Staircases are often overlooked parts of a home. They’re seen as just a means of getting from one floor to another. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a little bit of fun decorating them and making them your own. Since they’re often small and confined, it might seem a little bit difficult to actually find ways to decorate these spaces, but here are a few simple ideas that can make your stairs more than just a simple pathway.

Paint Them.

Want to make a boring staircase more interesting? Make it colorful. The most basic way to do this is to simply paint it. You can paint the whole thing one color, paint each step a different color for a striped or ombre effect, or even paint a pattern on each step.

Add Wallpaper.

If you want a pattern on your staircase but painting it yourself is out of the question, you can use wallpaper instead. This works best when just used on the vertical part of each step. Then when walking up the stairs you can see little pops of wallpaper on each step as you go.

Hang Art on the Walls.

Maybe you can’t do anything to change the actual steps. Or maybe you just want a more subtle change for your staircase. The most common and traditional way to update a boring staircase is just to add some art to the walls surrounding it. You can add a series of family or personal photos, or you could create an interesting gallery wall.

Make Use of a Banister.

If one or both sides of your staircase are open, you probably have a railing or banister to work with. This can give you a whole new structure to decorate. For temporary purposes, you can use a banister to hold seasonal or holiday decorations. For a more permanent solution, you can use a banister to hang small photos or strands of lights. You can even paint it different colors to show off your personal taste and complement the rest of your home design.

Your staircase likely isn’t your favorite part of your home. But if you use the tips above, you can create a space that’s a little more interesting and personal to you.

Pictures: 1,2,3,4and 5.