Monday, January 23, 2023

Top Staircase & Balustrade Trends for 2023

Are you an interior designer or DIY enthusiast looking to get a head start on 2023's staircase and balustrade trends? If so, you've come to the right place! We've been supplying Australia's leading builders, wholesalers, designers and stair builders for more than 75 years, so it's safe to say we've seen plenty of trends come and go in our time.

We’re excited to start the new year off with a bang by bringing you the best of staircase design & innovation from across the globe. Some of our bestselling handrail designs have been inspired by trends from places as far as Vancouver (view our Vancouver Rail range), and California (view our California Rail range), while others have been popularised by architects right here at home!

These are our predictions for the upcoming year based on our own sales data, and the 2023 trend predictions of lead interior designers!

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Top 7 staircase design trends for 2023

NATURAL
COTTAGE INSPIRED
CONTRASTING COLOURS
LIGHT FILLED
CURVES
RETRO

Best stair & balustrade buys for 2023

Top 7 staircase design trends for 2023

1. Natural Materials

Topping our prediction list for 2023 is unsurprisingly eco-friendly & sustainable design! Materials with a positive eco-footprint are going to continue to be front-runners in this field. This means less imported/manmade materials and more locally sourced and plantation-grown timbers.

Incorporating natural elements in design has also become increasingly popular over the last few years. Indoor plants have come back into vogue, along with timber feature walls & ceilings. We expect this trend to carry over to staircase design & architecture in a big way, with wood featuring prominently. Australian timber species such as Victorian Ash and Spotted Gum were extremely popular during 2022, and we’re predicting they’ll become even more popular coming into 2023.

If you’re stuck on which timber species to use on your next job, check out our article on how to choose the right timber species for your next project.

2. Cottage inspired

If you haven’t heard of cottage core yet, it’s only a matter of time. This vintage-inspired interior design style is taking the internet by storm. We’re even seeing well-known designers such as Three Birds Renovations and Shaynna Blaze starting to incorporate reclaimed & heritage-style elements into their spaces. If you’re still not sure what cottagecore entails, Home and Gardens have a fantastic article you can read here.

But, what does all of this have to do with stair building I hear you ask? Well, heritage-inspired products such as ladies waist handrail and scalloped post capitals are due to make a comeback in 2023. While they’ve always been popular in Hamptons-style builds, we expect to see them in vintage-inspired homes also!

Turned balusters are also slowly coming back into fashion, with a push towards home restoration over modernisation. Shows like The Block & Netflix’s Dream Home Makeover have made restoration trendy again!

Heratige Rail

Are you looking to achive a vintage/cottage inspired staircase in your own home? If so, why not check out our heratige handrail range!

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3. Contrasting colours

One of the hottest trends of 2023 is going to be strong, contrasting colours; one look at Dulux’s predictions for 2023 cements it! Dark navy and black are still extremely popular, meaning wrought iron balusters, and black brackets are unlikely to be going anywhere this year!

You’re going to be seeing a lot of white staircases with black accents featured in newly built homes. As, this colour combination mixes well with most colour palettes, and is popular amongst most age demographics. With so many different black fixtures and fittings available on the market now, it’s also a look that can be achieved relatively inexpensively.

Aside from black/white, we also expect to see pops of bright colours this year!

4. Light filled & airy

One way to make a space feel larger is by bringing in natural light sources. Stairways and stairwells are notorious for being tight, dark and dingy - but that’s all about to change!

In the past, the only way to bring light into a staircase/stairwell was by using glass balustrade- and while this is still a fantastic option, it’s an expensive one. In recent years we’ve seen a new player in the game: wire balustrade.

5. Curves in all the right places

While spiral staircases are on their way out, curved staircases are here to stay! If you’re wondering what the difference is, you’re not alone. We’ve included some images below to demonstrate:

Curved Staircase By Rimlar Stairs

Spiral Staircase

To summarise, curved staircases are generally statement pieces in entryways, whereas spiral staircases are designed to take up the least amount of room possible (short of building a ladder). While they both include curved elements, one is far more decorative than the other.

Grand staircases like the one on the left are admittedly few and far between (simply due to their size and cost), but are likely to become more and more common as Hamptons and cottage-inspired aesthetics come back into fashion.

If you’re trying to achieve a similar look on a tight budget, heritage elements such as fluted posts and handrail scrolls can be added onto more traditional, straight staircases.

6. 70's retro

The 70’s are back in 2023! Think funky shapes, exposed timber and bold mid-century design. Angular handrail profiles such as the Vancouver or Signature tie in well with this particular design style- especially when finished with a clear lacquer or oil! Natural timber finishes were all the rage in the 70’s.

If you want to take things a step further, you can even incorporate 70’s inspired wallpaper in your staircase design. We absolutely love some of the patterns Wendy at Lane and High features on her blog.

Plenty of 70’s retro designs can also be found on Pinterest, you just have to know where to look!

Best stair & balustrade buys for 2023

Handrail

Our predictions for the most popular handrail designs of 2023 are:

1. Designer rail

If you’re looking for a sleek, modern design, the designer rail is the way to go! It’s available in 4 different timber species, including Victorian Ash, American Oak and Blackbutt. The bends and fittings are available in timber, black or stainless steel, making it one of our most versatile products.

Installation is a breeze with specialty drilling jigs available through our online store (one for metal bends, and another for timber fittings). No other specialty tools are needed.

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2. Vancouver handrail

The Vancouver rail is a new addition to our handrail range, but we expect it to be one of the big sellers of 2023. It’s a modern, angular rail based on staircase design trends in Canada and the US.

This rail is best suited to long, single runs of handrail (rather than staircases with landing) as it currently does not have any bends or fittings available. However, given it’s angular profile, it’s perfectly okay to mitre join it if needed!

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3. Heritage rail

This one is an oldie but a goodie! The heritage rail profile has seen a comeback over 2022 that we expect to continue in 2023. With the resurgence of vintage and farmhouse-inspired interior design trends, heritage profiles such as this one have come back into vogue.

If you’re not quite sold on the ladies waist profile, we also stock a few other similar designs such as the Prestige Rail and Califonia Rail.

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Balustrade

Our predictions for the most popular baluster designs of 2023 are:

1. Turned Balusters

Looking for a traditional baluster for a hamptons or cottage inspired design? The numer 1 turned baluster might be just what you're looking for. We've been turning these balusters since we opened in 1946, and they're still as popular today as they were back then; especially since the american/hamptons staircases have made a comeback.

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2. Stainless Steel Balustrade

Stainless steel balustrade pairs fantastically with open stringer staircase to let light into your stairwell! It's significantly cheaper than glass balustrade, and is even DIY friendly.

Related Reading: Step by Step Guide To Wire Balustrade

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