DECORATIONS Impress visitors: Deck the staircase

There's a variety of ways you can decorate your staircase for the holidays.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- A decorated staircase can be the crowning holiday touch for your house.
Whimsical, elegant, traditional or rustic -- any style can work on a staircase.
"When people enter your house, the first thing they see that makes a holiday impression is the staircase," said Burt Hawkins of Burton-Brown Interiors in Irmo, S.C. "It says, 'Christmas is here in this house."'
But how to dress it?
You can't go wrong with greenery. And the new lines of prelighted artificial garland offer a good place to start. But there's so much more you can do, too.
"You're only limited by your own imagination," said Jolene Smith of Southern Magnolia Interiors in Ballentine and Charleston, S.C. "Anything you like to decorate with at Christmas can be adapted for your staircase."
And, with the dramatic, open staircases in many of today's newer homes, there are opportunities to try new ideas each year.
Some suggestions
Wreaths, holiday fabrics, pine cones, strings of popcorn, colorful ribbon or stockings can find a place on the staircase. Treat your garland as a base, wrapping it with ribbons, beads, lights, tassels or ornaments.
If you're using greenery, one of the first decisions is whether to use fresh, which can go up about a week before Christmas, or faux, which can be hung any time, said Jean Clapp, the floral designer at Michael's in Harbison, S.C.
Or you can do a combination of the two -- using artificial greenery for the entire staircase, and mixing in fresh magnolia leaves, eucalyptus, boxwood or other fresh materials. You may need to swap out the fresh pieces a few times before the holidays if you put them up early.
But garland doesn't have to mean green. Strings of popcorn and cranberries or even buttons can work for a more casual or homey feel. Or you can make a garland out of small wrapped boxes wired together.
Smith said she's even dangled small, wrapped packages from garland.
"Instead of garland, you can use wreaths attached to the railing and hung to the staircase going up. You can put them every three or four feet," she said.
You can even hang the flat-backed artificial Christmas trees on the staircase.
Christmas fairies
Vicki Bignon decks her staircases and railings with Mark Roberts Christmas fairies. She has been collecting them for about five years, and has about 200 of them.
"They're just fun and playful," she said.
The fairies sit on landings and peek out from behind the greenery, gold beads and bright ribbons that line the staircase.
Hawkins suggests prelighted garland with ribbons and bows "and something fantastic on the Newell post."
For a traditional look, there's green garland with bows and berries. For a more contemporary feel, add flowers and glitzy gold berries to the garland, Clapp said.
Or consider weaving a grapevine through the banister and hanging glass ornaments from it.
"It's the first thing people see even before they see the Christmas tree," Clapp said. "If the staircase is not decorated, it leaves you rather cold."