I love landings, especially large ones where you get a “bonus” area for a sitting area, sitting nook, small office or a place to add some decorative furniture.
In order to come up with the very specific design ideas, we create most designs with the assistance of state-of-the-art AI interior design software.
Browse landing design ideas below.
Related: Staircase Ideas | Staircases with Hardwood Flooring | Staircases with Tile Flooring | Staircases with Carpet Flooring | Types of Staircases
Landing Photos
The above is a clean, stylish landing with glass railing overlooking the main living space below in a townhouse designed by Taylor Smyth Architects. See the entire house here.
See the above house plan here. It’s an example of a landing in a contemporary Victorian house.
While not large, the above is a great example of how design and decorate a top-notch landing. I love the chandelier, wall art and wood flooring.
I absolutely love this second floor landing which is a room unto itself with window reading nook, custom wall shelves and large aisles for navigating to one of 3 bedrooms on this floor. Source: Redfin. See more of this magnificent house.
This second floor landing features a hardwood flooring. Greeted by the gorgeous dining table set lighted by a pendant light and recessed lights, this landing look so beautiful.
Second floor landing featuring a carpet flooring. The staircase leads to the small home office.
This second floor landing has a stylish hardwood flooring that leads to the home’s hallway with a tiles flooring and a pendant lighting.
This second floor landing boasts a stylish tiles flooring. There’s a bar counter as well with a marble countertop.
This second floor landing looks gorgeous with its flooring and staircase lighted by classy wall lighting.
This second floor landing boasts a hardwood flooring topped by rugs. The hallways are lighted by recessed ceiling lights.
This second floor landing features a very elegant hardwood flooring leading to the home’s hallways lighted by pendant lighting.
This second floor landing boasts a carpet flooring spreading throughout the home. There are seats on the side. The hallways are lighted by recessed and wall lighting.
Second floor landing featuring a gorgeous hardwood flooring and railings. The hallway is lighted by charming wall lights.
Second floor landing featuring gray walls and a stylish wall decor. The hallway is lighted by recessed ceiling lights. The carpet flooring matches the home’s gray walls.
Second floor landing featuring a hardwood flooring. The staircase leads to the small home office area with a stylish wall decor lighted by recessed lights and a skylight.
This home offers a beautiful and smooth white flooring and staircase steps leading to the home’s second floor landing.
This home boasts a white walls and flooring along with glass doors and windows. The staircase leads to the home’s second floor landing lighted by recessed ceiling lights.
This home features a hardwood flooring topped by a classy rug on the second floor landing. The hallway is lighted by a skylight.
This home features a grand staircase lighted by a gorgeous chandelier. The staircase leads to the second floor landing featuring a hardwood flooring.
This home has a beautiful second floor landing featuring a hardwood flooring topped by a rug matching the chairs. The hallway leads to the home’s enchanting dining room lighted by glamorous chandelier.
This home features a high ceiling lighted by a glamorous chandelier. The staircase leads to the home’s second floor landing.
This home offers an elegant second floor landing. The staircase lighted by a beautiful chandelier leads to the home’s second floor hallways with a hardwood flooring.
Modern home featuring a stylish staircase leading to the home’s second floor landing with a beautiful marble tiles flooring.
This home features a gray flooring and white walls. The staircase with black steps are covered by gray rug. There’s an elegant wall decor on the second floor landing.
Contemporary home featuring a stylish staircase leading to the home’s second floor landing with gray tiles flooring.
This home features a very stylish staircase with black steps leading to the home’s second floor landing.
This home boasts a high ceiling and a classy staircase. The white walls extend to the top meeting the hardwood shed ceiling.
This modern home features a classy second floor landing featuring a hardwood flooring and a hallway that leads straight to home’s small library.
This home features a hardwood staircase steps with white walls. This staircase leads to the home’s second floor landing.
Modern house featuring a very stylish walls and staircase that leads to the home’s second floor landing.
Contemporary wooden straight narrow staircase and landing with steel hand rail.
Modern home featuring gray walls and flooring. The staircase features hardwood steps that leads to the second floor landing.
This home boasts a stunning staircase with gray walls and hardwood steps leading to the home’s second floor landing.
Modern house boasting white walls matching the gorgeous staircase’s railing leading to the home’s second floor landing.
This home boasts a stylish staircase featuring white walls and railings along with hardwood steps lighted by a beautiful pendant lighting.
This home features a glamorous second floor landing featuring hardwood floors and a stylish staircase.
This home features a classy walls and wall decor along with a staircase with glass railings leading to the home’s second floor landing.
This home’s second floor landing features a a hardwood flooring with glass railings leading to the home’s home office with floor-to-ceiling window.
This elegant home features a stylish staircase leading to the home’s second floor landing where the home office is located.
Classy staircase with walnut hardwood finished flooring with glass railings leading to the home’s second floor landing.
This home features a stylish staircase and a second floor landing featuring a hardwood flooring.
This home’s second floor landing offers a bench seating with throw pillows near the gorgeous window.
This second floor landing offers a Mediterranean style hallway.
This home boasts a second floor landing with stylish walls and hardwood flooring.
This second floor landing features a walnut finished flooring, staircase railings and furniture lighted by a grand chandelier.
This home offers a living room set on the second floor landing featuring a sparkling hardwood flooring.
This elegant second floor landing boasts a marble tiles flooring, classy railings and a stunning chandelier.
This second floor landing is just jaw-dropping with its classy railings and flooring along with its lighting.
See our types of staircases diagrams and parts of a staircase diagram for more staircase details.
What is a landing?
A landing, as we refer to it in this photo gallery, is both the open space at the top of the stairs, usually looking down to the floor below as well as a small platform in the middle of a staircase where the stairs may take a turn or just provide a platform before continuing down.
Typically they look down into the entry foyer area of a home. While most second floor landings may also be called the upper floor hall, when there’s a view of the space below, we chose to add those spaces to our landing gallery.
Technically, the landing is a platform connecting stairs, but we took a little liberty with this term because many people do think of a landing as the open space at the top of a staircase as well.
Below is our full landing photo gallery. If you’re looking for foyer designs, check out our entry photo gallery.
Types of Landings
Styles
Landings can be classified just like other rooms of the home. They may be described by their design style such as craftsman, rustic, contemporary, transitional, Victorian, cottage, modern, eclectic, Asian, etc.
Location
However, they can also be classified as per location as we set out above. It could be an upper floor landing or top-of-stairs landing. It could also be a mid-staircase platform.
Purpose
Finally, it could be classified by purpose or use. For example, larger second-floor landings are actual rooms that overlook the space below. These spaces can be family rooms, offices, sitting rooms, crafting rooms… essentially they form a bonus space that isn’t a bedroom or bathroom.
They can also make terrific kids’ areas assuming your kids are old enough where stairs aren’t a hazard. It’s out of the way so if it gets a bit messy, it’s not the end of the world, yet you can hear what’s going on.
That said, it’s a good kids’ zone if you don’t have both living room and some additional family space. Some landings, especially those mid-stairs platforms can be sitting nooks. We have some of those in our gallery and they look fabulous.
Waste of space?
Are large landings a waste of space?
I don’t think so. While I wouldn’t want to give up a bedroom for a landing, I really like the look, feel and additional bonus space upper floor landings can provide.
They offer an out-of-the-way space that still gives you that connected-to-the-rest-of-the-house feeling. That said, I wouldn’t want my home office in a landing because it’s not private. On the flip side, I think they make terrific reading areas because it’s not in the TV room yet not secluded off in some study.
