‘Open’ Steel, Grey Oak and Glass Staircase

Mr and Mrs Lawrence were working alongside their neighbours on a large scale apartment renovation in Maida Vale London. Part way through the project Mrs Lawrence contacted First Step Designs in search of a designer staircase that she found on Pinterest, that happened to be one of our own previous projects! We discussed ideas and potential designs via email and phone calls first and Nathaniel from our design team put together a design and quotation that very same day… Mrs Lawrence was thrilled and booked an appointment to meet the designer at her apartment right away.

Nathaniel instantly noticed that there would be headroom issues if we followed the architects plans, so he worked alongside the builders on site to organise an upper drop landing to ensure that the staircase design would fit comfortably and comply with UK building regulations. It is always worth getting our teams expert knowledge in this area, when planning projects of any scale. Once this issue was solved, the Lawrence family placed their order and our designer returned once the drop landing was in position for a final survey before production.

The closed string, open plan steel staircase is one of our most popular designs. It allows light to travel throughout a property, and make even the smallest of spaces appear larger. Since there was no room for a curved turn, we decided to curved the upper and lower ends of the strings (sides of the staircase) to create a fluid transition turn, these small details make all the difference. Achieved a curved illusion from several angles.

We offer all custom colours with our staircases. The strings were shot blasted, primed and finished with a matte RAL 7026 (Granite Grey) to match the unique radiators throughout the home. The treads manufactured from European White Oak, stained to a Dove grey finish to compliment the upstairs flooring. As a finishing touch Nathaniel insisted upon a stained rail to match the strings to allow the treads to stand alone as a contrast. A fantastic project with a beautiful outcome.