16 Modern Staircase Ideas That Take Your Home to the Next Level

Kat Hodgins
·2 min read

A new set of stairs can step up your home design aesthetic or improve safety in a large or small home.

Inside, the eye goes immediately to a floating staircase along one wall. Hand painted by local artist Tess Thomas, its wood treads add a pop of color within the voluminous great room.
Inside, the eye goes immediately to a floating staircase along one wall. Hand painted by local artist Tess Thomas, its wood treads add a pop of color within the voluminous great room.

A staircase offers your home excellent utility, but it’s also an opportunity for creativity and innovation in your interior design. Homeowners today are increasingly looking to replace their conventional staircases with modern and stylish alternatives that help them access different levels of their homes and elevate their living spaces’ overall look and functionality. 

There are plenty of perks to renovating the staircases within your home. Safety, aesthetics, and space optimization are a few reasons individuals are drawn to modern staircase ideas. You should replace old or unsafe staircases, so why not take the opportunity to incorporate a new style, material, or concept that makes your staircase an architectural feature of your home? Changing the staircase design may enhance other interior or exterior design elements. It can even maximize your space by swapping a straight staircase for an L-shaped or spiral staircase.

Here are some of our favorite staircase design ideas, from sleek and minimalist designs to bold, eye-catching statements. There are plenty of possibilities that can turn your home’s staircase into a functional work of art. Use these staircases as inspiration for safety enhancements, space-saving solutions, or ways to add a touch of modern elegance to your living space. 

1. Switchback Stairs in a New York Townhouse

"There aren’t many row houses that treat vertical circulation and the relationship between public and private spaces the same way as [this house]," Shane says. White oak treads and a painted steel handrail make up the home's signature staircase.
"There aren’t many row houses that treat vertical circulation and the relationship between public and private spaces the same way as [this house]," Shane says. White oak treads and a painted steel handrail make up the home's signature staircase.

2. A Sculptural Spiral Staircase in a Salt Lake City Cabin

This custom spiral wood staircase comes from the mind of architect Fred Babcock. His redesign of this modern log cabin in Salt Lake City, Utah, contributes to the home’s bright interior without blocking any natural light. The stairs’ organic light-toned wood blends beautifully with the cabin’s interior colors, flooring, and stonework.
This custom spiral wood staircase comes from the mind of architect Fred Babcock. His redesign of this modern log cabin in Salt Lake City, Utah, contributes to the home’s bright interior without blocking any natural light. The stairs’ organic light-toned wood blends beautifully with the cabin’s interior colors, flooring, and stonework.

3. Artistic Expression on a South Carolina Staircase

Inside, the eye goes immediately to a floating staircase along one wall. Hand painted by local artist Tess Thomas, its wood treads add a pop of color within the voluminous great room.
Inside, the eye goes immediately to a floating staircase along one wall. Hand painted by local artist Tess Thomas, its wood treads add a pop of color within the voluminous great room.

See the full story on Dwell.com: 16 Modern Staircase Ideas That Take Your Home to the Next Level