Best Staircase Wall Decor Ideas

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Your staircase may not be the first space you think of when adorning your home with wall art, but it should be! This underrated area can go from a bland backdrop to a stylish statement space. The right canvas print can turn the area around your staircase into a work of art. We’ve written an expert guide on the best staircase wall decor ideas.

Staircase Wall Decorating Ideas: Top Trends

Use the walls around your staircase as an opportunity to show off your knowledge of current trends. Choose something edgy and unexpected. Because it’s a transitional space, you can be more daring with your decor. 2024 is all about taking risks, and your staircase is the perfect place to experiment with trends. Explore graffiti-inspired wall art and other urban accessories to bring a metropolitan, modern touch to your space. Rather than keeping your entire place squeaky-clean (decor-wise that is,) try decorations that are perfect in their imperfections. Select wall art that represents more than just a pretty image. If you have a predominantly traditional space, don’t fret! You can easily mix and match different styles. In fact, combining classic and contemporary details is ultra-hot for 2024.

Expert Tips: Stair Wall Decor Ideas

Looking for a modern piece of wall art to elevate your staircase? We have the perfect solution. Our art director, Tirzah Goodman, has highlighted Banksy as one of the top trending artists of the year. Although Banksy has been undeniably famous for years, this iconic street artist is creeping his way into interiors in 2024. We’ve curated a Banksy-inspired collection for you to browse the top styles. If you’re unfamiliar with his work, Banksy is an anonymous, ultra-mysterious UK street artist who paints politically-charged images in urban environments. His work is ideal if you’re looking for something gritty, unconventional, and moving for your staircase walls.

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Staircase Design: Make Room for Art

Don’t just focus on filling the large, empty spaces with artwork. Your transitional spaces deserve some love too! Leaving an unconventional area or particularly narrow space completely void of decor can give you away as an amateur designer. Your staircase is the perfect example of a space screaming for some adornments!

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Staircase Wall Art: Shapes & Layouts

The first step in selecting the right wall art for your staircase is choosing the shape that fits your space:

The Classic Canvas: The Single-Panel Rectangle or Single-Panel Square

Perfect for Narrow Spaces: The Single-Panel Vertical Canvas or the Single-Panel Panoramic Canvas

Modern and Multi-Panel: The Triptych Tri-Panel Canvas or the Symmetrical Five-Panel Canvas

Eye-Catching and Contemporary: The Split Two-Piece Canvas or the Four-Panel “Wave” Canvas

Eclectic and Unexpected: The 7-Piece Hexagonal Canvas Set

Staircase Wall Decor: Pro Tips

If you choose a single-panel print, decide whether you want a framed or unframed print based on these pro tips:

“Unframed canvas is artwork that is not set into any frame. Because of frameless borders, these artworks can adapt to any style. Unframed canvas prints are loved for their sleek and modern look. The minimalist look blends well with contemporary furniture and virtually all interior styles.

Framed artwork looks complete and polished. Because of the small gap between the canvas and the frame, the canvas print seems to be floating inside the frame, giving your artwork a truly unique look. One of the best benefits of framed artwork is that it looks very light and unbulky, which results in a clean appearance.”

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Staircase Wall Decor: Canvas Sizes

The next step is choosing the right canvas size. Our precise guide below will help you calculate:

ON AN EMPTY WALL

Your wall art should take about 60% to 75% of the available empty wall space, the portion not covered by moldings or furniture. Measure the height and width of the wall. Now, multiply the measurements by both 0.6 and 0.75. As a result, you will get the range of canvas print sizes to suit the space.

For instance, if your blank wall is 9 feet tall and 5 feet wide, multiply 9 by 0.6 to get the low end of the ideal height range. Then multiply 9 by 0.75 to get the high end of the ideal height range. Do the same for your wall's 5 feet width. The ideal height of the canvas would be 5.4 feet - 6.75 feet and the ideal width would be 3 feet - 3.75 feet.

ABOVE FURNITURE

Wall art that you want to hang over furniture, such as a fireplace, a bed or a couch, should be between 2/3 and 3/4 of the furniture's width. To measure the ideal art size above your furniture, consider this example: If your couch is 6 feet wide, multiply it by 0.66 and 0.75. You need a canvas between 3.96 feet and 4.5 feet wide to fit impressively above the couch.

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Staircase Wall Ideas: Styles & Trends

When it comes to wall art styles, you can choose a trendy print, or stick to your signature aesthetic.

Bohemian Wall Decor

Consider a boho-style print that mirrors the multi-dimensional quality of your staircase. Our minimalist architecture collection was curated by art director Tirzah Goodman.

Staircase Wall Decor: Pro Tips

View our expert tip on personalizing your staircase space below:

“If you don’t want to hide your belongings, showcase them for the world to see! Maybe your prized possessions deserve a little more attention. In that case, display your favorite antiques, treasures, and trophies on decorative shelves under the stairs. Your most valuable items deserve to be on parade, and what better place to show them off than a currently unused space? Putting aesthetically pleasing pieces on sleek shelving units is a great way to elevate the overall look of your home.”

ElephantStock's interior design expert Elimar Lobo Sáenz seconds the decision to add personal touch to your home:

"Beyond creating a composition based on aesthetic taste and preferences, every interior design project should be personalized. Even if the goal of an interior is simplicity and modernity, incorporating something a little quirky, makes the room a little more interesting. When adding personal elements to your space, evaluate a room’s overall composition for balance rather than deliberately create focal points."

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Color Schemes for Your Staircase

Stick to a color scheme that ties together your surrounding interior. Because your staircase spans two distinct floors, you want to make sure it matches the style of both your upper and lower floors. Use wall art to combine your color schemes.

Black and Beige Staircase Ideas

If you’re not sure how to match your existing decor, you can’t go wrong with neutrals! Black and beige are two colors that will go with every shade under the sun. Artwork with these tones will never go out of style.

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Custom Staircase Wall Decor Ideas

Hanging custom wall art, such as family photos, above or around your staircase can transform an otherwise empty and overlooked space into a captivating gallery that tells YOUR story. The staircase area serves as the perfect location to showcase cherished memories and create a personalized visual narrative. With carefully curated frames and arrangements, you can create a unique and eye-catching display that not only adds warmth and character to your home but also becomes a conversation starter for guests. As you ascend or descend the staircase, each image invites you to reflect on cherished moments and celebrate the bonds that connect your family. This arrangement not only adds a touch of elegance and personalization to your home decor but also serves as a daily reminder of the love and joy shared within your family.

We offer tons of personalized wall art options, including canvas sets and photo tiles! We’ve made it super easy to curate your own gallery wall that celebrates your family. Shop our custom wall art options!

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