In modern house design, a great deal of importance is placed on creating homes that are open, bright and light. This is fairly easy to achieve when you're building a new home from scratch, but if you live in an existing older home, it takes some thought and creativity to achieve these concepts.

One of the most common problem areas when it comes to lightness and brightness is the internal staircase. Fortunately, if your home has this problem, you'll be pleased to know that it's possible to create a lighter and airier feel with a few simple changes. Here are two ways that you can give your dark and dim old staircase a fresh and light new look. 

1. Add glass balustrades

A common feature of older staircases is thick, heavy balustrades. While these may be solid and secure, they do very little to help light to enter the stairwell. Replacing them with some new glass balustrades will help to completely transform the space and allow all available light to flood in. Glass is also highly reflective, so it works to bounce light around, illuminating the area even more.

If you're at all concerned that glass balustrades may not be safe for use in a stairwell, you can rest assured. The glass used in this capacity is toughened glass that is as strong and reliable as any other material used for this purpose. Make sure that you have the balustrades installed by a qualified and experienced contractor so that you can be confident the job has been done correctly.

2. Use the right paint

Paint colour can make a vast difference to how open and light a room feels and the stairwell is no exception. Choosing the right paint colour can turn your dark and cloistered stairwell into a more welcoming and brighter environment. The right paint can also create the illusion of more room, which is an added bonus for stairwells that are smaller in width and are penned in by interior walls.

One of the many shades of white that are available these days will make the most impact when choosing a colour. White is the most reflective of colours because it absorbs the least amount of light. Make sure that you choose a shade of white that has a warm tone, such as red, orange or yellow as a base tint. Whites with cooler undertones, such as green and blue, often create a cold and sterile look that isn't terribly appealing.

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