Eight statement-making staircases that elevate living spaces

From minimalistic silhouettes to sculptural curves, staircases offer creative ways to play with function and form. Our latest lookbook highlights eight staircases that take residential interiors to new levels.

Staircases can be central to a room or pushed off to the side, but no matter their position, they play an important role in the home.

Beyond their obvious functional aspect, staircases can play an important visual part, with designers orienting interior design schemes around them.

Often, renovations present creative opportunities to rethink existing staircases and unlock the potential of a historical space.

In this selection, we have selected a wide variety of different approaches to the staircase, from a blue-stained staircase in London to a brutalist one in Bengaluru.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring staircases with built-in bookshelves and staircases with unusual functional elements.

Flow House, Canada, by Dubbeldam Architecture + Design

This renovated Victorian home in Toronto features a sinuous staircase that connects all four levels of the home and sits under a skylight installed as part of the renovation.

Its white railing blends in with the walls of the home and accentuates both the curves and the stained-pine steps.

Find out more about Flow House ›

House of Seven Floors, Czech Republic, by Malý Chmel

This "quasi-spiral" steel staircase bridges a void between concrete structure elements as it provides access to the upper levels of the seven-floor home.

The industrial feature was referred to as an "inner statue" by the studio and is accentuated by the unfinished concrete walls and supports as it links the many levels of the house.

Find out more about House of Seven Floors ›

Cobalt Coach House, United Kingdom, by Foils

This London renovation required a staircase to connect the newly constructed second floor with the rest of the house.

Architecture studio Foils commissioned a birch-faced plywood staircase that was prefabricated and assembled on site. The stairs were stained a light blue colour that allows the wood grain to shine through and makes it a "key feature" of the renovation.

Find out more about Cobalt Coach House ›

Brussels townhouse, Belgium, by Mamout

This staircase fills an atrium space created when an addition was placed at the rear of a townhouse in the northeast of Brussels, connecting the home both vertically and horizontally.

It features blue-painted metal that curves while retaining straight lines. Its colour pops from the white-painted brick of the atrium, making it an "iconic element", according to the designers.

Find out more about the Brussels townhouse ›

Northcote House, Australia, by LLDS Architects

This Melbourne home features several sculptural wood elements, the central spiral staircase being perhaps the most prominent.

The curved plywood curves upwards in a sculptural form reminiscent of art nouveau styles. It has a polished brass coating on the steps, and a banquette was placed at the nook created by the tapered base.

Find out more about Northcote House ›

Void House, United States, by Light and Air Architecture

The staircase in this narrow New York City townhouse was completely turned in order to open up the interior spaces and to divide the programme.

The custom steel and white oak staircase was positioned under a skylight with a small gap left beside it to bring in additional light.

Find out more about Void House ›

Pearls on Swine, India, by Multitude of Sins

This staircase blends into the concrete interiors of a house in Bengaluru, while providing a void for light to enter the living room.

The concrete used for the stairs is slightly lighter in places, allowing for the zig-zag form to stick out, and red detailing on the railing further accentuates its form as it floats from a landing to the second floor.

Find out more about Pearls on Swine ›

Light House, Crotia, by OFIS Arhitekti 

Minimalistic wood framing characterises the interiors of this home on a Croatian island, placed inside a portion of a historic stone building.

On the ground floor, the wooden staircase is thicker and features storage underneath, but as it rises, it becomes lighter, sharing a similar configuration with the wooden flooring. Vertical wooden railing highlights the elevation of each step.

Find out more about Light House ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring decorative terracotta, banquette seating, wood-clad ceilings and statement pivot doors.

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