Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Livingetc
Livingetc
Ruth Doherty

Christmas Stair Decor Ideas — 9 Steps for a Holiday Season Glow-Up

A home's entryway dressed for christmas with a tree.

Your staircase is a prime spot for adding a festive ambiance to what would otherwise be empty space.

Creating a warm and inviting entrance for guests - and yourself - to enjoy is always important, but especially during the holiday season. So, why not embrace these Christmas stair decor ideas to make your home more magical?

From string light-lit garlands wrapped around the stair banister to mini Christmas trees, candles, and stunning hanging displays, there's a host of ways to put a festive pep in your steps.

Need more inspiration for your seasonal styling? We've rounded up some inspiration from the experts on creating beautiful Christmas decorating ideas for your stairs.

1. Wrap a Garland Around the Stair Banister

(Image credit: McGee & Co)

A stair banister garland is a go-to styling idea that will always help make your entryway more Christmassy.

Marie Flanigan, Principal at Marie Flanigan Interiors, suggests: "Transform your staircase with lush garlands wrapped around the banister, accented by beautiful ribbons woven throughout."

A little hack you can read more about further along in the piece is to use a mix of faux and real foliage for a long-lasting and full-looking garland.

Start with a faux garland and then build it up by attaching real foliage all the way along it.

Depending on how far you want to take the look, you can also dress it up with ornaments, paper honeycombs, ribbons and twinkling lights.

Stuck on how to hang a garland on the stair banister? Keep scrolling to the end for more info from the experts.

2. Decorate Your Garland with DIY Ribbons

(Image credit: Annie Sloan)

If you're not a bells and whistles kind of Christmas decor fan and want to keep things elegant and simple, why not try creating your own chic ribbons to decorate the staircase?

Take a cue from the low-key yet elevated look by Annie Sloan above for perfect on-the-downlow decor.

She says: "Oversized bows, made from my ticking fabric in Old Violet, are a simple way to add drama to the entryway, which, in this case, is painted in my cool-toned steely Cambrian Blue Wall Paint and Cambrian Blue Satin Paint."

3. Add Oversized Paper Honeycombs

(Image credit: @crack_the_shutters)

Go large with oversized decorations that will make a stylish statement.

"With foliage or a garland as your base you are free to decorate the stairs with paper honeycombs, ornaments, stars and twinkly lights, and even add in dried oranges, bows or stockings - there is no such thing as too much when it comes to Christmas in my opinion," says interiors influencer Jen Rothbury of Crack the Shutters.

How to style them? Try pairing fairy lights or foliage with beautiful decorations including paper honeycombs and glam glitter stars.

As with any style spot in your home, play around with different heights and either focus on creating a cluster at the bottom of the stairs or scatter along the entirety of your staircase for the ultimate feature.

4. Decorate the Floor Space

(Image credit: McGee & Co)

Wrapped presents under a Christmas tree always bring festive cheer to the living room, so why not recreate that scene for your Christmas stair decor ideas?

Use the floor space on your stairs to place a small Christmas tree with twinkling lights for that extra sprinkling of holiday magic.

The style experts at Wayfair suggest you can go one further and place mini trees all the way up the stairs for increased festive fever.

"Start a staircase “tree festival” by placing mini Christmas trees at each step in tiny planters,' says Daniela Venturini, Art Director and Trend Forecaster at Wayfair.

"Give each tree its own personality - one with glitter, one with tiny presents, one with a pompom “star” — so climbing the stairs feels like a journey through a forest of delight."

5. Keep it Simple and Elegant

(Image credit: Sims Hilditch)

A chic way to dress your stairs for Christmas is to wrap a garland around the banister and simply add softly twinkling fairy lights.

Sims Hilditch created the elegant look above, and Louise Wicksteed, the interior design studio's creative director, says: "A mixture of soft fairy lights and seasonal foliage threaded through the banisters is a simple and effective way to bring Christmas to a entryway. This works well in both a townhouse and a country home, creating an elegant and festive aesthetic."

A stack of presents at the bottom of the stairs adds a further festive touch.

6. Brighten Up with Candy Cane Colors

(Image credit: Wayfair)

If you're more of a maximalist, why not decorate your stairs with beautifully rich, popping colors for a vibrant festive scene.

Describing the vivid aesthetic above, Wayfair Style Advisor, Nadia McCowan Hill, says: "A simple and affordable garland acts as the perfect foundation for this glorious look. Simply wind it in and out of your banister from top to bottom to affix.

"Next, it’s time to get pimping. I love to use a mixture of blousy and trailing blooms for ultimate impact. On my stairwell of dreams, we used pom-pom hydrangea heads, festively fragrant eucalyptus and beautiful gypsophila sprayed in turquoise, purple, silver and gold."

She adds: "For a cute and quirky Advent vignette, I applied gold applique numbers to the stairs and, for a final finishing touch, I stacked Christmas presents in the shape of a tree on a beautifully upholstered bench – a quick and easy touch that’s oh so impactful."

7. Mix Faux and Real Foliage

(Image credit: Leoma Harper @styletheclutter)

A blend of real and faux foliage will create a garland that has longevity as well as an authentic aesthetic, and is an enduring focus of our Christmas entryway ideas.

"Over the years I have discovered the quickest and easiest way to decorate the bannisters is combining faux and real foliage,' says Leoma Harper, Interior Stylist behind @styletheclutter, who created the beautiful display above and below. She comments: "When using faux you want a loose garland to get a more realistic effect.

"Starting at the bottom, I drape it in waves tying the top wave with floristry wire, to secure, this is then topped with a pretty ribbon. Once all in place I then add in some extra real foliage to it, popping it into gaps and securing with floristry wire where needed, the faux garland acts as a great solid base to secure items to."

She adds: "I love adding some pretty battery-operated LED lights for that extra sparkle and sometimes I also hang tree decorations from it, mixing these up a bit with a variety of sizes and heights to create a cascading feel.'

(Image credit: Leoma Harper @ styletheclutter)

Jen Rothbury agrees that a mix makes a great base: "I'm a huge fan of foliage and the bigger the better when it comes to the staircase - I try to mix faux with real foliage like eucalyptus, which then dries beautifully and gives a lovely festive scent to the hallway."

8. Make a Statement with Blousy Hanging Displays 

(Image credit: Annie Sloan)

Hanging hand-tied foliage displays on the wall next to the stairs that match your garland are a great way to make a beautiful statement while also creating a curated finish - this is useful to include in your small entryway ideas as it doesn't have to take up a lot of space.

Lucy St George says: "Foliage is a fabulous way to create a dramatic feature of your stairs over the festive period. From faux vines intertwined with your fairy lights on a garland, to a more maximalist hanging display fashioned with real dried flowers, berries, eucalyptus and pampas grass, it's the perfect tool for creating a showstopping seasonal staircase."

And Annie Sloan, who created the stylish look above, says: "Foliage brings a stunning simplicity to your festive scene; I personally love natural accessories and decorations. Use objects foraged on a bracing December walk with your family."

Simply hang your bouquet with a pretty ribbon in a seasonal shade.

9. Pepper the Stairs with Faux Candles for a Soft Glow

(Image credit: Lights 4 Fun/Stylist: Lucy Gough/Photographer: Oliver Perrott)

Interior stylist Lucy Gough, from @style_by_lucy, is a big fan of Christmas hallway lighting ideas, and swears by faux candles for a beautiful soft-focus glow.

She says: "I always really love placing faux candles on the staircase as they twinkle in the evening and you don’t have to worry about them catching alight. These clever ones from Lights 4 Fun are made with real wax so they feel real when you pick them up too."

Add loose baubles and Christmas presents around the candles for an extra magical touch.

(Image credit: Garden Trading)

How Can I Decorate My Staircase for Christmas

If your staircase has an open bannister, this is a perfect place to create a showstopping Christmas display. Wrap your garland around the staircase to create a voluptuous masterpiece. Choosing plain garlands will give you the freedom to decorate them in line with your theme of the year.

You could also match them to your Christmas door decorating ideas, pairing the wreath with foliage inside.

You can choose to go all-out with sparkles and adornments such as frosted pine cones and faux berries. Or simply decorate with battery-powered LED micro fairy lights to add a subtle twinkle. Adding lights will also add that extra touch of warmth and happiness that we all look for in the festive period.

How Do You Hang a Christmas Garland on the Stairs?

(Image credit: Lindsay Salazar/House of Jade Interiors)

"My insider secrets for seasonal hanging are nylon thread and clear cable ties," says Mel, stylist at Cox & Cox. "We are so used to shooting on location at houses, and we need to be careful never to damage the walls or paintwork. Nylon thread is invisible and super strong, and can be tied to the balustrades so your garlands and string lights not only look fantastic but are well secured."

Interior designer Lucinda Sanford says you don't always need to use anything to fix them when you use the weaving method, explaining: 'Just wrap your garland around bannister, like threading string over and under, over and under."

Stylist Lucy Gough's top tips? "It’s always best to have two faux garlands as one is never long enough for a bannister. Then find yourself a few dark green cable ties to tie it to your hand rail and hide them under your foliage. If your garlands are pre-lit, make sure that your battery pack is hidden on the underside so you don’t see it when you’re walking up the stairs."

And Ailie Williams, stylist at Neptune, says: "Moss covered chicken wire combined with hanging foliage and spruce is a great trick for creating a garland. Attaching this to the bannister with acrylic string will help to keep it looking fresh and stops the needles dropping. Then you can weave in some life-like berries to add a pop of colour before finishing off with velvet ribbons and bells."

Meanwhile, Kim Armstrong, Owner and Principal Designer at Kim Armstrong Interior Design, says burlap ribbon is her secret weapon. "After many years I found the trick that works for me…. Is burlap ribbon,' she comments. "The texture of the burlap really gives a box a good grip, and the heavyweight of the garland doesn’t pull on the bow.

"So, once you tie the bow, you are good until you decide to untie it and take it down. Plus you don’t need any wires or anything else, not even a double knot. Just a simple burlap ribbon tied in a bow is all you will need to firmly secure the garland to the handrail of your stairs. The other good thing about burlap ribbon is that you can fluff it out and it will maintain its shape."

(Image credit: The Fox Group/Lindsay Salazar)

How Long Do You Keep a Garland on the Stairs?

You can keep a faux garland on your stairs for as long as you want to keep the festive spirit alive. As for a real garland? Interior stylist Lucinda Sanford suggests a time of two to three weeks.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.