Revisioning your stairwell can give your home a real step up.
BY SIMONE PAGET
Staircases are as much a feature of the home as they are a functionality.
Whether considering the appropriate look for a banister or railing, or redesigning the location and structure entirely, modifying your stairs can, quite literally, elevate your home.
“Staircases can be a dominating feature, so they need to be well considered visually,” says Jake James, a blacksmith based in Metchosin, who specializes in producing sculpturally influenced projects. “They are a part of a home that will be used continually, so there are tactile as well as esthetic considerations, too.”
A well-thought-out stair can elevate the overall appeal of your home and create a unique focal point. But how does one decide on the type — quarter-turned, winder, cantilevered, curved, circular, ladder, straight, crossover, bifurcated; the list goes on — and the style to suit your space?
Spruce talked to a few experts to help guide your process. Here are a few things to consider when you’re ready to take the next step.
The Overall Goal
Ideally, a staircase should marry form and function.
When designing a staircase, Wendy Taylor, design and development co-ordinator at Green Island Builders, says it’s important to consider the overall goal of the space. For example, are you trying to open up the feel of the home or create a separation between levels and areas? Taylor speaks in favour of open designs — especially for small or irregular spaces — to open the room and create an illusion of space. L-shaped open stairs and transparent materials are classic choices for this.
“Open-trade design can add a lightness to a staircase and an openness to a floor plan,” says Taylor, even if the layout is limited. “Glass, if used correctly, can make the staircase feel very open as well.”
The Home’s Existing Style
To ensure the staircase is a focal point and not a distraction, it’s crucial to take into account the actual style of the home — not just the one you wish you had.
“When I am designing, I am always responding to external stimuli,” says James. “The style of the home and tastes of the client are usually the biggest factors, and my job is to take these and then create a beautiful and functional railing that will meet — and hopefully exceed — the needs.”
When in doubt, choose staircase features that are modern and elegant, and avoid moves that turn the home into a patchwork of styles.
“Curved handrails with minimal pickets are beautiful and can suit almost any home,” says Taylor.
Functional Design Railings
Railings are so much more than a safety feature. Use them as your style boost.
“A handrail on an existing wall is often used when you want to keep the design minimalistic, timeless and, of course, it’s very budget friendly,” says Taylor.
That doesn’t mean railings have to be boring.
“Ideally, a railing becomes a design feature, often panellized due to the nature of staircases, and the design will flow throughout the entire project,” says James. “I like to draw in the viewer’s eye to focal points in the railing, whilst ensuring the overall design works together.”
Tread Materials
To minimize distractions, and create a sense of continuity throughout the home, ensure tread materials coordinate with the rest of the space.
“Matching the existing hardwood flooring can make the space flow without any transition,” says Taylor. “You can also add a carpet runner if you want to add a transition between spaces.”
If you’re in the modern camp, glass, carbon mesh or even steel can create elegant and industrial looks to accent style while keeping functional traction and safety in mind.
Embrace Curves
Recently, Taylor and her team completed a staircase design in Vancouver, featuring a sweeping curved wood handrail across three stories, complemented by strategically placed simple black pickets, notably on the very bottom steps of the lower level.
The handrailing was intentionally kept along the inside wall, ensuring continuity from the basement level through the main floor and upper level. Taylor describes the project as “beautiful, but in a quiet way.”
“It had a seamless flow through the home without being overpowering and demanding attention,” she says.
In other words, it’s everything a statement-making staircase should be.
Go For Sculpture
James’s work is influenced by both European Art Nouveau and the geometric style of Pacific Northwest Indigenous art. In a recent project, James skillfully incorporated the “feel” of both traditions, avoiding direct mimicry, to craft a sweeping, panellized railing at the heart of a charming, timber-framed home.
“The design feels alive, conjuring images of diving sea animals,” James says. “As a medium, forged steel is a textural quality that works perfectly with most other materials — in this case, with the heavy timbers of the house.”
