Top stair lighting ideas

March 06, 2023

We often focus on getting the lighting just right in the areas of our home where we spend the most time — the living room, kitchen, bedroom, or even the backyard. But what about the stairs and steps around your home?  

Whether you’re focusing on the indoor or outdoor areas of your home, LED-lit stairs can make trips up and down (and back up if you’re forgetful!) easier, and can even transform them into a stunning focal point of your home. Use these smart stair lighting ideas for your steps, stairs, and stoops. 

We’re up and down them so often that we forget to see them as an architectural feature — one that’s worthy of light! Here are some light ideas for stairs that can ‘elevate’ yours to a thing of beauty (while making them easier to climb). 

Stairs and Philips Hue lightstrips go together like hand on handrail. So, it doesn’t matter if yours is a swirling spiral staircase, grand marble affair, or a humble wooden flight down to the basement — lighting the way with lightstrips is effortless. 

Lightstrips are flexible and versatile. So much so, they can be bent, cut, connected, and extended to follow almost any stair shape. Tuck them along baseboards or where the stair meets the wall to create a light that guides the way. Make stairs a sculptural centrepiece by attaching lightstrips under sweeping bannisters and let your balustrades cast beautiful shadows.  

Add some design elements into your staircase with a statement pendant light — or three!

If your staircase has a high ceiling, add the Philips Hue Flourish pendant light. With its minimalist white globe strung from adjustable cords, you can create an eye-catching arrangement. String the Flourish lights at varying lengths to add diffused light, elegance, and style to this everyday space.  

Bright idea: Make an even bolder stairway statement by setting a cluster of Flourish lights to complementary shades of red, blue — or any color you like.  

Place a Philips Hue motion sensor next to your staircase and forget about fiddling with switches each time you go up or down. Keep the stair lights set to a gentle, warm glow that spills into your living space. Program the sensor to have them brighten when you approach the stairs, illuminating your way up or down, and turn off after you’ve passed. This is especially useful if you’ve got your hands full!  

Let lighting for outdoor stairs help you avoid stubbed toes, trips, and slips by providing the optimal level of light every step of the way. Choose from an array of colors to create a vibrant design detail on your LED strip lights for the stairs — it’s sure to turn visitors’ heads (or at least bring a smile to your face as you sweep the back porch).

Expecting guests? Give them an extra-warm welcome! Run Philips Hue outdoor lightstrips along your path and shape them to follow the steps up to your front door. Outdoor lightstrips are great for picking out each step clearly while creating a colorful design detail. 

Complement outdoor lightstrips by placing a few Philips Hue Lily outdoor spot lights at the top and bottom of the steps to give a broader wash of light. Their versatile mounting options mean they can be placed in the ground or attached to walls and posts.

Whether you need to step outside to bring in the post-barbecue plates from the patio or water the backyard plants on a summer night, you’ll probably need to navigate one or two steps after the sun’s gone down. To help you find your way up and down, place a Philips Hue outdoor sensor next to your back door or on your porch. Set it to trigger a wash of bright light across your backyard and patio, which can help you find your feet on the steps and get those tasks done. Add a Philips Hue Amarant linear outdoor light to the setup, and it’s complete. It doesn't just add a colorful wow factor, but it's also perfect for lighting up larger spaces outside.