10 paint colours for a staircase

A soft, warm stone grey, neither beige nor cool — the colour of an old plaster wall. It is the safest staircase colour we know: it gets on with a green sitting room, a blue bedroom and a white kitchen, it looks neither dirty nor cold under the falling light of a stairwell, and it hides hand marks better than a white.

A golden cream white that returns light without ever looking cold. In a windowless staircase, or one lit only by a rooflight, it is the white that does most for the light: it brightens the shadow of the landings without turning grey, as a pure white would. With a dark banister it is very crisp.

A misty mid grey-blue, the colour of a November sky over the Thames. It is deep enough to give a bright staircase character, grey enough not to become a nursery blue, and it makes a superb ground for a collection of frames. With white woodwork it is a townhouse staircase.

A deep bluish slate grey with the calm of a stormy sky. Over the full height of a staircase — walls, ceiling, doors, banister — it creates a dark, enveloping passage between bright rooms, and makes every open door look brighter. It is the most successful staircase colour drench we know.

A very deep grey-violet midnight blue, for a warmer colour drench than slate. In a staircase it does what the sky does after sunset: it gives depth without giving outline, and turns the light of a wall lamp into a glow. On a dado only, beneath a white, it is more sober and just as handsome.