3 Design Pitfalls of Curved Stairs

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 staircase 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.