Lighting for the stairs and stairwell
Above a staircase, light hangs in the trickiest place in the house: high up, hard to reach, and with a fall as the risk if it is not right.
First requirement: no dark steps
Every step must be visible, including the top and bottom ones. A shadow on one step is exactly where someone missteps.
So make sure the light falls on the steps at an angle, not straight from above. Straight from above makes the vertical face of the step dark, and then you do not see the difference in height.
Switches at the top and bottom
A second switch at the top of the stairs seems obvious, but is missing in many houses. Without it you walk down the stairs in the dark to turn the light off.
Wall lights along the stairs
The practical solution: two or three wall lights at regular intervals, about 150 to 160 centimetres above the step they hang over. They light the steps without you having to install anything high up.
How to determine height and spacing is in wall lights in the hall. Slim models that project little can be found in our lighting for the hall and corridor; the full range is under wall lights.
A pendant lamp in the stairwell
Beautiful, and with an open stairwell the most logical choice. Then pay attention to access: can you reach it to clean it or replace the light source?
Preferably choose a fitting with integrated LED that lasts fifteen years, or hang it so you can reach it from the landing. More in lighting in a void.
A stairwell calls for a lamp that works from below and from above, because you see it from two floors. Our statement lighting for stairwell and void is chosen for exactly that: crystal, marble and natural stone for that one high place in the house.
A long made-to-measure pendant lamp
Every stairwell is a different height, and a standard cable is rarely exactly right. If the lamp hangs too high, it disappears into the ceiling; too low, and you walk into it on the landing.
We make pendant lamps to measure, including length and suspension. Send us the height of your stairwell and a photo, and we will think along with you about the right size. Read more about made-to-measure lighting, or see the lamps lit in our showroom in Arnhem.
How much light
100 to 150 lumens per square metre is enough, provided it is well distributed. More light from one point is worth less here than less light from two points.
For the night
A dimmable lamp or low lighting along the skirting board makes the stairs safe to use at night without you waking up fully from bright light.
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