Stair style needs to match the architecture of the home.

None of the above.

No handrail in the last one? That sounds treacherous, not timeless.

I guess you lean on the glass wall :(

All four of the posted stairways look like cheap stairs to a cellar. So I guess the stairs themselves are all 'timeless'. Just not in a good way.

no such thing as timeless. matching what would have been in the house when it was built while keeping up with colors and patterns is the way to go.

i use my 90 year old bathroom as an example. it could have been renovated 10 times by now, and unless it was done in the last 5 years it would look off. but because it 'goes' with the 150 year old house (i really wouldnt want a 150 year old bathroom, i'm thinking) its not a problem.

"The last one will for sure need a handrail on the wall opposite the glass! That wouldn't pass code where I live."

What's your real question or reasoning behind your poll?

The stairs aren't separately "timeless," but part of the timelessness of your house. As someone already said, stairs that reflect the style and finishes of the house are the way to go. Also, do you have wood floors? Marble? Tile? It's best to tie in finishes that harmonize with the floors. You haven't provided enough information. Once commentors get more information and photos of the actual house where the stairs are going, they will offer you choices you might not have considered.

What does the rest of the home look like? How large? Where in the house is the staircase?

"...I have been looking at a lot stair design and was simply curious. I didn't post anything specific but am looking to see what looks best to others and maybe even why. It may potentially help me make a decision when I am planning my stairs. I like modern but want to remain classic and not too trendy for my own design but like elements of these as well..."

Stairs are simply another element of a building. There's no such thing as an individual building element, such as a stair, being "timeless". Stair design depends on the architectural style of the building. Colonial buildings, and all their derivatives, had one type of stair. Romantic and Victorian buildings, and all their derivative, had other types of stairs. Prairie and Craftsman buildings had their types of stairs. Modern and International Style buildings had their types of stairs.

The most appropriate stairs are those which match the architectural style of the building.

Here's a stair to guess it's building style:

Either Art Nouveau or Dracula?

One or the other...pretty sure!

I rented a house in South Kensington in London a year or so ago. It was a VERY ancient mews house and quite narrow. It had been gutted and re-done in a very contemporary style to allow light into what would have been very dark. It was done very, very well. It was on 3 floors - the ground floor, an upper floor, and a lower floor. In order to get as much light into this narrow space, the staircase used glass which allowed a ceiling skylight on the upper floor to flood the staircase all the way to the lower level. Here are a couple of pictures.

As you can see, the railing is on the wall - one does not use the top of the glass. The stairs are enclosed, which I think is safer for everyone (adults, children, pets)than an open-back staircase.

This was beautifully done (love the small lights) and very easy to use. I suited this very old house as the interior was very contemporary. Frankly, in such a small space, nothing else would have worked. Clearly (yes, pun intended!), such a staircase in a house with young children would be high-maintenance. Fingers would be all over that glass. But then this house would not have been suitable for such a family anyway.

I do love old/new contrast in furnishings--say an old table with Phillipe Starck Ghost chairs, but this can be hard to pull off. It must be done very, very well by someone who is a talented architect or designer or hires them. A favorite new word at Houzz is "remuddling" where individual structural changes are made that don't relate to each other or the overall space. I can certainly see in your photos that whoever designed those stairs had vision and talent.

Housegal200 you are absolutely correct, doing a contemporary style well is a talent. It is a play of balance, color and scale. But when it is done perfectly it is truly a zen experience.

Definitely opened risers and exposed stingers. Take a look at this color of stairs by the way!

I think it depends on whether you're talking modern or classic. I prefer modern, so I voted for "Stairs with open risers and rail covering the expose stringers". The design is simple enough that they could go with just about any different modern design trend coming down the line (caveat: wood color trends vary wildly of course).

However, none of what you posted above would look good with classic furniture. If you're looking for more of a timeless "goes with everything" style, I'd remove the glass, switch to a closed tread, and add very simple square wood balusters. Keep it all wood with really clean lines, no embellishments.

I’m just not a fan of open backs on stairs. It’s far to easy for someone to fall and get a limb caught, and can truly be hazardous for a baby or toddler or even a small pet.

stairs are enclosed, which I think is safer for everyone (adults, children, pets)than an open-back staircase.

mrs. worthy is of the same opinion. She hadn't realized that our basement staircase for the last nine years has open risers, but limited per the provincial Building Code to no more than 4" between treads.

But architectural magazines and sites are rife with imaginative stairs and rails that meet no Codes.

*****

Mea culpa My first home, which I bought and renoed in my 20s, had a ten-foot first floor ceiling with neither rails nor balusters on the first to second floor staircase. I always wondered why guests hugged the wall when using the stairs.

This could be timeless...or maybe not...

That's a "Stairmaster gone wild", Virgil.

"simply curious. I didn't post anything specific but am looking to see what looks best to others and maybe even why."

So, wild goose chase. Great.

Virgil Carter's post is a take on a stair type sometimes found in boats/yachts, where space is at a premium. the treads are usually wedge shaped, alternating in directions.

Don't fall into the trap of designing a house one element at a time.

The open concept stairtype looks very glamrous. BUT any one can fall and break a bone or two, then you have a problem or two. no railings or open step hard to manage crutches on them.

Right now I had a serious operation and find many stairs hard to handle. I use a 4 wheel walker to manage one step more than that, it s hanging on the bannister to get up them.

Come on... no F - the ones that go up and down? :)

Virgil Carter's stair is an Alternating Tread Stair. It's allowed by most residential codes for access to an unoccupied attic or mechanical space and possibly a small loft but not for egress between floors of a house.

I love Alternating stairs! They are very common in New Zealand (where my mother is from). A great way to fit stairs in a small footprint. I loved them as a kid, visiting family for the holidays. Then as I grew up, I’ll never forget being at my cousins house and after a bit too much wine I decided to go outside and walk around the house to get down to my bedroom in the basement as I decided it was unwise to attempt the stairs lol.

Alternating tread stairs are, by their nature, very steep but reasonably safe if there are handrails on both sides. The stair shown in the photo would be exceedingly dangerous.

Although I personally like many contemporary styles of staircases and have open stairs from the 80s that i will update when I do my kitchen, it seems like wooden stair treads stained in a nice wood color with white risers and substantial railing with white and wood combo for railing elements and banisters is a style that can fit in many styles of houses - both traditional and transitional versions of a variety of architectural styles. I feel like this is a winning combo in most real life houses I see with or without a runner.

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I think the hazards of open stairs are often overstated, but I do think they belong only in a particular type of house -- a 1970s modern house, or a very contemporary minimalist home. Nowhere else.

Yup - add me to the list of "open back stair phobia". I realize LOGICALLY that it would be really hard / awkward / unlikely to walk down the stairs and have your foot / leg go BACKWARDS.... but phobias are about logic, are they?

I can go up those stairs easy-peasy. Down? Not so much.

Modern new house problem solving? No stairs! ;-)

I have to go with Mark's E.....makes me swoon!!!

"add me to the list of "open back stair phobia". I realize LOGICALLY that it would be really hard / awkward / unlikely to walk down the stairs and have your foot / leg go BACKWARDS.... but phobias are about logic, are they?

I can go up those stairs easy-peasy. Down? Not so much."

For me it's a different kind of illogical fear......I can go down them without a problem, but going up stairs without risers really freaks me out. Because I can see the room "moving" (through the back, where a riser would be) from the corner of my eye, it creates a fear that the next step won't be where I expect it to be.

Toronto, isn't that the truth??

I know I won't fall thru, but I fall going up the stairs, down the stairs and just standing on the stairs. I made my husband put backs on the basement stairs before we moved in!!!!

None of these are timeless, IMHO. I also would not use open stairs.