seen in this photo, creates an interesting focal point and also increases safety. Older row homes often have a skylight above the stairs, and using a slat wall instead of a solid wall allows more light to flow from the skylight into the lower rooms. The designer of this home in Rome used open stair risers along with airy blond wood slats for a Scandinavian-modern look.
2. Define or create a hallway. A wood slat wall can break up a large space into a smaller room with an adjoining hallway. Both spaces will benefit from continued airflow and light, but the newly defined room will now have a sense of enclosure that creates a cozy feel. In this home in Russia, the slatted wall on the left provides privacy. This vertical wood slat wall feels contemporary but would work well with traditional or eclectic styles too. Using two different flooring materials also helps to define the spaces as a room and a separate hallway.
This staircase is hidden by wide slats with thin spacing. The white painted slats look fresh, even beachy, and help the dining room feel cozier than it would have been with open stairs. Although the slats create a wall to hide the stairs, the spaces between the slats keep the staircase and the room somewhat open to each other. The slats also make both the room and the staircase more visually interesting.
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