Altering Your Staircase Can Benefit Your Internal Layout

An awkward room layout often could be improved by changing the positioning or direction of your staircase to give you more space. For many homeowners this can appear to be a time-consuming and expensive process that isn't worth the hassle, but it could actually be more straight-forward than you think.

Altering the Direction

In period properties, often the staircase can be extremely steep because of how narrow the house is. By changing the direction of the stairs and using a plinth at the bottom, you can make it less of an incline, which will also open up the rest of the property and save on space.

Double Back

In the majority of properties, the timber or wrought iron staircase will run from the front to the back, which can be useful but can also make the front rooms narrower than they need to be. A simple repositioning of the staircase so that it doubles back in the middle can give the front of your property more width and use the space you have more efficiently.

Add a Spiral Staircase

If you want to get some space back around your staircase, then you might want to think about installing a spiral set instead. This can be created in a beautiful wrought iron style or designed from timber to take up only a small amount of space.

Mixture of Styles

You don't have to stick with one type of staircase style, and using a bespoke design will allow you to get the best possible use out of the space and layout you have in your property. For example, you could incorporate winders at the bottom that turn into a straight staircase to offer more space, both upstairs and downstairs, and overcome any awkward positioning issues.

Get the Turning Right

Generally, winders are used at the foot or top of a staircase to alter the direction, but they can also be added halfway up if this works for your layout. This is a more efficient use of space than designing two straight flights with a landing in the middle, and it can also be turned into a design feature that stands out.

When you're looking at changing your staircase, there really is no barrier to how creative you can be. With the right help and design advice, even the most awkward of layouts can be worked around.