I’m just going to say what some of us are thinking here: Split-level homes are not ideal for a lot of reasons. This isn’t just an empty statement from a design writer looking for something to post about. I know this because I live in one and while it’s mostly fine (and even has its “pros”), it can also be quite frustrating both to live in and also to decorate. So I figured, “Hey, if I struggled with this, maybe some readers out there in a similar style of architecture also do?”
Today’s post is going to walk you through some concepts for how to make a split-level or bi-level house and townhouse look and feel great visually, whether you’re simply decorating or planning on doing some renovations.
But first, a little background about my particular situation:
I live in a multi-level townhouse that we picked because it offered us the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and workspaces we needed for our family, as well as an ideal kid-friendly community. Those are all things that, frankly, matter more to me than a bit of a funky layout/flow. BUT, it’s not without its flaws (like basically having no real entryway beside a landing strip I carved out of a small slice of a wall).
Every room is essentially on its own level. Garage: one level (bottom). Downstairs office: Door to room at garage level but then four steps down from the door to its own level (also there’s a flight of stairs down from living room/front door). Living room: At main level with the front door. Dining room/kitchen/powder bath: Five steps up from living room. Bedrooms: Upstairs from dining room level. Patio: Three steps down from the living room. Front door: Three steps up from the front walkway which is three steps up from the main street. Are you dizzy yet with all those steps and levels to account for?!?
You’d think my legs and tush would be in much better shape. In all seriousness, my husband and I have serious stairs/level fatigue. Even traveling between living and dining spaces is a chore some days, not to mention how much smaller each space feels because they aren’t open to each other (mostly a problem for my daughter not having enough room to run around, push her little cars and toys, etc.). And don’t get me started on the baby gate situation, which I know is temporary but very much a part of our current life.
When we first moved in, we had a newly minted one-year-old child, so there were three baby gates all within view: right when you opened the front door down the stairs to the garage, at the top of the steps between the living and dining room, and at the opening of the stairs up to the top level (there was a fourth one at the top of the stairs outside the bedroom doors). It was madness. We’ve since taken down the one between the living and dining spaces because our girl can confidently and safely climb up and down those.
But readers, there are some positives here. It is nice to have our dining room fully separated from our living room as someone who works at the dining table, and it’s nice to be a half level above to see out through our windows onto our beautiful street without being directly at eye level with anyone walking by.
Aside from my own pluses, there *are* reasons split-level and bi-level homes came to be so popular. According to this Architectural Digest article on the subject, they started popping up in the mid-century after World War II when families were moving out of cities with all those babies they were having. The suburbs were booming, and developers were squeezing as many homes into neighborhoods as they could. The split-level offered a way to get more square footage into smaller lots, which meant they were more affordable than a larger single-level ranch or even two-story Colonials or Craftsmen. Here are a few other advantages:
- Maximizes a tricky lot where homes might be built on a slope or hill
- Multiple visible levels can make a home feel larger
- Sleeping and living areas are separate, which helps with noise and privacy
- Different and designated areas that were still “open” to each other (great for light transfer from windows rather than blocking light with solid walls)
Now that we’ve assessed my personal history as well as that of the split-level itself, it’s time to talk about how to design around a plethora of railings, staircases, and levels.
Rule #1: Build Cohesion Through Color Palette, Materials & Design Style
I know, I know. This is basically the number one design rule for *any* home, whether it’s on one level or four levels, but it’s especially important in a split-level home since so many of the rooms tend to be visible to one another (similar to an open floor plan house). Having your dining room four feet up from your living room is not permission to go rogue and “try” something new. The key to harmony between spaces and creating a nice flow for both the eye and the mind is to extend style elements between all areas you can see from a single vantage point. Hone in on a color palette and a furniture style and ensure you’re incorporating it strategically throughout.
Rule #2: Create A Proper Entryway, No Matter How Little Space You Have
It’s safe to say the top reason people struggle with their split-level homes is because they basically have no foyer. You open your front door and have a small landing with the decision to either go up or down the stairs and god help you if you have shoes, bags, and dog leashes to store. I like the route Ashley from My Ugly Split went in her entryway, giving it more of a mudroom treatment with paneling, hooks, and a bench. And don’t underestimate the power of some cute art and decor, of course.
Rule #3: Float Your Furniture
Before we brought our furniture into our home, I noticed some fading on the wood floors in an unusual direction. Meaning, whatever rug had lived there was oriented in a way I wouldn’t have put it. One visit from our landlord a few months later helped me understand why. “Oh wow, I would have never thought to put our sofa here,” she said to me when popping by to check out an issue we were having. I asked her where she had placed hers and she told me they put it up against the half wall between the living and dining rooms. Their TV console? Well, directly in front of it, blocking the large sliding glass doors. To her, their only option was putting their main seating against the wall, and my friends, there’s another way!
FYF! Float Your Furniture! Release your sofas and armchairs and accent tables from the wallflower fate you’ve forced upon them. You can see in the image above of one of Emily’s previous living rooms in a split-level home that she built her seating area in the center of the room, rather than right up against the wall, effectively opening up a walking path around the sofa. You want to let your living spaces in a split-level breathe as much as possible as oftentimes, they’re smaller and have fewer full walls to work with.
And look. I get that sometimes, up against the railing or pony wall you have is the only viable option for making the space functional, but at the very least, leave about 6-12 inches of space between the back of the sofa and whatever you’re putting it up against.
Rule #4: Hang Curtains & Art At Similar Heights Across All Visible Spaces
This one comes with the following caveat: Only do this if it makes sense as sometimes, windows are at wildly different heights and it would look silly if you forced it. That, or the ceiling angle doesn’t allow for it. But as much as you can create a continuous visual line between rooms with art or draperies, do it!
For example: It’s not the most obvious thing to see in the above two images from architect Haus D7 because I’m kind of cut off at the knees with good images of split-level homes and rooms, BUT I like how they took the art in the dining level up high enough to essentially match the art in the kitchen level just past the slatted wall. To me, it limits all the up-and-down stepping motion your eyes already have to do with moving between rooms.
I don’t have an image to illustrate this for curtains, sadly, but the principle is the same. If it’s feasible to do, try to keep where you’re hanging your curtain rods between spaces with windows at different heights on the same visual line for a really polished and cohesive look.
Rule #5: Make The Most Of Double-Height Rooms
This rule applies whether you’re renovating or just decorating. In the above image from SALA Architects, they brought that fireplace feature up to the ceiling, which really amplified the height of the room and brought your attention through all the levels of the home. Here’s another view so you can see just how many planes there are here:
You can accomplish something similar with art, like I did in my own home. I don’t have proper photos of my spaces yet, so I just stood in my dining room and quickly snapped this shot to show you. You’ll have to squint through the baby-proofing mesh on the railing, but imagine that the frames go down to a lower media cabinet.
Once I installed this gallery wall (which used to live in my previous dining room), it really made the space feel so much more grand. When I add in the final pieces of art, they’ll essentially blend into the mirror above my bar console in the dining room (see rule #4). Having super tall ceilings in a given space and doing nothing with it is like having an Idina Menzel-like singing voice and only ever humming along to your favorite song. USE IT!
Rule #6.1: If You Want More Of A “Closed Off” Floor Plan, Choose Pony Walls Instead Of Railings
Most split-level homes you find are going to have railings, railings, and more railings. This has its benefits (see rule #6.2) but it can also look very busy with all the lines everywhere. Plus, there is a lot of visibility between areas, and sometimes, you just don’t want that. I’m personally a fan of a more moderately closed-off concept so each room feels like its own, which isn’t easy with essentially no walls (or open “walls”). You can see an example of going the pony wall route in the modern and organic home the EHD team styled years ago. From my knowledge, this beautiful house has (at least) four levels, and with low walls rather than railings, each area really stands alone.
Here’s a view from the living room, which is just off the entry (there is a “foyer” pass-through level behind that wall but before the next set of stairs up to the dining room and kitchen). Thanks to wonderful natural light coming from windows high up in the open home, you don’t need the open railings to facilitate light flow. Plus, guests can be greeted at the front of the home without seeing straight back into the kitchen, which is always a blessing in my book as someone whose counters perpetually have open boxes of crackers and cutting boards with chopped fruit and toast crumbs (toddlers always want snacks, evidently).
Rule #6.2: If You Have Limited Natural Light, Choose Railings (Or Nothing) Over Pony Walls
Alternatively, there are times when you might want as much unblocked transition between spaces in a split level, whether for light, visibility, or just a general sense of openness. In that case, railings work just fine, but there are also ways to avoid them altogether, like in the room above featured on Inside Out magazine’s Instagram that used steps up between areas carved out of low knee walls with a feature fireplace and planters.
Rule #7: Don’t Overlook Swapping Pony Walls Or Railings With Wood Slat Partition Walls
This is by far one of my favorite ways to add some really special architectural interest to what’s usually a pretty sad little circa 1970s railing, especially on the level above the entryway. I’ve followed Alli of The Hoss Homestead for many, many years, watching her split-level home get renewed life, and I always loved how she went the route of a partition wall to give the home a decidedly mid-century aesthetic.
Rule #8: Consider Sharing A Feature Material Across Spaces
If renovating or doing a heavier redecorating lift, consider bringing a material like wood cladding (on the wall and/or ceiling), shelving, or wallpaper across nearby spaces. Above, you can see that the landing in the modern and organic home we showed earlier has beautiful wood cabinets and shelving, and this material continues up into the dining room and across into the top part of the living room. It acts as a kind of olive branch between spaces to unite them.
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Honestly, a split-level home can be kind of great in a lot of ways if it’s done right. Buying one that still looks and operates like it’s fresh from 1978 maybe not so much, but employ some creative design and architectural solutions and now we’re talking.
And this is where I leave you for the day friends. I’m curious, though, did you grow up in a split-level home? Are they nostalgic for you or a great big bummer? I’d love to hear if you live in one now or at any point, and any advice you might be able to add to my running list of ideas.
See you around these parts next time. 🙂
Opening Image Credits: Design by Emily Henderson | Photo by Tessa Neustadt | From: How To Add Style To A Neutral Living Room (+ Get The Look)
My aunt and uncle had one and their home was the gathering hub. The entry was tiny and immediately you had to go up or down. It was challenging as their generation aged and navigating all those steps got harder and harder. Getting food and groceries up to the kitchen for our potlucks was a royal pain. They bought it in the 60s and just sold it this spring so I’m sad our hub is gone but I won’t miss the layout. I love all the ideas you shared for how to make it work better.
Ooooh, this is a great post! I too have a tricky layout with a split level, step down into our living room plus two walls with sliders in the LR that lead to the office and the laundry room/porch. Our living room is so choppy and only has one full wall. I struggle with furniture and TV placement and how to make it actually look good. I think this could be a Friday fix-it segment. 🙂 Thanks for all the ideas and beautiful pictures. This has certainly given me some food for thought.
Seconding the request for another fix-it Friday! I don’t have a split-level home but do have an odd layout with a single step down from the entryway and dining area to the living room. The challenge is that the living room is a narrow, L-shaped, pass-through room with a fireplace and a weird little open nook under the stairs.
This was fun to read! My grandparents lived in a split level when I was a kid, it was my mother’s childhood home and I always thought it was the greatest house. So many places to run and explore, so much going on! The steps were also extra shallow in that house which I think helped, it was less of a workout getting around like steeper steps would have been.
I don’t have one but did want one in the past. To me they are the most homey, cozy-inside. I do think they look a bit odd outside-maybe strategic landscaping would soften.
I feel like a lot of people think they’re homey and cozy, and I think it might be because the spaces are less open, but they’re also just nostalgic for so many people who grew up in the suburbs in the ’60s-’80s when so many homes were built as split-levels. Nostalgia is powerful!
I would love to see a post on handling landscaping “dated” or basic style houses. We just bought one and I feel overwhelmed by the basic-ness/ blank-slate landscaping issue.
Love how that amazing gallery wall acts as art for the dining space, too. What a great idea. Loved this post! Thanks Arlyn!
Great post! I would love to see a follow-up with interviews – people who have bought split levels and remodeled them to become less choppy. I have an older relative who lives in one but is rapidly approaching that age when stairs are becoming difficult (not to say dangerous), and you cannot really install ramps everywhere because the “landings” are too short. I would love to see some examples of successful remodels!
Lots of good ideas. I live on the second floor where my entry has all of around 40” x 40” at the foyer. Then once you go up the stairs it is open and spacious. Really not much you can do with that size foyer, but looking to replace front door with an outswing door, which should help a bit.
Is the “landing zone” in split-level homes usually in the garage (assuming these homes have interior access from the garage)? Except for the one photo from the myuglysplitlevel Instagram post, I didn’t really see other alternative examples of where you drop your keys, have a bench to put on/take off shoes, hang dog leashes, keep a coat rack, etc. We bought our 1970s ranch house 5 years ago and the dedicated large foyer area is one of the most practical features.
Re: Rule #1, a tight color palette is really helpful as are repeating patterns, motifs, and materials. However, assuming a tight color palette, styles can differ from room to room, depending on how closed/open the various rooms are to each other.
As a fan of multiple Eclectic Style combinations, having a whole house color palette gave me the freedom combine, mix and match styles together in different rooms. Luckily, I have pony walls throughout. I’d pick one style to lead in from one room to the next, such as a Moroccan-Rustic hallway leading to a Global Boho Shaker kitchen (including Moroccan influences). That way, the change from one Eclectic room to the next is smoother. Color’s my through line.
Re: Rules #4 Art/Curtains Hung Same Height and #8 Same Feature Material Throughout, they’re all about sightlines. What a person looks from room to room to room, what do they see? What would you like them to see or notice?
Re: Rules #2 Entryway and #3 Float Furniture, both were essential for functionality and flow.
Love these tips for transforming a split-level home! Addressing the unique layout challenges with clever design choices can really make a huge difference. Thanks for sharing!