The stairs for custom homes are always a pleasurable challenge. Clients wanted a ‘showstopper’ design, and of course something unique. This was the hard part. How to do something unique when most everything has been done before?
These stunning stairs had some specific client requirements, no center stringer, thick treads, no big gaps between treads and glass guards. Clients searched the web high and low and could not find what they wanted. Our challenge was to make these stairs stunning and also have these stairs be the focal point of the interior design.
For us, stairwells are seen as a single volume from top to bottom. That volume is interrupted by access to the various floors and usually by windows. In this case, 2 storey corner windows were a prominent architectural element both inside and out. Our stairwell design capitalised on this by cladding the 3 walls with horizontal white oak panels. The reveals in the panels were located to align with the windows. This panel design is a continuation of the same paneling design used elsewhere in the home.
The finished stairs are built around a steel frame. It was designed so the landing can be made to appear as if it floats. This structure allows the stairs to be un-attached to the walls for a truly stunning look.
The attention to detail for the interface between steel, wood & glass are well detailed in the drawings. The various crafts people involved did an outstanding job in executing the design.
