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Staircases and Lighting

Falls on staircases can be a major cause of accidents in the home. Surprisingly it is often the smaller staircases such as split level stairs which can be the most dangerous. A risk to the user of the stairs can result from lighting that falls in pools, leaving other areas dark or creating shadows. Practicality and safety should always be placed before aesthetic lighting design features.

Make the Staircase Feel Welcoming

Staircases should convey a sense of airiness and be welcoming. Quite often, stairwells and landings do not have windows or, if they do, these windows cannot be opened. Even if fresh air is circulating through open doors from ventilated rooms, the air inside the staircase will not feel fresh. If a stairwell does have a window, the sunlight streaming in will give the impression of freshness, and these windows should be uncovered by curtains or drapes wherever possible.

Tricks to Improve Lighting

If there are no openings for natural light, you will have to create the impression of sunlight. One common trick is to install a skylight, which allows daylight to stream down the entire length of the stairwell.

Another trick is to put in plain glass doors that lead into rooms off the staircase and borrow the light from their windows. Finally, in new houses there are small openings with wide reveres which can be designed at strategic angles of the stair. These tricks can be supplemented by introducing artificial light to increase the effect.

Light "borrowed" from other rooms can be enhanced by placing table or floor lamps in areas of the room where their rays can blend with the daylight. The wide ledges created by the obtuse opening angles of the wall slits can be used for table lights or lights concealed in the opening's top.

With new houses, it is easier to allow light to flow into the halls and staircase because you are able to construct the house with the staircase in mind, and this may not be possible in older houses.

Using Lights

Diffused light created by translucent shades or other covers placed in front of both daylight and artificial light provide an overall soft glow. This technique is excellent for halls and stair landings where close work such as reading are never done, but where you need to see steps and obstacles.

Strong lights can be built into the staircase wall at baseboard level, giving the treads a beam of brightness. Modern light fixtures can be mounted into the staircase itself but great care and attention is required when considering this technique.

Information courtesy of Slattery and Acquroff at www.stairking.com.au

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