Designed Stairs

The Spiral Staircase at the Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe New Mexico is truly an Amazing Stair.

The stair winds approximately 760 degrees total, more than two full turns, and is made of Spruce; it ascends a total of 22 ft. from floor to floors.

The joinery used on the treads, risers stringers and even the stair backing and subsequent plaster, all work together to create a “torsion box” effect, giving the stair some rigidity; however, it’s main source of support is from the tight radius of the inside “boxed stringer” which has a “stringer leg” attached below the start of the stair which gives the first 180 degrees direct support from the floor. The stair originally shook quite a bit when walked on and two iron brackets were added to stabilize the stair between the wall and a support column.

Although experienced staircase engineers and designers would agree that the stair is short of miraculous and could be replicated, it is a beautiful design and a great example of master craftsmanship from the time period.

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The RMS Titanic’s “Grande Staircase” refers to a series of six custom staircases designed for use by the ship’s First Class Passengers.

The most ornate staircase was the curved stair from the Promonade deck up to the First Class Lounge on the Boat Deck which was lit during the day by a 20 ft. diameter dome of milk glass and wrought iron.

This “T” shaped staircase was fabricated from English White Oak and featured classic William And Mary woodwork and inset Louis XIV iron panels. The staircase began with a bowed double quarter circle starting tread that was approx. 20 ft. across. The stringers and rails on either side were curved, or “flared” to allow the stair width to shrink to 10 ft. at the intermediate landing. There was a 16″ carved newel/pedestal directly in the center of the start of the stair with a bronze statue of a cherub holding an electric light fixture above it’s head. A center handrail and balustrade ascended 11 treads from this center newel, allowing passengers to use either the left or the right side of the staircase. At the intermediate landing, another six treads lead either 90 degrees to the left or to the right.

The extent of handcarved detail and ornamental iron work coupled with the massive size of the components the five story layout makes this one of the world’s most amazing stairs.

Athough these stairs were destroyed during the sinking of the Titanic, identical balustrade sections from the sister ship, The Olympic, were salvaged and are in use at the White Swan Hotel in England.

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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.

Tara, the O’Hara family plantation, features a U-shaped staircase with Georgian style design and a stain and paint finish. The handrail is an approximately 5″ wide and 4″ high “box rail” and the balusters are 2 inch square top and bottom, reflective of Georgian design.

The stair ascends from a beautiful half circle starting tread and descending volute on the left hand side for 12 treads to the oversized landing. The horizontal rail at the landing lifts up with 90 degree upeasings on each end between the newel posts. The stair then continues for another 8 treads to the 2nd floor.

Interestingly, there never was a second floor as this stair was built on a sound stage for the filming of the interior scenes of the film, then torn down immediately after filming was completed. The exterior set of Tara was only a facade for filming and had no interior detail.

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. Even though Tara’s staircase was short lived, it’s place in film history as well as American history makes it an amazing staircase.

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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.

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When you are designing a curved staircase, knowing what NOT to do can be just as important as knowing what TO do. Here are some pitfalls that you will want to avoid.

1. Adding a curved stair into your home design as an afterthought. As strange as this may sound, the best curved staircases result when the areas around the staircase were actually “built around the stair”.

2. Believing that if the stair looks good on the plan view, it will look good when it is built. There are many elements of a curved stair design that can negatively impact the final lines. A stair that is not completely designed from start to finish will almost always result in a detail that is an unpleasant surprise.

3. Not consulting an experienced stair designer-builder at the earliest stages of the design. Taking a very small amount of time to consult will allow you to double check the features that you want to end up with and possibly avoid expenses and disappointment. If you are the homeowner, encourage your Architect/Designer to have the curved stair design reviewed; If you are the Architect, being able to tell your client that you have already taken this step will impress them.

See some examples of well designed curved staircases.

No one designs a curved staircase for the simple purpose of getting from one floor to another; there are other, much more practical ways of getting that done if you don’t care what it looks like.

A curved staircase is an enduring statement of elegance and one of the most functional pieces of art in the realm of human design. If elegance is what you are after, there are a few keys that will get you there.

First, will be the proper placement of the staircase into the structure, which should be addressed at the earliest stages of design work. How will the staircase effect spaces immediately surrounding it? How will the stair be viewed from the entry to the home or from the side through adjoining rooms? Does the staircase offer a welcoming angle at the base and have a stunning angle of ascent to the second floor above?

Second, is the allowance of space. If the proper amount of room is not considered to allow a stair to be built with geometric consistency and adherence to proper safety codes, even the most knowledgeable stair designer will not be able to deliver the elegance you had envisioned.

The third key to a “knock-out” curved stair design will the “Design Details” that you choose to add to the solid geometry of the staircase. The styling of your handrail, newels and balusters will be critical to the finish feel that the stair portrays, and the inclusion of over-sized starting treads, descending volutes, bowed tread noses and other design details will help push it over the top.

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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 stairs 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 the homes interior.

See photos of circular staircases.

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 disassemble 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. 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.

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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 and 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
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.

See more fabulous entry stair ideas.

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.

See some great stair design ideas for your project!