By Mark Dawes, Managing Director, CAD Architects.
It used to be the case that staircases in modern homes performed a purely functional role, making the most efficient use of space while providing a convenient way of moving between floors. Beautiful, bespoke staircases were the preserve of a minority of top-end luxury houses.
All that has changed dramatically over the last 20 years. Advances in computer aided design, combined with new materials and innovative manufacturing methods have brought custom-designed staircases within the reach of a much wider range of homeowners. Staircases have become an important element in many types of new house design, evolving from practical items to stunning design features and centrepieces for your dream home.
Today, staircases can be constructed from a wide range of beautiful materials and finishes, including steel, concrete, stone, glass, and of course, many different types of wood. All these can be designed to your own specification and fitted with a wide choice of balustrades, creating a look and feel that perfectly complements your new house design. It is therefore important that your choice of staircase design is factored into the plans for your new home at an early stage.
Staircases fall into three main categories, and we can illustrate these with examples from the new home designs that you can view on our Project Pages https://www.cadarchitects.co.uk/projects/
Straight Stairs
Creating a single, straight flight of stairs may seem like a conventional, understated idea, but straight stairs are surprisingly adaptable in terms of the design ideas that you can apply to them. It is possible to achieve some stunning effects through the imaginative use of interesting materials, colours and textures.
For the alteration and extension work that CAD Architects carried out at Blowinghouse Mill, we created straight staircases that perfectly combined modern design with traditional materials. The steps were made from solid blocks of natural oak, supported by a cast iron framework and balustrade. The overall effect was ideally suited to the character of this lovely property.
For the CAD Architects project at Overcreek, we used straight oak stairs to create a very different look and feel. The stairs were framed by a glass balustrade held in place by elegant steel fixings. This beautiful combination of oak, glass and steel creates a memorable effect which really draws the eye, while the use of glass also adds to the light and airy feel of this modern home design.
Spiral Stairs
Although spiral stairs have been around for thousands of years, they are a design classic that remains very popular. The relatively small footprint of spiral stairs means that they can be fitted in almost any location within a new house design.
At Merry Mead near St Mawes Castle, our design for this spectacular contemporary home incorporates a custom-made external spiral staircase that links the garden area to the large first floor balcony. This is crafted using white concrete steps with an elegant, curved balustrade fashioned from stainless steel. An impressive design feature which is certainly built to last.
Curved or ‘helical’ stairs
The elegant lines of these staircases can be used to create some beautiful effects. For the new house which CAD Architects designed at Clover Hill, St Mawes, the interior colour scheme was white throughout, framed by touches of black and grey. We incorporated into this design a distinctive curved staircase to link the main floors. The steps or ‘risers’ were in burnt oak and these were framed by a fully enclosed white balustrade. This imaginative use of modern staircase design adds a magical touch to the interior of this unique modern home design.
To make the most of features like these, let the team at CAD Architects use their skills in residential architecture to show you some of the wonderful effects that can be achieved, and make sure that you allow the time and budget to factor these into your plans for your dream home. We have the skills and experience needed to find the spectacular staircase that is perfect for your new house design, creating a wonderful centrepiece that is both practical and beautiful.
Photograph credit to Spiral UK and Simon Burt Photography