House Beautiful May 31, 2025
Buyer
Stair runners are the unsung heroes of interior design. Not only do they protect your stairs from daily wear and tear, but they add personality and style to one of the most-used (and most-seen) parts of your home: the staircase. While a standard wool or jute runner will get the job done just fine, there’s so much more you can do with your staircase to take your space to the next level—literally. Another bonus? Because your staircase is such a singular moment, you can feel free to go a bit bolder, living beyond the confines of nearby rooms or adjacent color palettes and carving out a scheme that stands proudly alone.
From bold patterns that make a statement to unexpected shapes that create visual interest, the possibilities are nearly endless. More and more, designers are getting creative with the textures, colors, and materials they choose for this spotlight moment, experimenting with fresh ideas that blend functionality with style. Ready to bid farewell to your basic jute runner? Below, we’re exploring inspiring examples from pros who have turned ordinary staircases into works of art using graphic patterns, vibrant colors, and interesting motifs (jaguars, anyone?!) to help you imagine what your staircase could look like.
Ensure the entrance to your home is truly showstopping with an ombré stair runner, like this custom rainbow one from Stark. Designer Betsy Wentz used this stunning detail in the foyer to unite all the hues in this colorful home, so everyone coming in would know what to expect.
Create visual interest and connect the top and bottom levels of your home by choosing a stair runner that expands into a larger rug. Designer Erin Shakoor chose this speckled designer from Karastan, which is reminiscent of a pathway, leading from upstairs to downstairs.
One of the best ways to add unique features to your home is by commissioning something custom or DIYing your own design. In this Atlanta home, once owned by comedian Melissa McCarthy, designer Ryan Austin Hagood repurposed a collection of stair runners from other homes and pieced them all together to create this one-of-a-kind design. “Strategically combining the various patterns and colors based on their lengths proved to be an enjoyable challenge!” he says of the task.
Why choose one color for your staircase runner when you can choose them all? This playful runner taps every hue in the ROYGBIV alphabet for a happy transition from floor to floor. "In this home, I was lucky to have a fantastic client who loved color almost as much as I do," says designer Betsy Wentz. "The idea was to select a pattern with loads of color to support the more subtly patterned wallpaper running through the foyer and staircase."
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