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All Photos/staircase

Staircase Design Photos and Ideas

The new stairs replace a narrow set that was only 30 inches wide. The couple packed storage underneath.
With the new stair orientation, there’s room for closets in the nearby bedroom and at the entry.
The staircase presents a sculptural moment and leads fluidly into the open living spaces.
The architects created a proper entry by placing it between the first and second floors, and defining it with Clé tile with a wave motif. A half flight of stairs leads to the second floor, where all of the bedrooms are located.
“It’s very similar to what you’d see for corn storage,” the homeowner says of the custom designed stairwell screen. On the landing, a long vertical window frames a picturesque view of the property. As a passageway that you would typically walk through quickly, the design details in the stairwell create an experience where you instead stop and linger.
The stairs are hidden behind a core wood block with a high gloss finish for a mirror-like reflection. Fortuitously, there is a window at the top of each run. "They're not perfectly aligned, but they bring light down at every level,
The old railing was preserved and reinstalled. Neufeld also smoothed out the layout upstairs by pushing the bathroom back and ceding space to circulation. The skylights were existing.
Flywheel Industrial Arts fabricated and installed the floating steel and oak stair based on Herrmann’s design which balances geometry with organic rhythms. If Herrmann noticed a repeated pattern when she glanced at it, she played with the spacing until her eye wasn’t drawn to any single spot. “We were excited by the combination of a massive, steel superstructure and a non-repeating baluster pattern,” says Benjamin Cheney, a partner at the Montpelier-based firm. Bocci pendant lights illuminate the stair evenly and look beautiful.
The entry hall is open but inviting. “When you get into the property you can see thru the space, so I didn’t want it to be cluttered,” Bérubé says. The white oak built-ins for coats and shoes are simple and seamless. The Jan Kath rug warms the the poured-in-place concrete floor. The owners acquired the Nicola Hicks bear sculpture at an art fair in Hong Kong from London-based Flowers Gallery.
White-washed pine on the walls and ceiling, and birch plywood on the custom cabinetry meld seamlessly together. The floors are laminate.
The home's street-facing slatted-wood facade hides a stairway for the guest suite above.
A narrow staircase connects the main floor with the pod’s upper level and intersects the entryway to form another captivating, carved-out space.
A new curling staircase accommodates the new layout. Formerly the staircase had been near the front entrance.
The home’s two levels used to be connected only by an external staircase. The architects reorganized the floor plan to insert a new indoor stair, which is bordered by a screen of steel cables grounded in stones the couple collected on their beach. The columnar lantern is by Stefan Gulassa, a local artist who made many of the home’s light fixtures.
Upstairs, a 150-square-foot flex space can work as an office, media area, or lounge. "The view and the light are so nice, I’m thinking of making it a joint workspace so coworkers can come work here when it’s safe," says Nils. A Perimeter pendant light from Blu Dot illuminates the stairway.
A restrained palette of wood and white makes the architecture a neutral backdrop. "It’s kind of cliché, but we believe you can create good spaces simply with modest materials and light," says Legge. The stairs are oak, and the built-in shelving is Douglas fir.
natural light
The wooden staircase is a nod to the original timber cabin.
Japanese "tansu" stairs with storage compartments underneath.
View to the Captain's Deck
Central Area Home
Homeowner and co-designer Christopher Hansen heads for the beach from the home’s double-height entry hallway, where a glass stairway with parota wood treads maintains sight lines.
Homeowner Nancy Church wanted a steel staircase inspired by a Jean Nouvel design. Her architect and contractor collaborated on an economical version that is used both inside and out.
The mirrored villa rests on 43-foot-high pillars and is accessed via a long wooden staircase.
"While each floor is assigned a function, the spaces are connected through open floor plans and offset levels, which enlarge the space and counter the smallness of the house," says Unemori.
Azin redesigned the staircase for better flow, tucking storage beneath and running the counter into the stair tread. The V-shaped cabling is based on a pattern from the ’60s, says Azin.
Underneath vines hanging down from above, a dual-sided entertainment center provides partial separation of the public space. "We designed the dual functioning entertainment/bar fixture to visually separate the living and dining areas while remaining low enough to allow your eye to read the space as one continuous environment," says Melanie.
With the home’s relatively compact footprint and efficient floor plan comprising two bedrooms and two bathrooms over a single living level, smart use of space was critical. "Built-in storage everywhere [is] number one," says Melanie. A pantry and storage drawers are tucked under the stairs.
Mature pothos vines drip over the banister of the loft, cascading down to the first floor. "It’s the first thing people notice," says Melanie.
stairway
Jinhee and John, looking east from the dual-story roof deck. The door behind Jinhee leads to the top floor of Andy Hong’s unit, where a bar fridge contains wine ready for parties. In the background is the boxy form of a traditional triple-decker.
The brass staircase was one of the costliest elements of the build. "It was worth investing in [because] it contributes to defining the ambiance of the house in its two most important rooms—the living and dining [areas]," Chevalier states.
The stairs that connect the main level to the mezzanine appear to float weightlessly without any visible support.
A double-height glass wall looks out onto the home’s courtyard entrance.
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