Have you ever wondered why some homes look very cold when going up the staircase? Well it is because walls along the staircase in some homes have been forgotten. I am writing from Nairobi where I have gone to visit a dear friend. She built a new home for her family, and going from room to room looking at her décor I am awed at her ingenuity. Everything seems to be in place and what amused me more was her staircase which she so well designed to look like an art gallery.

Staircases often have broad and tall walls, making them intimidating places to decorate. They may even include odd nooks at the top of the stairs that seem to serve no purpose. Look at a staircase's expansive wall space and nooks as an opportunity to display additional artwork or items that don't work well in other parts of the home's decor.

Hanging art in the stairwell is always tricky.  There's just no easy way to do it.  And the more elaborate a grouping you make, the more difficult it is to get the spacing and design correct.

If decorated and designed imaginatively, a stairway can easily be made the most attractive feature of a house or building. There are two options available for decking up a staircase. First, if you are constructing a new one, you can choose from a number of innovative designs. Second, you can adorn the old staircase in your house in various simple ways.
 
Potted Plants

This idea will work only if the stairway is wide enough to accommodate flower / plant pots and still leaves enough space for one to pass through comfortably. You can use small ornamental flowers for this purpose. But better avoid it if there are small kids in your home.

 Pictures on the Wall 

You can artistically hang sleekly pictures on your staircase wall because most of the time staircase has so much space and height to work with; it is a great place to hang your family photos.

You can go in any order that you want, different branches of the family or time line style, or you can go in no order at all. Go through your pictures and gather together a stack of your favourites. Jot down the sizes of the photos and get frames that will go well together and some matting. Frame and mat the pictures and hang them up and down the staircase walls, at various heights, adding depth and interest to this once bland wall.

Stencilling

Stencilling is a way to add creative flair to your staircase wall. You might want to stencil a pattern along the wall or you might choose to stencil one of your favourite sayings. Even things like song lyrics and poetry can be stencilled beautifully along a staircase wall. Stencilling isn't difficult, but it is time-consuming and takes a steady hand. It can add so much personality and warmth to your home, though, and turn that bland staircase wall into a real showpiece.
 
Mirrors

Staircases are often rather small spaces, horizontally speaking, and can feel crowded and almost claustrophobic at times. Mirrors will make the space appear larger. Although most people aren't really looking for a functional mirror as they ascend or descend the stairs, there are many decorative mirrors available that will be beautiful additions at the same time that they serve to enlarge the space visually.

Handicrafts to Decorate Stairway

There are so many types of handicrafts available that decorating the stairway with these should not be a problem at all. You can hang beautiful masks on the walls here. Arrange baskets like our famous agaseke baskets at regular intervals, or position a medium sized statue where the staircase ends. The traditional migongo arts are also ideal in decorating your staircase.

If you have a staircase in your home, you may be looking at it and wondering what you can do to decorate it. This is the plight of many homeowners. These areas are a bit tricky for people to know what to do with, since they aren't straight across and there are often many angles and differing heights in staircase areas.

There may also be lighting issues, which can keep your staircase wall from being any sort of a focal point in the home. These are large walls, though, that can be wonderful parts of your home with a bit of decor added to them.  Adopt any of these ideas and make your home décor unique and exquisite.

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