Staircase To Heavenly

It's not enough for a staircase to be colorful. There are plenty that achieve color with lighting, or slap it on with paint in hues I find, frankly, a bit jarring. Is there ugly color? I reckon so, and also combinations, finessed or clunky, say much about the skill and taste of the creator. Get a color combination right and it is a wondrous thing. Of course, each to his own - if you are a Seventies aficionado and want to convey it with white, brown, orange, for instance, in tones specific to the era, you'd understand the feel you were going for. I might say Easter eggs....classic 50's cars, Doris Day and you'd expect pastel hues that sit nicely one against the other. Even a combination of pink and turquoise can alone evoke 60's but how about psychedelia for stating irrevocably that decade? Color combinations can be a direct short cut to evoking a feel, an era, just by themselves without adding period specific furniture, accessories and artwork.

Today I want to shine a light on that often neglected area, the stairs. Sure, they do a job, but wow, they can also be the star attraction in decor, the show stopper, the statement of intent for what else is to come. 
There's no denying that these ones are the ultimate in stair bling, made with Swarovski crystal and elevating (sorry about the pun) the humble riser to magnificence in a building on the Champs Elysees in Paris.

See here

But even if you don't have the means for something like this, you can be artistic and clever, with a marvelous idea like this:

 

See here 

Not an artist? This is one anybody could do with careful selection of carpet. I love how they surround it with gorgeous vintage tones of paint and the love of color follows on through to other rooms that complement the choices. These stairs are definitely the taste of what is to come elsewhere and embody the chic of the owner. 

See here

Or you could try simple color gradation to harmonize with your theme, like this:

If you know the source, I'd be delighted to add it.

More color graduation. I once tried to do this with carpet in exactly these colors, but the carpet store were utterly befuddled as to what I was describing. I'm an idiot, I should have thought of paint, like these clever guys:

  See here

Drenched in color, madly wonderful throw it all in there stairs? Magical fairyland ultimate girl stairs? These have it all, in a house I was fortunate enough to help out with here and there. You can also stay overnight and pretend they are yours for a day. 

See here

And the best 'til last. First up are stairs that were a masterpiece in their heyday, complete with the most stunning ceiling. Then they fell into ruin, and became a thing of unique decayed beauty. But the color still shines, even as it is. More so because to become this way can never be repeated or replicated. 

 

See here

Lastly, an Art Nouveau masterclass in color and design by Chico Mazzoni. Breathtaking. 

 

Found here

Step this way!