We assess the importance of insertion of the right lighting in different staircase ideas

21 February 2024

If we deal with the subject of stairs and interior design we are not just talking about vertical connections between floors and transition spaces between different areas of a building, a contemporary staircase is much more than that.

In fact, modern stairs design redefines environments, a living room or dining room for example, that hosts it and completes its style, to become a true masterpiece of furniture. For this to happen, its design must focus on many specific aspects, turning ordinary stairs into useful decorating ideas.

Among all the various details that bring character and personality to stairs design, the lighting of a modern interior staircase is not only aesthetically important but also fundamental for the safety and comfort of the inhabitants.

Staircase design for modern interiors

With the help of experts in the field it will be easier for you – and you will not make choices that you might regret later with the overview – to reflect on the many aspects that make up the overall stairs design, especially a modern staircase.

After studying the room design, after deciding on the structural shape of your modern stairs, measures and main features to follow, customization is the key to the success of your stair design

Colors and finishes, stainless steel railings for modern staircase ad hoc for your structure, or glass railing, even a custom handrail, materials of all kinds with which to imagine your installation or the right clothing for a special stairs design that suits your needs.

In short, the details to think about, design ideas are many and wide is the offer on the market. Among all these variables, it is essential to decide how to illuminate our modern internal staircase, spiral stair, curved staircase, or straight staircase design; you have to set in a general way the style you want to follow and think about the most appropriate solutions.

Let’s see together on what assessments it will be appropriate to rely on to make the best choice in order to illuminate your perfect installation.

Stair design will work best with some preliminary considerations on structural development

Clearly, in order for the staircase design to be maximized, and for it to transform its surroundings, the lighting must also be tailored to the style and anatomy of the structure.. stairs design and lighting are to be evaluated in a systemic perspective.

The path of internal designed stairs may even represent a source of danger if deprived of the right light, so you’ll have to find a way to control the lighting by combining aesthetics and functionality.

In principle we can identify the following macro groups of stairs design:

• stair design with closed ramp between two walls
• suspended stair designs leaning against a wall
• spiral staircase, helical staircase, curved staircase
• stairs design of exceptional dimensions

In any case, it is always important to make preliminary assessments to be prepared to also handle the possibility of further work or costs that are strictly outside the scale structure, given the importance that proper lighting has in moving from one room to another.

Let’s see in more detail (and some inspiration galleries!)

Between drawings and components of stairs design, between the best materials for staircases…What lighting options do we have?

In the event of modern stairs design that is closed between two walls of small rooms, obviously the space that is created becomes a kind of corridor that needs light more than anything else. In this case it is possible to act on two fronts, depending also on the size of the ramp and the individual steps, that is to use LED or to insert wall lights.

The first – preferable cold – would be inserted along each step along the entire ramp, generating a really remarkable effect; the second option requires the insertion of spotlights, even warmer, on both walls that close the staircase design in a symmetrical and consistent way.

If you are dealing with a stair design supported laterally by a wall, you will have the opportunity to creatively choose a modern glass staircase railing or, for example, a wrought iron balustrade to the exposed side inwards, as in the so-called suspended stairs design; at the same time the railing is an obstacle for the placement of lights, although the need for lighting is less in this type of modern interior design stairs. 

The led strip – at every step or alternating – is always a solution of great impact in a staircase idea. 

You could still consider a modern handrail for internal staircase designs, an option also valid in the presence of both walls: handrail lighting is often very efficient at a low cost. The same cannot be said for the marker lights that need more work at the same time as the installation.

In the case of suspended staircase designs, a perfect staircase idea for really modern environments, the priority is represented by the step as an element in its own right, since it is, in the structure that seems to float, the focal point towards which to direct the gaze. 

Therefore the lighting should enhance it to the maximum, for example with under- step lighting, or with side panels, or even with the insertion of the led in the front step itself, also made ad hoc as an integral part of the coating of a modern internal design stairs.

Modern spiral staircase design or other variants

Whether it is a modern space-saving internal staircase idea or a modern spiral staircase, or helical shaped staircase, of normal or even large dimensions, some form of lighting is perhaps not strictly necessary, but always has a remarkable aesthetic, almost like decorating ideas.

In particular, spiral stairs with spiral patterns are often illuminated from the bottom with the purpose of marking the development in height, with a truly pleasant optical effect. Otherwise there is always the possibility of under-step lighting, also with spectacular results especially in total darkness.

Ceiling lighting created with personality and style is ideal if, on the other hand, the internal stairs design in question has considerable dimensions and with an empty compartment in the center; you can help with other accessory lights in any case, but a well-chosen creative ceiling solution will give light to all the ramps and the entire room.

In general you can indulge yourself by customizing your modern stairs design in many ways, including functional and highly impactful lighting perfect for your interior design project, especially if the staircase is located away from natural light sources such as windows and so on.

More lighting ratings for a modern staircase design that fits your needs

Since the types of interior design ideas of stairs can be many, different for structural anatomy, for materials and colors, for positioning within the spaces that can be very large or restricted to the bone… lighting needs can be really varied.

Provided that proper lighting remains a priority for the comfort and safety of the inhabitants, we can make general considerations on some aspects, such as:

• What impression do you want for your staircase idea and for your spaces in general with light? A warm lighting tending to yellowish tones brings the atmosphere more relaxed and private, on the contrary the white and cold light makes everything more vibrant energy and toned.

• If the internal stairs design is planned away from windows or in general sources of natural lighting, you will not have to fear exceedingly helping you with direct light produced in various ways, pendant lamps or a single lighting element to the ceiling but quite powerful.
• If you will opt for LED strips, for example under step or frontally, it will be a direct but not dazzling light illuminating the treads without annoying, and in the presence of a glass railing, will also be noticed by points outside the installation.

• In general, we can talk about accent lights, much more intense than the norm, such as lights designed to emphasize particular design elements therefore with more aesthetic, as decor ideas, than functional purposes.

With regard to internal stairs design, especially when creating a kind of corridor, I recommend that you turn to an environmental lighting that diffuses a general and extended light, not intense but rather delicate, usable during the day but also suitable for night use.

• Pay close attention to the placement of light points around the staircase because the shadows that will form can be really dangerous seducing the ascent and descent of steps.
• Do not forget, in the case of the basement: it is a spatial element that can be valued in many ways, but speaking in this case of lighting could provide floor lamps or other free-standing luminaire types. In any case, you can customize by choosing objects with a design consistent with the modern style you pursue.

In principle I advise you not to underestimate the issue of lighting while you are thinking about some staircase designs, among various staircase ideas. With the right guidelines, you will only have to vent your creativity also for stairs design interior projects remaining in line with the atmosphere you are looking for in your spaces. 

Discover a great stairs design by Officine Sandrini

If you are looking for the distinctive element to give a unique touch to your spaces, a special stairs design could be perfect for you: with its irresistible warmth and irrefutable functionality, this installation represents the essence of modern elegance.

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