17 smart stair landing ideas for every kind of house
The landing tends to be an awkward space in any house: by nature it is in between things, a transitional space which serves to take you from one room to another. But that doesn't mean its design should be neglected – in fact, hallways and landings are often the first spaces visitors to your home see, and the inhabitants of the house pass through them multiple times a day.
Neutral colours can provide a calming palate-cleanser on your path between rooms, but sometimes a small landing space is the perfect place for a shot of bright colour or vibrant pattern, whether that's in wallpaper, carpets or rugs. Consider the sightlines that run from room to room – how much of the landing will be visible when you're in any of the rooms that lead off it, and what do you want to be able to see from the door? Perhaps a lovely wallpaper, some thoughtfully arranged art, or a mirror that will then create glimpses of other rooms or bounce light from a window.
Depending on how much space you have, a well-placed chair or chest can also make a landing feel like a room in its own right, where books and linens can be stored. Some landings might even work well as an occasional workspace with a desk in place, or some might lend themselves to becoming a sweet reading nook with an armchair and bookcase. If your landing is more diminutive, then you might try adding a neat stripe on the floor to guide you through the house, or artwork hung one above the other to maximise the wall space. A lot of our favourite houses use antique rugs (on wood, stone or even carpet) to add interest and purpose to a transitory area.
Scroll down for our favourite landing ideas, from traditional country houses to modern homes, pale and interesting to dark and moody.
Paul Massey1/17Walls in Little Greene’s ‘Canton’ contrast with the dark painted floorboards on the dramatic landing of Philip Hooper's Georgian house in Somerset. On the table, which Philip designed for John Stefanidis, are ceramics from his travels, and an antique Moroccan tooled-leather panels flank a Queen Anne-style mirror from Jeremy Rothman.
Dean Hearne2/17Nicola Mardas' charming seaside house on the Deal seafront makes the most of every inch of space. This top landing could have been easily ignored, but instead was borrowed and used as a small study area with a perfectly compact desk and chair. The blind in 'Willow' by Kit Kemp for Christopher Farr Cloth softens the space, while artworks by Ian Hamilton Finlay add colour to the walls.
James McDonald3/17It was the roomy landing space that really sold Jack Laver Brister on this Somerset house. The layout feels almost American, with an open internal balustrade that makes the house feel open and social. Jack decorated the house with traditional English charm, using William Morris’s ‘Willow Boughs’ wallpaper, which reminds him of his childhood home. Turkish rugs bought at auction and antique finds bring character to this space.
Christopher Horwood4/17Artist Catherine Cazalet used the large upstairs landing of her Cotswold house as a canvas for bold patterns and prints, with graphic Dalmatian print wallpaper and a bold piece of pink art. Adding a chair in the corner makes the space feel more rooted and less transient.
Simon Upton5/17In this Kensington house decorated a decade ago by Robert Kime, a picture rail with hanging chains allows for multiple layers of artwork to be hung in attractive columns down this landing. Adding a desk and chair gives the possibility of a miniature study, which is disguised as a side table when not in use. The landing and stairs are carpeted in Stars & Stripes from Robert Kime – a design inspired by the border of a Turkish rug, and traditionally loomed, which has been recently revived and is back in production.
Christopher Horwood6/17‘Sudbury Yellow' by Farrow & Ball runs through the hallway, up to the landing and into the master suite and study, allowing a sunniness to spread across this handsome Georgian rectory by Tamsyn Mason. It also provides a nice backdrop for darker features, like the leaded glass pendant light, oak chair and antique bureau.
Ollie Tomlinson7/17For a long hallway, or landing that leads to a corridor, adding a variety of antique rugs helps the eye to journey all the way down the stretch of space. In this Regency Marylebone townhouse by Anahita Rigby, vintage Persian rugs in different shades of warm reds and yellows playfully dot down the corridor with a good balance of contrast and unity. This also helps to distract from the different flooring types (stone on the landing and wood in the corridor).
Christopher Horwood8/17A carpet and runner with a binding tape in a contrasting colour is a very traditional, English look, which works well on the landing of this north London townhouse by Carlos Garcia. The yellow tape also neatly matches the yellow walls. The antique chest of drawers is a useful surface for this lamp and flowers, while also providing some useful overflow storage for things like bed linen and towels. The floral curtains are Nicole Fabre's ‘Grand Crocus’.
Dean Hearne9/17The landing of this Victorian farmhouse by Bodil Blain has beautiful symmetry between the reclaimed wooden floor and ceiling. The knotty wood sandwiches the classic ‘Balckthorn’ print wallpaper by Morris & Co and the bold mustard-coloured panelling adds formality to the space. Light flows through the large arched window, encouraged by the lack of curtains (which aren't always necessary on a landing). Adding a small side table and lamp (no matter how small) makes the area feel larger and more interesting, as well as bringing light to that corner on a dark night.
Christopher Horwood10/17This is an example of a very traditional townhouse landing, with narrow proportions, white-painted skirting and a polished oak bannister cutting through the house. The bold choice of carpet, however, subverts the traditional feel. The owner of this smart Chelsea Townhouse was keen to "support one-off companies with an impressive history" where possible and was particularly keen to use Christine from Vanderhurd, who designed the carpet pictured here. The walls are painted in a bespoke mix from Papers and Paints, which is always an option if you can't find quite the right colour for your landing.
Simon Brown11/17Interior designer Caroline Holdaway worked with the architectural technologist Mike Etchingham to reorder the space in Robin Muir's north London house. The roof came off, dividing walls were taken out, a new staircase and landing were put in, and the double-height bay window at the back of the house was added. The landing is furnished with the owners' collection of vintage photographic prints and antique rugs. Rugs make a landing feel intentional, and antique pieces work in contemporary or traditional spaces.
Sharyn Cairns12/17Ben Pentreath chose a pale blue for the landing in his former Georgian parsonage. Framed prints hang neatly on the wall and Ben's extensive collection of magazines has been turned into a neat design feature. Piles of magazines line the corridor, adding some visual interest to a normally empty space and guiding a pathway through to the rooms beyond.
Paul Massey13/17A collection of prints and drawings decorates this white landing with an emerald green armchair. Taking on the conversion of a disused chapel in Somerset, artist Jonathan Delafield Cook, illustrator Laura Stoddart and their two children have made this unique building their home with colourful touches, cosy textures and a clean and bright design scheme. Adding an armchair into a corner is a great way to make the area feel less transitory, and can borrow space for a cosy reading nook.
Ngoc Minh Mgo14/17In Harriet Anstruther's Sussex farmhouse, her grandmother's books line the edge of the landing to a spare room – a low-effort idea for a casual, comforting feel. This is also useful where wobbly walls or an unconventional layout might prevent you from putting up shelves, art or adding in a piece of free-standing furniture.
15/17The upstairs landing at this country home designed by Veere Grenney has walls in one of his delicate fabric designs offset by yellow curtains. The arched entryway softens the expansive space, and seagrass provides a great backdrop for any rug, creating a layered look.
Paul Massey16/17Susan Deliss is a textiles dealer so it only seems right that she have an antique Suzani hanging on the landing outside the main bedroom in her French country home. A motif from this piece of fabric inspired the decoration around the doorway, which was hand painted. Make like Deliss and let pattern take over a space - let it jump off the fabric and onto walls, floors, ceilings and other furnishings.
Richard Powers17/17This simple and crisp hallway in a provençal stone house in Luberon draws the eye to the geometry of the banister, chandelier, and chair. Every piece of furniture that the designer Sophie James of Bucknall James and the owners bought had to fulfil the requirement that it would work in three potential places throughout the house, including this chair on the landing.
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