A staircase is the one place in a house where a dark corner is genuinely unsafe, and it is usually the hardest place to add a light. The walls are narrow, the ceiling is high, and running cable means lifting floors or chasing plaster.
Start with the landing, not the steps
Most people try to light the treads and end up with glare in their eyes on the way down. Light the walls either side of the run instead — the wall wash is what makes the steps readable, and it never shines into your face.
On a straight flight, one light at each end of the run is usually enough. On a turn, put one on the outer wall of the corner: that is the point where the treads disappear from view as you descend.
Height and spacing
Eye level is the wrong place. Mount lights so the centre of the fitting sits roughly 1.7 to 1.9 metres above the tread below it, which puts the glow on the wall rather than in your sightline.
- Straight run under 3 metres: one light at each end.
- Longer or open-sided run: add one at the mid-point, spaced evenly.
- L-shaped or winding stairs: one on the outer wall at each turn.
- Over a landing: a single light centred on the wall reads as deliberate.
How much battery you need
Stairs are a short-visit space, so a small battery goes a long way. The 5000mAh set runs 10 to 24 hours depending on brightness, which at a few minutes a night is weeks between charges. If the stairwell is also the way to a home office or a nursery — somewhere the light stays on for hours — the 15000mAh set runs 30 to 80 hours.
The light you never have to think about is the one that is still charged when you need it.
Switching and control
A remote is easier than a wall switch here, because you can keep it on the landing where you actually stand. Our sets also respond to a touch panel on the light itself, so a guest who does not know where the remote lives can still turn it on.
Nothing needs to be wired, so the lights can go exactly where the stairs need them — and if the placement is wrong, moving them means two new screw holes, not an electrician.