Designed Stairs

Designed Stairs has the experience to design structural, open-riser staircases that are also beautiful works of contemporary art.

  • Stair Trends: Updating Your Stair

    Custom stair - wood, small

    Remodel newel post

    “I have a nice custom oak stair, but it looks out of date, and I’m not sure I like the oak anymore; should I refinish, or replace?”

    If you are starting with a good quality product, stripping it will likely be more affordable than replacing. When it comes to updating there is always a lot you can do with (re)finishing.

    If you are tired of the graininess of oak, think about going with a very dark color on the treads. The dark stain will hide much of the grain. We recently ‘painted’ oak treads black for a dramatic trendy look, then clear-coated them for durability.

    Consider changing the balusters to a new up-to-date metal look. The balusters alone will give you an entirely new look.

    Another popular trend is the trimmed (square box type) newels. Changing newels will involve a bit more cost and labor (than balusters), but can add to the dramatic updated look.

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  • Amazing Staircases: Gone with the Wind — The Bridal Curved Staircase

    Gone With the Wind - Bridal Staircase

    The 1939 film Gone With The Wind features four beautiful staircases that have come to define the elegance, grace and grandeur of interior stair design.

    The most amazing staircase in the film is without question the massive central staircase within the Twelve Oaks Plantation. This is the stair that most people refer to as the Gone With The Wind “Bridal Curved Stair”.

    The staircase begins at the first floor with a bowed starting tread approximately 20 ft. wide featuring circle ends with descending volute rail terminations directly above. The lower section of the stair is a “flared” design with curves on both sides that allow the stair to narrow as you ascend the first 12 treads to the intermediate landing. At the landing, the stair divides into two 90 degree curved sections that ascend another 20 treads to the second floor. The handrail is a Victorian design approx. 7″ wide, possibly made from Walnut, and the balusters are square top and bottom, approx. 2 1/2″ wide with alternating spiral cut turnings.

    The overall stair design is essentially three different staircases all perfectly joined at the central landing. The handrail winds uninterrupted from the top to the bottom an estimated 50 ft. in length on either side. Most of the staircase is open underneath with fantastic panel work attached to the stair backs, and the exposed stringers are detailed with brackets featuring floral rosettes and carved appliqués in a painted finish.

    The entire staircase was built on a sound stage in Hollywood and torn down as soon as filming was completed. The staircase was designed by Lyle Wheeler who won an Academy Award for his design work on the 90 sets and 50 full size buildings used in the movie.

    See some examples of well designed curved staircases.

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  • Historic Restoration of a Curved Stair & Curved Stair Railing

    Curved rail restoration

    Designed Stairs was called in to assess and restore a 1874 black walnut curved stair and curved stair rail. Abraham J. Hoffman built the stately River Forest Young Ladies Seminary in River Forest, IL in 1874. The building had many uses before it fell into disrepair prior to the eventual restoration in 1994. Many parts of the 180 degree curved staircase had deteriorated beyond repair and we determined that a combination of reconstruction and restoration would be the best course of action.

    The existing staircase and hand rail system were carefully measured, drawn and photographed before being disassembled and transported to Designed Stairs shop. The stair stringers, treads and risers had to be completely rebuilt due to water and animal damage, while the large walnut starting newel was able to be repaired. The handrail had been carved from solid black walnut stock and consisted of four sections bolted together end to end. The horizontal rail from the second floor was missing, along with many of the balusters. We carefully disassembled the four sections of rail. Each section was then scraped and sanded to remove the old varnish and prep the wood for a new finish.

    Curved rail restoration horizontal

    It was noted that the original craftsman had written the job name as “Abraham Hoffman” on the rail ends that had been bolted together. The inscription was documented and noted to the Museum staff.

    New bolts were placed and the rail reassembled and finish sanded. Several new black walnut balusters were made to match the existing originals and the horizontal 2nd floor rail and fitting were hand made to match the original stair rail. The new staircase was installed at the site and the rail system replaced in the exact position that it was originally set in 1874.

    The Trail Side Museum in Forest Park is open to the public — stop in and take a look. [Map]

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  • Elements of a Well Designed Curved Staircase

    Curved stair with marble treads

    When you see a curved staircase that appears to have an elegant flow and breathtaking presence, I can guarantee you that didn’t happen by chance. The elements of a well designed curved staircase are contained in a number of mathematical principles that a good stair designer must adhere to.

    Unlike a standard staircase where all the tread noses are parallel within each stair section, a curved staircase is at least partially designed with a number of “pie shaped” treads, with the tread noses running toward a common center point. The combination of “pie shaped” treads and standard treads within the same staircase will change the angle at which the stair ascends, and these angle changes can destroy the flow and overall appearance of the curved staircase. The design and attitude of the stair treads will dictate the final appearance of the stair’s handrail system positively or negatively. Just because a curved stair appears to “flow” on a plan-view drawing does NOT mean it will look good in the third dimension.

    The true keys to curved stair design are allowing for enough room for a proper design, then developing a design with geometrical consistency which will result in those fantastic 3D lines that become the soul of the home’s interior.

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  • The Entry Experience — Incorporate Top Stair Trends

    Stair trends

    Open the door and …. WOW!!

    Whether you are listing your home for sale, remodeling, or building a new home, you want to make choices that increase the value of your investment. How important is your Entry Experience to the value of your home?

    Research indicates that a home-buyer makes their buying decision during the first two to three minutes upon entering a home. The entryway sets the expectation for what your visitor will experience in the rest of your home. It is the first and last impression you make to your guests.

    Entryways can be over looked in this day of designer kitchens and baths. This gives us an easy opportunity to make a knock-em-dead impression, with far less effort and cost than other rooms.

    Your stair is likely the natural focal point in your entry. It sets the tone for the room. Update your stair style, just like you update furniture or cabinetry. Make sure both the color/finish of your stair and the style of your balustrade is up to date. The two most popular balustrade styles today are: metal balusters and boxed/trimmed (square) newels.

    Increasing the WOW of your entry will not only create a more inviting welcome for your guests, it will enhance the marketability of your home.

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  • Setting Design Goals Helps to Select Your Stair Styles

    Buying a stair

    With the endless choices we have today, making the many decisions required for a building project can be overwhelming. It’s easy to make decisions based on “I like it”, but if that is your only criteria for selection, it is unlikely that you will end up with consistent design. Establishing design goals can help keep your selections on track for a fabulous end result.

    To establish design goals look through many magazines and find a dozen or more images of rooms you like. These are not rooms to copy, rather they are rooms that have a feel and look that you relate to; rooms you can see yourself living in. Select images of different rooms and even the exterior of homes you like. After you have a nice collection of photos, analyze them and understand what you like about them. Determine which images have a common thread of design elements that you like and discard any that are not in alignment.

    As you go through this process you will see your design evolve. It will change from a pile of beautiful pictures, to a clearer visual of the style you want to create. As you make each selection for your project, use your concept photos to guide you. You are not trying to copy them, but use them as a visual design compass. As you shop for trim, doors, cabinetry and stairs, ask yourself, does this selection fit into one of my concept rooms? Do they look like they all belong in the same house? Do the elements align?

    By keeping your concept photos close by and using them with each selection, you will end up with a much more unified design and an end result that aligns with your intentional goals for your project.

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  • The Simple Beauty of Modern Stair Styles

    Modern design is simple, which is why it amazes me how many forms of modern styles have developed over the past 100 years. Modern stairs come in forms for all tastes and preferences. It can be the simplicity of a shaker style stair, or the stylistic design of a metal and glass stair. Modern styles can be organic or reflect modern technology.

    Modern

    Traditional modern

    Common themes of modern styling include:

    • Form Follows Function — the design should fill the need of the purpose
    • Simplicity and elimination of unnecessary details and ornamentation
    • Exposed Structure (as opposed to hiding the structural elements)
    • Truth to Materials — the material appears as it is naturally

    When planning your modern stair, consider the shapes your stair and rail create naturally. In the stair shown above, we merely accentuated the basic stair shape by adding visual weight to the rise and run of each step. The function of the stair itself creates its interesting lines.

    If you are starting with a traditional stair design, and want to make it modern, there are many modern style balusters and stair components that are readily available and will give you a great modern style. Nearly every material thought of can be used in used in modern styling — from wood to metal to glass. The options you have with modern design go as far as your imagination will carry you. See more custom stairs.

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  • Custom Wood Stairs to Match Your Imported Wood Flooring

    Sapele

    There are many choices in hardwood flooring today. A recent search revealed over 25 species of readily available hardwood flooring from which to select. Over half of these species are imported from other countries.

    Most imported hardwoods are grown in a tropical climate, which results in a much different growth cycle for the tree when compared to hardwoods grown in the U.S. As a result, the wood is much heavier than our native species. This presents a challenge when drying the wood that it will not crack when it continues to dry out in your house after installation.

    When these species are used in flooring, the drying issue is resolved by installing it without glue, and the narrow strips of flooring allow for movement after installation. This can create a problem when using the same species for stairs however. Stair parts are thicker than flooring, and must be glued together. Once the wood is glued together, its movement is now restricted as the wood continues to dry out. The end result could be a crack in your stair.

    When choosing a stair company, make sure their experience goes beyond stairs, and they have experience working in the species you are looking at. Consult with them for guidance on appropriate species for your stair. They may recommend alternative species that are a close match in color to your flooring. Hiring a knowledgeable expert will help ensure a problem free stair for years to come. At Designed Stairs we routinely use over 25 species. See our Materials page for many species that we have built stairs in.

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  • What You Need to Know: Using Bamboo for Your Stairs

    Bamboo

    Bamboo has become popular in the past few years. It is desirable due to its sustainability and unique appearance. Bamboo is a unique material, and has some limitations compared to wood species you may be considering.

    First, bamboo is a grass and not a tree. It is hollow and does not grow as tall or as big in circumference as a tree. The processing of bamboo requires cutting the grasses into ¼” x 1″ strips and gluing together.

    Bamboo is only available in shorter lengths. The small size works well for strips of flooring, however not as well for longer or larger items. Stairs typically require long lengths for handrails and stringers or skirt-boards. When using bamboo, this would require splicing or bolting shorter lengths together, leaving a visible and undesirable joint line.

    A typical stair requires about 30 unique parts, such as treads, risers, stringers, cove, rails, rail fittings, newels, balusters and a variety of trim pieces. Most of these parts are not available in bamboo. Treads and risers are readily available in bamboo, while rails, newels and balusters are available on a very limited basis.

    Due to both the nature of bamboo and availably of stair parts, a stair with bamboo would often utilize bamboo treads to match the flooring. Risers and stringers would be painted (using a paintable material). Rail, newel and baluster materials are typically chosen to match other trim in the home.

    Hint: Be sure to use a carpet runner when using bamboo for treads. It is very slippery and can be dangerous to walk on.

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  • Stair Styles: What parts of my stair should I paint vs. stain?

    Painted newels

    All stained

    We often get asked the question: “What parts of my stair should I paint and what should I stain?” When determining what to stain and what to paint, think about the overall feel you want in your space. The more parts you paint, it will be a lighter and airier feel. The more parts you stain, it will be a warmer and richer feel.

    Here is a listing of the most popular groupings of what components to stain vs. paint:

    • All Stained: All Stained except balusters painted
    • Stained: treads, railing, newels. Painted: stringers, risers, balusters
    • Stained: treads and railing, all else painted

    Keep in mind that whether painting or staining, the colors you choose will make a profound design statement. A dark stain color complimented with a light (white) paint, will give a very elegant and formal look. While a colored paint, can give a very country or casual feel. Consider how elegant or casual the color and finish makes each stair. Scroll through stair photos and identify the overall feel you want in the color and visual weight of your stair. Darker colors (whether stained or painted) will make the space look more full and warm. Lighter colors, especially white, will give you a spacious and bright feel.

    You will likely be living with the your material and color selections on your stair for many years. Stairs and balustrades are not an easy item to strip or re-finish. If you are in doubt about your selections, call in a professional decorator. Your stair likely cost you thousands of dollars. For a few hundred dollars you can get professional decorating advise and proceed with confidence on your investment!

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