Floating Staircase Design Ideas: Wood, Steel, Glass, Concrete, Folded Steel & More
Floating staircases are the next big home interior design trend. They are charming, interesting, and always makes one wonder how they’re suspended from the wall. They’re a structural marvel, and if you’re searching for some great ideas to incorporate some in your own homes, then here’s a list of some inspirational ideas!
RELATED: Floating Staircase Design Ideas II: Cantilevered design & beyond
1. Suspended in air
If you’re looking for a stylish way to make the staircase a trending feature of your home interior, then this floating one is a great option. With a glass partition and wooden treads, it feels as if the whole thing is magically suspended midair. You’ll really appreciate the sheer look and contemporary aesthetic of this staircase vibe.
2. With a rustic effect
The classy, agrestic vibe of this floating staircase will take you to the cabin-in-the-woods aesthetic – but with a slightly modern twist. While the wooden finish of the treads and the stone clad backdrop evoke a rustic vibe, the wire-suspension railings add in a modern contrast. It’s an interesting combination that is perfect for people who appreciate eclectic style interiors – especially ones with a homely appeal.
3. The illusion of the railing
This floating staircase idea is one of the most innovative ones that you’ll find on this list. While most such stairs are grounded with the help of a railing, this one is the total opposite. Instead of a typical railing , this one has a cluster of wooden fetters that close off the treads from sight and showcase how their bottom is floating midair. It’s stylish, beautiful, and incredibly unique – a design slated to make a bold statement wherever it is articulated.
4. Straight up
This particular floating staircase is great for homes that don’t want a lot of visual clutter. Its minimalist design is all about embellishing with bare-bones without compromising the quality of the design. The light wood finish of each stair tread is beautiful and sophisticated in its own right, but the fact that you can actually see what’s in the background makes the whole design all the more interesting and unique.
5. Timeless wood and glass
This contemporary floating staircase is simple but always on point. Its understated appeal is complemented with a classy material scheme. The wooden treads are contrasted with a glass railing and sleek aluminum railing, giving the whole look a beautiful contrasting twist. Add in the black colored beam that makes up the staircase’s spine and you’ve got a visual winner on your hands. It’s definitely a timeless look that can be easily mimicked in most home interiors.
6. Going in curves
The floating staircase aesthetic can also be articulated in a round form, as demonstrated in this image. It’s all about finding that perfect balance between the structural and aesthetic elements. The central beam of this staircase is installed with downlighters to brighten up the area underneath, and the treads are also finished with under-stair lights to give them a qualitative look.
7. With a garden underneath
Floating staircases are perfect for perfecting some innovative ideas. For example, if you want an indoor garden, but don’t have the space for it, then you can design an entire landscape underneath a floating staircase. This staircase features quite a nice example of this idea, where the entire area underneath the staircase is utilized as a garden bed. This gives the whole design a beautiful, green upgrade while also providing an interesting way to enhance the visual impact of the stairs themselves.
8. Going multifunctional: floating desk
Whoever said that a staircase can never be anything else never saw this multipurpose design. The true genius of this staircase aesthetic is that one of the treads has been extended and converted into a floating shelf, while the rest of the staircase has been kept just the way it’s usually intended. The stark material contrast and great lighting play up the whole design gracefully while keeping everything dynamic and interesting. This is the kind of staircase that turns heads.
9. Going multifunctional: sweeping table
Also a workspace of sort, but with a lot more style is this sweeping table that extends from a lower thread. It raises at an angle before turning into a flat surface again to form the worktop of a rather big table giving it a designer look. If you have children in the house, those match box cars are going for a ride down the slope for sure.
10. Minimalism with a twist
Neat and classy, this floating staircase aesthetic is a total winner. Its material scheme matches the wall and floor finish, giving the entire ambiance a very holistic feel. Furthermore, the first two treads have been deliberately kept oversized so that the whole staircase design packs a big punch. The main body is delicate and complemented with a suspension railing, which provides the perfect vertical contrast to the horizontal treads. It’s definitely a look worth bookmarking.
11. Think: delicate
One of the biggest benefits of a floating staircase is that it can evoke a sense of delicacy within the ambiance. Take this staircase as an example. The sleek, streamlined treads embellish the background with their modern design. The stylish railing complements the whole look beautifully, and the overall aesthetic doesn’t feel heavy at all. In fact, the entire space feels deliberately lightweight and brims with casual elegance.
12. The gilded grandeur
The floating staircase in this next entry exudes a grand vibe with its dark marble cladding and gilded front railing. It’s a study in charisma and elegance. The first half of the stairs features carefully proportioned treads that make way for an oversized landing. The rest of the staircase is normal-sized, and yet the overall impact remains elegant and swanky. This is the kind of staircase one finds in a penthouse loft or a ritzy hotel suite.
13. The Zen look
A floating staircase can be built around a small indoor patio, as demonstrated in this entry above. The stairs here create a dramatic look that is complemented with the cove lights hidden under the treads of the first few stairs as well as the patio edges. The natural material palette works really well and complements the Zen pebble garden in the center of the staircase. The overall look is quite charming despite being understated. The design brims with neutral sophistication, and would articulate really well in most homes.
14. Under the stairs: sofa on raised floor
The biggest benefit of floating stairs is that they’re able to evoke a sense of transparency within a space, so you can use this element and merge it with other aspects. The under-stairs sitting area in this entry is an excellent example of how you can wield this transparency to create beautiful, functional little books. The treads of the first two stairs have been used as a base for the modern divan, while the rest of the floating aesthetic creates a nice accompaniment to the seat itself.
15. Under the stairs: floating deep bench
A variation of the above, this time an extended tread that is suspended from the floor and goes all the way to cover the full footprint of the floating staircase. This wooden raised floor doubles as a deep bench. Using a custom made thin and flat cushion as liner and some soft furnishing in the form of wool, the designer was able to achieve a Scandinavian chic.
We hope you enjoyed these floating stairs ideas and inspirations. They’ll make an excellent blueprint to experiment with some of your own ideas. Stay tuned for more of the same, in our future posts. Remember to visit part 2 of this article for more.
RELATED: Floating Staircase Design Ideas II: Cantilevered design & beyond
Edited by Samuel J. Tan
