Stair Runners as a Contemporary Design Choice in Your Home

Stairways are often an overlooked space in home design but they can play an important role in setting the tone for your entire living area. Using a stair runner can add a pop of colour and style to this key feature and can enhance the safety of your stairs for children and for anyone with mobility issues. In this post, we’ll explore the finer details of a stair runner and discuss what style options could look great in your home.

What is a Stair Runner?

A stair runner is a strip of carpet that runs from the top to the bottom of your stairs, leaving the flooring at the sides exposed. Traditionally, it may have been a way to save money when carpeting stairs as people could still have the warmth and protection of carpet without having to pay for the whole stairs to be covered. More recently, it has become an interior design trend as more people are embracing using different textures and patterns to create a style feature on their staircase.

Stair Carpet Materials

The material you use for a stair runner is important as it needs to be hard wearing and resilient for an area with heavy foot traffic. Woven wool carpets are a classic choice as the natural fibres are durable and can withstand years of use. They also have the benefit of being stain resistant, which is always a bonus in a busy home where things can get spilt or children forget to take their shoes off before running upstairs. Polypropylene stain resistant carpets are also another great choice for stair runners as they can be cleaned with strong detergents, which is great for a home with pets. Furthermore, tufted carpets are a popular choice for homeowners as they are hard wearing and very suitable for high traffic areas.

Colours and Designs for your Stair Carpet Runner

Choosing a dark colour for your stair runner can seem like an attractive option as it won’t show up any dirt or stains as quickly as lighter colours. However, if you are keeping the flooring next to the carpet runner in a light colour, a dark material may not be the best choice as it may look too stark. Medium or light coloured carpets work well with lighter woods such as beech or oak or with white painted stairs. Patterns or vertical stripes on a stair runner can also look modern and stylish and can work to draw the eye upwards and enlarge the space, making narrow stairs look wider.