While the rules prescribed under Vastu must be applied to the important parts of your home (such as, the location of the property, the direction it faces, the entrance, the kitchen, the living room, the bedroom, the bathroom, etc.), you must also follow the same, when building seemingly less important parts of the property. This includes Vastu for staircases.

The ancient architectural science of Vastu lays a great deal of emphasis on how staircases should be built and details what should and should not be done, while building these. In this article, we look at the basic Vastu principles on staircase-building.

Vastu for internal staircase direction 

South-west is the best direction for the staircase: It is unanimously accepted that the designated place for the staircase in a building, is near the entrance. Vastu experts are of the belief that for internal staircases, the south-west portion in the property is an ideal choice. The south and the west portions happen to be the second-best choices.

Note here that the staircase must start from the north and go towards the south. Alternatively, it can start from the east and go towards the west. An internal staircase should not be located at the center of the property.

Location of a Vastu-compliant staircase: Landlords who live on the ground floor and have rented out the upper floor to a tenant, must ensure that they do not have a staircase right at the main entrance. This, say Vastu experts, could lead to financial losses.

Starting point of the staircase: The stairs within the home should never start from or end at the kitchen, the store room, or the puja room. The steps going to the upper floor should not be a continuation of the stairs that lead to the basement or the cellar.

Visibility of a Vastu-compliant staircase: An internal staircase must be built in such a way that is not directly in the line of vision of your visitors. Having doors at the start and the end of the staircase, is also advisable.

Orientation of steps as per staircase Vastu 

Must go clockwise: According to staircase Vastu rules, staircases should always turn clockwise, as we walk up. In other words, the person using the stairs to go up should move from the north to the south or the east to the west. Vastu experts are of the opinion that an anti-clockwise staircase can impact career growth.

External staircase Vastu  

Ideal directions for external staircase under Vastu: Under Vastu rules, an external staircase could be built in:

• The south-east, facing the east.
• The south-west, facing the west.
• The south-west, facing the south.
• The north-west, facing the north.

The staircase should not be built in the north-east corner, whether externally or internally. Also, staircases positioned right before the entrance cause imbalance.

Staircase Vastu rules for shape 

Square and rectangular staircases with bends at right angles, are the best for internal or external staircases according to Vastu. Staircases that are too steep or too high would result in the user feeling drained out, each time he has to use it. For the same reason, experts ask property owners to avoid spiral staircases.

Vastu for number of steps in a staircase

Always opt for odd numbers: The number of steps in a staircase should always be odd (15, 17, 19, or 21). The number must never end with a ‘0’. Why so? An average person tends to put his right foot first, while taking a flight of stairs. The flight must end with the user putting his right foot down. This is only possible, if the staircase has an odd number of steps.

Vastu for staircase colours 

Light shades should be your only choice, to paint the stairs or the banister. Avoid dark shades in stairs, especially red and black, as these colours will give negative energy. The walls adjoining the staircase can be decorated with a wallpaper of your choice, preferably not too dark.

See also: Marble staircase design ideas for your home

Vastu rules for usage of space under the staircase

In small homes, the space under the staircase if often used to build a small kitchen, bathroom or puja room. Sometimes, a small workstation is also created under the staircase, to utilise the area optimally. This should be strictly avoided. The space under the staircase should be used for nothing but storage of common household items, say Vastu experts. Cabinets containing valuable items, such as cash or jewellery, should not be kept in this space. Do not use this space for keeping discarded items or worn out footwear.

Vastu rules for staircase decoration

According to Vastu rules, staircase walls should not be decorated with family photos, as it can cause differences in the family members and can be detrimental to their health. Decorate the stairs wall with sceneries of blooming flowers, lush greenery, mountains or abstract art. Keep ceramic pots for plants underneath the staircase area. According to Vastu, it is inauspicious to hang a mirror in front of, or under the stairs, as the reflection will attract negative energy inside the house. Never keep a fountain or an aquarium under a staircase. The staircase area should be well lit up.

Vastu rules for staircase handrail

Stair rails, or handrails ensure the safety of people using the steps. It can be stylish but most importantly, it should provide comfort when climbing up or down. According to Vastu, it is advisable to opt for marble or stone rails for the staircase in the south-west direction. For stairs in the west, opt for metal rails and use wooden rails for the east and south staircase.

Even though somehow pleasing to the eye, a staircase without a handrail, like the one shown in this picture, could be highly risky.

Vastu rules for usage of space along the staircase

Vastu experts also advise against displaying photo frames carrying pictures of deities or family members on the wall space along the staircase. Vastu rules on staircase, however, do not advise against using the wall space to flaunt great artwork. In case you want to dress this space up with wallpapers, it would be ideal to use light shades of any colour. You want your staircase to be illuminated and well-lit. Light-coloured wall papers would enable that at all times.

The picture below could act as an inspiration.

Key facts about staircase design

What is rise in a staircase?

In a staircase, the rise signifies the vertical distance from the top of one tread to the top of the next tread.

What is run in a staircase?

The run is the horizontal distance from the face of one riser to the face of the next riser. Even though it is confused with the size of the tread itself, it is not so.

What is the Vastu recommended rise and run height for a staircase?

Ideally, the rise and the run should equal 18 inches, for utmost comfort of the user.

Key things to remember when building stairs

• The rise of a stair should be between 4 inches and 7.75 inches, while the length of the tread should be between 10 and 11.25 inches.
• Within the house, you could build a staircase without the railing, as long as the width of the stairs is on the highest side.  It is mandatory to have railings on stairs built outside the house, in case they consist of more than five steps.
• While some would like to completely disagree, it may not be a good idea to go for a makeshift staircase. Those could prove to be distracting and extremely risky.

Bad staircase design according to Vastu

Since the inception of the concept, when staircases were treated simply as a tool to help us walk up and down, it has undergone several changes. Today, staircases are also supposed to be a style statement that speaks volumes about the fine designing of the house. Unfortunately, amid the grand plans to impress the viewer through detailed designs, sometimes, the owners end up messing with the basic purpose of the staircases, impacting its practicality—that is, walking up and walking down them becomes painful or tricky or both. The staircase below is a case in point.

Do be mindful of the fact that a poorly conceived staircase design could lead to the elimination of all the positive results brought by applying Vastu principles in other parts of the house. According to Vastu experts, a staircase at the centre of a property can lead to various complications in pregnancy.

Impact of Vastu defects in staircases

It would not be advisable to ignore Vastu principles while constructing the staircase in your home, a part that is often not so carefully designed, in spite of the crucial role it plays in the overall scheme of things.

Anything that has to do with the movement of the people living within a house, can significantly impact the heath, well-being and daily operations within the house. Hence, staircases play a major role in the efficiency of a house. Any structural or other defect pertaining to the staircase, may result in major or minor accidents. Design faults could also hamper the movement of the residents within the house, making it highly inconvenient.

“Even if you are not a firm believer of Vastu, you have to concede the fact that there could be negative implications, if the staircase is not planned carefully. Badly planned staircases can not only hinder your movement but can lead to accidents,” points out Rajat Khatri, a Delhi-based architect.

Along with other seemingly more important parts of a home, the owner must also pay due attention to staircase Vastu, as the flow of positive energy in your home depends on the synergy between various portions of the house, including the staircase.

FAQs

(With additional inputs from Purnima Goswami Sharma)