3 Contemporary Staircase Lighting Tips From Designers

Standing as a spine in any modern space, staircases should be given high importance when laying out lighting plans. The lack of light is just as dangerous as overdoing it, so we spoke to designers for staircase lighting tips to help transpose your stairway into more than just an architectural element that connects floors.

1. Safety First

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) enforces the standards for equal access to the public. They indicated that when using wall sconces, your fixture should have a maximum depth of 4 inches and be mounted at least 27 inches to 84 inches from the floor. All of our wall sconces are ADA compliant, including our Metropolis Wall Sconce, Axis Wall Sconce, and THIN Surface Mount in 1.75 and 3.5-inch standoff heights.

2. Repeat Fixtures Along the Staircase to Create a Pathway

Besides a fixture’s design, your staircase’s lighting plan also dictates how it elevates your space. Install a series of lights, using either suspended or wall-mounted fixtures, to create a stunning pathway that also serves as a wayfinder for a sure-footed staircase. However, repeating fixtures increases the total light output of your space, which may stun your eyes. Install on a dimmer for full control over the intensity to maintain the right level of brightness throughout the space.

3. Choose LED Lamping

Staircases are usually left illuminated throughout the entire night to accommodate guests in hospitality and commercial spaces. A smart staircase lighting tip would be to opt for LED fixtures that help reduce electric bills. LED lamping also has an outstanding lifespan of up to 50,000 hours or 15 years and produces high-output lighting while using less wattage. Juniper fixtures are innovated to operate using the lowest wattage possible for every lighting design. While incandescent bulbs are cheaper and also give users the option to choose lower wattage, its output also reduces drastically.