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17 September 2014
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City to Suburbia Hall and Stairs
City to Suburbia Hall and Stairs
Room: Hallway/Stairs
Colours: Green;
Style: Minimal; Period Style; Traditional;
Budget: High
Programme: Home Front
Designer: Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen;
Feature: Perspex art work
The stairwell forms the backbone of a house and dictates the personality of the building. It is a psychologically important area, which links all the different areas in the house.

Divide your area into different zones. For example, the ground floor hall way can be seen as your public space, the middle floor as your social space and the top stairs and landing as your private space.

Click on the images below for a larger version

Sleek staircase
Sleek staircase
Replace the spindles in your staircase with sleek modern ones. Bring your own funky design into your house by commissioning a wood turner. Paint the spindles silver and cover the banister handrail in black rubber.
Black and white stairs
Black and white stairs
Use a hard-wearing wood effect flooring for the stairwell and landing. To create a dramatic look, use alternate white and black strips, which will draw the eye up the stairs.
Textured walls
Textured walls
For a contemporary feel, use a textured wall covering. Hang the line textured paper horizontally instead of vertically as this will contrast with the existing verticals in the room.
Mint green walls
Mint green walls
Paint the walls a bright, minty green. Start with a dark shade at the bottom of the staircase and gradually lighten the shade as you move upwards. Carefully blend each shade change to give the feeling of a seamless progression upwards.
Ground floor luxury
Ground floor luxury
For a touch of luxury, cover the ground floor hallway with black granite floor tiles. To add to this grandeur, why not hide your old radiator behind an ornate radiator cover, or splash out on a granite effect designer domestic radiator.
Lines of lights
Lines of lights
Add to the strong lines in this design by attaching lights to wires. If possible, suspend lights down through the centre of the banisters from the top floor right down to the bottom. This seamless lighting adds cohesion to the design.
Green-light artwork
Green-light artwork
For a contemporary feel, create this Perspex light artwork. Engrave a design onto a piece of Perspex. Then, pass a fluorescent light through the Perspex. The engraving creates a barrier in the light and creates a 3D obstruction effect.
Top Tip

To make hall stairs seem bigger, use simple horizontal bands of colour. Broad bands of emulsion on the wall create an optical illusion that makes spaces feel squatter and wider. Vertical stripes obviously do the opposite. Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen.

Never use different thicknesses of flooring on stairways. Your unconscious mind marks out stair heights and if they are not constant you will trip and fall. Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen.
  Products   Paint   Brand   Johnstones Paints  
  Details   Vinyl matt emulsion   Cost   £17.99 per 5 litres  
  Supplier   All good DIY stores          
  Web/tel   www.johnstones-paints.co.uk          
  Products   Vinyl flooring   Brand   Amtico Company  
  Details   Black Walnut; silver Oak   Cost   £60 per square metre  
  Supplier   Amtico Company          
  Web/tel   www.amtico.co.uk          
  Products   Granite flooring   Brand   Samson marble  
  Details   Zimbabwean Black   Cost   -  
  Supplier   Samson marble          
  Web/tel   Tel: 0207 240 3827          
  Products   Cable lighting   Brand   Translite Ltd  
  Details   Demi-Lumen (vertical); Glass Scarf (white horizontal)   Cost   -  
  Supplier   Translite Ltd          
  Web/tel   www.translite.com          
  Products   Perspex artwork   Brand   Chase signs  
  Details   illuminated   Cost   -  
  Supplier   Chase Signs          
  Web/tel   Tel: 0208 992 1153          
  Products   Wall covering   Brand   Muraspec Wall coverings  
  Details   65 linear metres Crystalline   Cost   £4.23 per meter  
  Supplier   All good DIY stores          
  Web/tel   www.muraspec.com          
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