When you think about a staircase, you usually consider its functionality—taking you from one level to another. However, stairways can be a profound experience, facilitating the flow of movement through your home. They can be striking, grand staircases or tucked away, hugging the wall, creating a space underneath where you can quietly sit and reflect.
Staircases are a path that guides you, and their configuration and placement can significantly impact your custom home's overall energy and feel.
Each staircase is thoughtfully designed to allow you to transition effortlessly from one level to the next. The materials you choose greatly influence the aesthetic and feel of your space. Whether you select wood, metal, glass, tile, or brick, stairways are architectural elements that serve functional necessities and create striking designs.
Let’s explore how these vertical circulation spaces offer opportunities to create dramatic focal points, showcase craftsmanship, and display your home's overall expression.
Enhance flow and movement in your home
Imagine opening the front door to your home and entering a beautiful foyer. Is there a staircase right in front of you? In older Victorian and brownstone homes, the stairs are often positioned right at the front door.
As a professional architect, I caution against designing your staircase directly across from the entrance of your home. It can create a sense of imbalance and disruption to your home's natural flow. Feng Shui principles advise against placing the staircase opposite the front door to prevent energy from rushing up the stairs too quickly instead of circulating through the first floor.
A more subtle approach is to position the stairs off to the side and allow the foyer to serve as a graceful transition space.
For one of my clients, I created a stunning entryway where the staircase curved up to the side, complemented by sculptural art pieces and views out to a lush courtyard. This thoughtful arrangement creates a sense of arrival and anticipation, inviting visitors to explore further into your custom home.
Create a bold statement with your staircase
Staircases aren't just about function—they can also be a canvas for creative expression.
In a Las Vegas project, the grand, sweeping staircase has intricate iron railings and a fresco-painted ceiling, creating a sense of grandeur and elegance. In contrast, in a contemporary home in Oregon, a glass staircase with a sleek metal handrail provided an open and airy feel.
When space was limited in a townhouse project, I incorporated a "ship's ladder" staircase with alternating treads to reach the loft living area. This solution allowed for a more compact vertical circulation while feeling intuitive and comfortable despite the steep incline. The ship's ladder staircase was fabricated out of steel and painted to integrate it well into the overall design of the loft-style townhome.
In California, the region's architectural heritage in a Spanish-influenced home inspired the stair design, which incorporated colorful tile and brick elements to create a stunning, tactile expression of the home's cultural roots.
A staircase can be more than a functional element—it can also reflect a home's unique style and character.
Design stairs for functionality
Along with the aesthetics of the stairs, their configurations impact how you flow through your home. They can be designed to provide access to the lower level without disrupting the open feel of your entryway. Basement stairs might be integrated subtly for functionality rather than being a prominent design feature. You may want to close the area under the stairwell and utilize the space for storage.
My client, Gail, in Oregon, wanted a contemporary staircase with a glass railing. Instead of using the space under the stairs for storage, she requested a little nook to sit with her dog and cuddle. These cubbies under the stairs make great reading spots or secret hideaways for kids to play.
Design the space under your stairs to be creatively repurposed as functional and enjoyable areas.
Select materials for your staircase
In addition to designing for functionality or as a bold statement, your staircase material selection can further enhance your taste and personality.
Wood stairs provide a warm, traditional feel, and you can have wood banisters and wrought iron railings custom-made for unique touches. Combine wood with other materials, such as glass, for a contemporary appeal. The wood provides a natural, grounding element, while the glass adds a sense of lightness. Wood can complement your home's overall style and design, whether traditional, rustic, or modern.
Floating staircases might utilize steel beams and metal frames to create a more cutting-edge industrial aesthetic. The rigid metal construction allows for a cantilevered, open design that appears weightless.
Metal, such as wrought iron, can create decorative railings and balustrades that add an artistic, ornamental element to stair designs, especially in more traditional or Spanish-influenced homes. If you seek a sleek, minimalist look, choose steel-framed floating stairs with glass railings to complement your architectural style.
For a contemporary home in Arkansas, I designed a staircase with glass railings, which created a sense of lightness that aligned with the home's modern aesthetic. Glass can be integrated into the stairs in various ways, such as attaching the glass directly to the side of the wood treads to create a "floating" effect. Glass railings can be a practical choice, allowing for an unobstructed view and a more open feel.
Another option for your stairs is tile. For Spanish Revival-style homes in California, colorful tile and brick elements are often incorporated into the stair design, creating a stunning, tactile expression of the home's cultural roots. Spanish roof tiles cut into shorter lengths and other decorative tiles are common in Spanish colonial and Mexican architecture for patterned railings or to cover the treads of exterior stairs.
My mother used a combination of red brick interspersed with colorful Mexican tile on her stairs leading down to their pool, blending the materials in an artistic, asymmetrical way. Tile can be used on concrete or wood stair treads, providing a durable and visually interesting surface that aligns with your home design.
Innovate to create a one-of-a-kind stairwell
You may want to take the material selection for your stairs a step further. My client, John, in Hawaii, selected sapele, a mahogany hardwood, for his staircase treads and handrail. We plan to integrate a glass railing into the wood treads to minimize the visual impact and allow the natural beauty of the sapele wood to be the focal point.
It’s been challenging to figure out how to attach the glass railing to the stairs in a structurally sound and aesthetically pleasing way without disrupting the flow of the wood treads. Combining the sapele wood handrail and the glass railing will create a graceful, minimalist expression that enhances John’s contemporary-style home.
Incorporate exterior stairs in your home design
Material selection and the design of your stairway are important, both inside and outside your home. For a client’s home in La Jolla, California, a beautiful exterior staircase went from the entry courtyard to the front door. This staircase became a beautiful expression of her aesthetic, with an art niche for her Ganesh statue, announcing her affinity for East Indian art and culture, carried throughout the home.
In a home in Las Vegas, an exterior courtyard staircase defined the entry sequence to the front door while shaping the enclosed space, which included a fireplace and seating area. These stairs led to an open loggia above the courtyard and evoked a sense of mystery.
Outdoor staircases can seamlessly integrate indoor and outdoor living spaces, serving as functional and decorative elements that reflect your taste and style.
Step up your home with a statement staircase
The stairway in your home has multiple design possibilities. It shapes the flow and feel through your home and can emerge as a powerful symbol of architecture that reflects and shapes your experience. Whether it's an impressive, striking statement or a more subtle, functional element, your staircase serves as a reminder that intentional details can enhance the overall ambiance of your home.
A thoughtfully designed staircase facilitates movement between levels and enriches your space's aesthetics. Each step, material choice, and architectural element contributes to a cohesive design that reflects your personal style and values, proving that even the most practical features can be transformed into captivating expressions of art and function.
If you want to “step up” your custom home design to align with your unique style, call me, and let's begin the conversation. Tel: 858-344-2404, or email: caitlin@caitlinkelleyarchitect.com.
Comments