Simple Stair Riser Ideas to Totally Revamp Your Staircase

Redecorating your stair risers is a clever way to completely transform the look of your staircase with minimal effort. As the risers are the horizontal part of the steps which face out, they are the most visible part of your staircase. It pays to pay attention to them.

Whether you’re looking for inspiration for painted stairs or tiled stairs, this varied guide has you covered with DIY stair riser ideas we’re sure you’ll love.

Creative Stair Riser Ideas

We’ve split these ideas into categories so you can get inspired depending on your tastes. 

Decorative Stair Riser Ideas

Stair Riser Lights 

Sometimes a small decorative touch can make all the difference. Adding in-built lights into your risers will light up the space in an interesting way. This could be as simple as installing led strips. The colour of light you choose will set the mood and even improve staircase safety with more visibility.  

Quotes 

Create a unique welcome into your home by decorating your stair risers with your favourite quotes. These could be from books or poetry or anything that means a lot to you. It will be certain to draw the eye of anyone who enters your home and set the tone for your home space. You could get your quotes made as decals to then stick onto the risers or paint them yourself.

Wallpaper Your Stair Risers 

Adding wallpaper to your stairs gives you the option of decorating your risers in whatever style you want without too much effort. It’s also great if you’ve just redecorated a room and have leftover wallpaper, saving you money and reducing waste while also extending a design theme throughout your home.

Painted Stair Riser Ideas

Painting is one of the most versatile stair riser decorating ideas. Whatever design you choose to go for, make sure you’re up to speed on how to paint your stairs properly!

Create a contrast

Painting your stair risers a contrasting colour to the stair treads is a simple way to spruce up wood stairs. A classic look is leaving your wood treads in their natural hue and painting your risers in white or a very light colour. This is great if you have a narrow staircase or one without much natural light as the light riser will create the illusion of more space between steps.

Ombre effect

Go super creative with an ombre effect, where the shade of your risers gets gradually darker in a gorgeous gradient. This will add a sense of fun to your home and draw the eye upward.

Bright and cheery

If a gradient effect seems a bit too bold you can still create a more understated sense of fun by choosing one bright colour. A yellow or orange can evoke sunshine and warmth while a bright green can add an earthy freshness.

Patterned

If you’ve got an artistic flair, why not put that to good use and get really creative? You could emulate a tiled look by painting an intricate pattern design on the riser or go a bit simpler with a zig-zag pattern. Experiment and have fun!

Stair Riser Tile Ideas

Installing tile onto your stair risers is a great way to add a distinctive decorative touch. The fantastic thing about tiled stair risers is the variety of patterns available. Here are just a few examples:

Mediterranean

Evoke glorious sun and sea with a bright colour pattern of blues and greens for your stair risers. You’ll instantly transform your home into a classic coastal paradise. 

Mexican

Similarly, Mexican tiles will bring a vivid brightness to an entrance hallway with their kaleidoscopic Aztec designs. 

Marble effect

Or, go the other way with a sophisticated marble look which will instantly elevate your decor.

Storage

A nifty stair riser design idea is to convert the space into storage. This neatly allows you to store items without investing in bulky furniture pieces like shelving units or cupboards.

Check out more staircase storage ideas.

Outdoor Stair Riser Ideas

An outdoor staircase can really benefit from a fresh new look on the risers. If a bright and bold look isn’t quite right for the inside of your home, your outdoor space is the perfect place to experiment. A tiled look will be durable and colourful and you can even make it more personal with your own painted design. An outdoor staircase can always benefit from extra lighting, too.

Cover Your Stair Risers With a Stair Runner

If you’re still not sure how to spruce up your stairs, or if a big DIY project is not for you, there are easy alternatives. Installing a stair carpet runner will completely revitalise your staircase by adding a whole new design in one simple step. 

Stair runners can come in all shapes and sizes, from modern to traditional, so it’s easy to find the one that fits best in your home. You’ll need to secure the carpet to your stairs with stair rods, which gives you an even greater choice for adding a personal decorative touch.

While you browse our range, remember that all orders over £75 qualify for free UK delivery.