15 Impressive Front Stairs Designs with Landings for a More Balanced Staircase

It is said that every staircase, including the stairs in your front house, should have a landing at the top and bottom.

The width of the landing should be no less than the width of the stairs, measured perpendicular to the direction of travel. However, commonly front stairs designs have only one landing at the top.

So, what is the use of landing?

Should every front stair have it?

Basically, there are two main purposes why the landings should be made.

First, it is for safety and rest purposes. On a steep-sloped where high stairs should be made to access the front door, landings should be added to help the visitors rest in before climbing the stairs again. This will be safer than designing a straight staircase with no landing to rest.

Second, landing is also used when the front stairs have a different direction. The landing is a sign where the treads stop and start again in a different direction. This type of front stairs is quite common for those who have a wider front porch.

So, have you been assured to add landings in your front stairs design yet? If so, here are some impressive front stairs designs with landings that you may inspire you:

1. Fieldstone Risers and Bluestone Landings in the Front Stairs

This graceful house features a lovely traditional exterior that combines a beautiful landscape and neutral color siding.

There are two front stairs. Each staircase is separated by a landing. The landing is meant to be a rest area, a spot where you are supposed to stop first before continuing to climb the next stairs.

The first front stairs are narrower with a curved stone banister than the second ones. After the landing, the second stairs start. The second stairs only consist of several steps, but those look more structured with similar dimensions than the first stairs.

Both front stairs are made of fieldstone risers, a local New England stone that you can easily find in any stone supplier. The landings and the treads, on the other hand, seem to be made of bluestone.

The combination of fieldstone and bluestone in front stairs creates a perfect traditional look, especially with the concrete walkway.

2. Flagstone Front Stairs are Set on top of Concrete with Angled Landings

If your house is not located on a slope or a hillside, you don’t need a steep or high front stair in your exterior.

Like you see in this house, basically, the ground on the landscape and on the main property is almost at the same level. That is why the designer only designed wider treads with smaller risers for the front stairs.

The front stairs are designed not straight but a bit curved to achieve a modern and elegant look. However, instead of creating curved stairs, the designer decided it would be even better if the stairs were designed in a sharp-angled.

So, to accommodate the change of direction, the landings were added but in an angled design.

All these stairs are made of flagstone that was set on top of concrete.

The designer also installed FX lights on the risers to promote safety, especially at night.

If you wonder how to power these lights, they pull out from their housing to change the bulb and access. The locations and wiring should be set first before the concrete is poured.

3. Concrete Front Stairs with a Landing to Change Direction

For a simple and minimalist look, you can always rely on concrete. Apart from being simple and minimalist, concrete also provides a solid and durable surface for your front stairs.

You can choose this material for your front stairs if you want to use them as a canvas to highlight the bolder and more prominent texture or color in your exterior.

This house features concrete front stairs in a light gray color.

There is a landing used to change the direction of the stairs. This zig-zagged design delivers a more balanced look than if you just build your stairs straight in wider treads.

To accentuate the front stairs, the designer also installed recessed lights, which are Margin Wall SS Led Lights from Lightology. This way, you don’t have to worry about guests being tripped on their climbing to your front door.

4. Wide Landings for Three Separated Front Stairs in a Large Landscape

This large and elegant house features a majestic landscape completed with various plants.

Due to the large space, the front stairs are divided into three. This is the best way to accommodate people to access the front door if the property is spacious.

Separating the front stairs into several parts will make people less tired when accessing your front door from the driveway.

We can see here the front stairs are made of stone with wider landings than the usual ones.

The wide landings have two functions.

First, they are meant to be a rest space for the visitors before going to the next stairs. Second, they are used to access other parts of the landscape, where there are other stairs in a different direction that lead to other parts of the house.

In the first landing, we see that it leads to the front porch and to the garage. It is quite common for larger properties to have several front stairs that lead to different directions.

So, the landings are supposed to be a spot where you can decide in which direction you want to go.

5. Front Stairs and Landings that Are Similarly Made of Stones in a Rustic Design

This contemporary landscape has a touch of rustic style from the front stairs. It appears that it takes a long way to reach the front gate. And along the way, there are some stairs to help you climb the elevated space.

These front stairs are made of stone, both the treads, the risers, and the landings.

Since there are three different stairs, there are three landings too.

Here, the landings are made to prepare the visitors to climb the next stairs. That is why the landings here are also considered wider than the usual ones.

It is not only because the landscape is spacious enough to accommodate wider landings but also because they are used as a walkway.

6. Half-circular Shaped Landing of a Front Stair that Leads to the Square Shaped Porch

Having a different design for the front stairs, the landing, and the front porch is a clever way to navigate the guests who access your entrance.

The front stairs are designed in a curved design that matches the bottom landing.

A Curved and circular design like this is a fresh way to decorate your entrance because they look more appealing than the usual rectangular-shaped stairs. This design is called rounded bullnose.

The stairs and the landings are made of concrete that looks like a stone. The landings are made in a half-circular design, providing a wider area than the stairs, so the guests can take a rest a little before reaching the front porch.

The front porch area is completely different. It is made in a perfectly squared shape. Even though the porch, the landings, and the stairs are made of similar material, they have different designs. Such a clever way to increase the curb appeal.

7. Brick Front Stairs with Landing that is Directly Connected to the Porch

Unlike the previous ones, the stairs are directly connected to the front porch.

Even they are made in a similar material, a timeless brick that contrasts the yellow exterior.

A small square-shaped landing at the top of the stairs connects them to the porch.

The landing itself blends seamlessly to the front porch, creating an interchangeable look. It makes the landing look as if it was the extension of the roof.

To achieve this look, you have to design your front stairs coming from the side of your porch instead of the front.

So, even though the design is basically simple with no additional stairs to enhance the elegance, the stairs will still look unique and whimsical.

However, make sure you don’t build stairs with too many steps, especially with no banisters and railing. It will be quite dangerous if you have little children or pets.

8. Stone Front Stairs with Bluestone Landing that Matches the Walkway

Using stones in your landscape is an excellent idea if you want to achieve a craftsman style. This craftsman house proves it.

Actually, this house is situated on an elevated level. However, it doesn’t look too steep because of the front stairs.

Instead of designing a straight front stair from the driveway to the front door, the landscaper divided the front stairs into two.

The first ones start right from the driveway. They have attached to the retaining wall around. Thus, the retaining wall and the risers are made of a similar material, Northwest basalt stone.

A bluestone landing at the top of the first stairs matches the walkway. The landing here is meant as a rest area, where the guests can take a little breather first before continuing to the next stairs.

The bluestone walkway connects the top landing to the other landing that is installed at the bottom of the second stairs.

Unlike the first stairs, these ones are seemingly made of usual concrete, so they look more modest and simpler. The concrete stairs seem to match the front porch flawlessly.

9. Granite Front Stairs and Landings on a Sloped Area

Situated on a sloped area, this house needs a higher staircase to connect the entrance to the driveway below. Instead of designing one long straight staircase, it will be more comfortable, less dangerous, and more aesthetic like this.

The front stairs are separated with some landings. It is obvious that the landings are used as a spot to stop a little while before going on climbing. After all, this is such a long way to go.

The front stairs and the landings are made of a similar material to create a simple and consistent look. They are made of granite.

At the bottom of the stairs, a small walkway can also be used as a landing made of stamped concrete with concrete edging.

The stamped concrete walkway directly leads to the stairs. With plants on both sides, these stairs draw enough attention. The white color accentuates the greeneries around.

That is why the designer didn’t feel the need to add any pattern or use other eye-catching materials with bold colors.

After all, these are timeless stairs that draw attention in their own way.

10. Quartzite Landings are Bordered by Bluestone Slabs that Match the Treads of the Front Stairs

As a timeless element, stone can also be used to enhance a contemporary design.

In this contemporary exterior house, there are front stairs that are made of bluestone. The step treads are made of Connecticut Bluestone cut in long slabs, the same with the perimeter stones on the ladings and the porch (but in 12” x24” version).

On the other hand, the landings are made of 12”x24” Idaho Quartzite.

Why was the quartzite not used for the edge?

According to the designer, the Idaho Quartzite wasn’t thick enough to create a nice edge. That’s why he used the bluestone around the edges instead to create a more solid look.

The face of the riser in these front stairs is similar to the vertical surfaces and the walls, which are thin veneer. The landings match the porch perfectly. They are also made of a similar material to the “stone deck” surface on the back deck.

As an accent, the designer also added sleek stainless steel cable railing posts to match the silvery quartzite on the landings.

11. A Simple Front Stairs Design with Landings at the Top and Bottom

Such simple front stairs are completed with landings at the top and the bottom.

The stairs here look steep because the property seems to be located on top of a small hill, or at least an elevated space. We can see how steep the green grass is on both sides of the stairs.

The contemporary exterior of this house is resembled by the simplicity and minimalist look of each element incorporated.

The stairs seem to be made of concrete in a white color that appears in contrast to the wood cladding and the siding.

The landings at the top of these stairs lead to some other steps before taking the visitors to the front door.

Due to the steep slope, the landings are needed to make sure the visitors can climb all the stairs without losing their breath.

The top landing also accommodates the flat surface of the landscape. When the flat surface stops, so does the landing, and the steps to the front door start.

12. Combination of Concrete and Wood Front Stairs and Landings in an L-shaped Staircase

The great thing about this modern front porch is it features a unique combination of concrete and wood.

There are two front stairs. The bottom ones from the carport are made of concrete, and the second ones leading to the front door are made of wood.

There are two landings here, too, and each of them is also made of wood and concrete. If you step from this carport, the concrete landing is at the bottom of the concrete stairs. The wood landing is installed to separate the concrete and wooden stairs.

It is obvious that the wooden landing is used as the main one. It is wider than the concrete landing and looks more prominent. The wooden landing is meant as a space between two stairs that have a different direction.

These front stairs are basically an L-shaped staircase. It is relatively uncommon to see an L-shaped staircase outdoors to connect the driveway and the front door. Yet, it is not impossible if you have a large front yard and landscape.

The concrete stairs are even attached to the small retaining walls that can also be used as a planter box, made of similar concrete to create cohesion.

The wooden landing and the stairs are also attached to the wood retaining walls/planter box. They are also completed with a simple wood hand railing, unlike the concrete stairs, because it appears that the wooden stairs are higher.

We can see here that actually wood and concrete are an uncommon combination. When they are used together side by side, they will absolutely look clash and create a color block.

However, that’s the beautiful part of a contemporary design, where you can combine anything that may look weird and make it look extra instead.

13. A Series of Front Stairs with Landings to Embrace a Steeply Sloped Front Lawn

It is clear that the property is located on a steep slope. It even has a steep front lawn, which is actually fairly common in the South Minneapolis area.

So, in order to embrace the steep sloped area, the designer created a series of deconstructed front stairs and terraces to break the grand stone retaining walls into smaller spaces on a human scale.

This is useful to avoid making a fortress instead of a home on a hill.

Constructing a series of front stairs like this also creates a unique look, some unusual areas to highlight and incorporate a diversity of perennials, shrubs, and trees.

There are two smaller front stairs separated by a retaining wall from the sloped driveway. Both stairs have landings that lead the way to the next single stairs with stone columns and retaining walls on both sides.

At the top of these stairs, there is another landing that is used as a rest area before continuing to the next stairs, which consist of only several steps leading to the front door.

It is indeed a long way to reach the front door from the driveway. However, “journey to the top” isn’t too tiring because of the shrubs, perennials, and trees around.

All of the stairs are made of limestone. There is no difference to the landing. Using a similar material for the stairs and the landing is an excellent way to embrace simplicity and highlights continuity from the bottom to the top.

On the other hand, the retaining walls are made of Dolomite stone.

Both the retaining walls and the front stairs deliver different textures and colors to this landscape, adding more characters in the most aesthetic way.

14. A Curvy Landing that Separates Curved and Square Shaped Front Stairs

This is another design where the stairs and the landing have a different shapes.

It all starts from the wide and curvy walkway made of concrete with an edging. The walkway leads to curved front stairs that basically only consist of three steps.

There is a landing at the top of these stairs in a curvy look, which is actually a half-circular design. This is a wide landing, the one that is more aesthetic than functional.

Small steps like this won’t make you tired, so you basically don’t need a landing to catch your breath first before taking other stairs. However, there is a landing here. And it seems that it is used to separate two different front stairs.

The upper stairs are in a square-shaped design.

Why do they have to have a different design?

Maybe because the lower stairs are attached to the retaining walls on both sides, and the retaining walls have curvy lines, too.

The upper stairs, on the contrary, are connected to the columns, which are more structured with sharp lines. Thus, creating square-shaped stairs is more reasonable than curvy ones.

The upper stairs are also completed with a metal handrail to accentuate the whole look. It seems that both stairs are made of fieldstone with bluestone treads and a landing.

15. Traditional Style Front Stairs and Landings are Made of Dark Colored Concrete

Basically, this is a simple traditional landscape with no prominent texture or color.

There are front stairs that seem to be made of concrete in dark color. Dark-colored concrete is quite unusual because we’ve seen much concrete in bright colors in the pictures before.

White-colored concrete can create a simple and minimalist look. On the opposite, dark-colored concrete like this will create a dramatic effect with an elegant look in your landscape.

The landings here are basically located at the bottom and the top of the stairs.

However, the bottom landing is narrower than the top one. It is because the bottom landing is installed with two posts on both sides that are also made of similar dark-colored concrete. The bottom landing is simply used for an aesthetic purpose.

The top landing is quite different. Even though we can’t say that it is fully functional, it is used as a spot to separate the last stairs from the next ones.

The landing at the very top is very long because it directly leads to the front porch steps. This landing can also be functioned as a walkway with small shrubs and perennials lined on both sides.

What a great way to accentuate a plain traditional front staircase.

Closing

It is safe to say that having landings on your front stairs will definitely increase your curb’s appeal.

It is also a smart way to upgrade your porch because it will surely add value to your house if you want to sell it. There is no need to make a huge investment to add a lot of value to your house if you can build landings.

There are some popular materials to build front stairs and landings, like stamped concrete, concrete, bluestone, and flagstone. Each of them has its own style that can fit any theme you choose for your landscape.

The most versatile material is concrete, especially stamped concrete, because you can create anything out of stamped concrete. It can mimic any other material, like stone, paver, or even wood.

You can match the landings and the front stairs to create a simple and consistent look (usually used for a traditional or timeless style), or you can design a landing made of a different material from the front stairs.

The difference will highlight where the treads stop, the landing starts, and vice versa. This is a typical design if you use several landings on high front stairs.

Or, you can also create a different design for the landings and the front stairs.

For instance, half-circular front stairs combined with square-shaped landing. Or, half-circular front stairs and landing that leads to the square-shaped porch. It will make a clear distinction between the stairs, the landings, and the front porch, especially if you design each of them with different material but still in the same color.

What a clever way to incorporate a modern or contemporary design into your landscape.