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No matter where you are standing, staircases are a matter of perspective.
Whether they are swooping spirals that suggest the heavens are just above, or an elegant design grounded in tradition, a custom staircase does more than just carry traffic from point A to point B.
Marrying form and function, they serve a practical purpose in multi-level homes. But more than that, they creatively transition from one idea to another, from one design element and into the next.
Yet all challenge the viewer to consider their next step.
When taxed with building a winding staircase on a central axis, designer Jenny Provost turned to two Canadian artist friends – and the double helix – from inspiration. The result is an astonishing achievement of glass, resin and light.
Wrapping itself around a custom-built glass, quartz and stainless steel elevator in a Cape Coral home, a laminated walnut staircase guides the eye upwards through an elegant use of polished stainless steel stair lights.
Designer Jenny Provost admits she had shoes on her mind when designing this steel framed staircase wrapped in walnut and glass. “I was looking at Christian Louboutin shoes and their iconic red soles. So we used a curry colour that plays throughout the house and did the underside in a high gloss lacquer for a sexy sheen.”
Since costal properties must have living levels set at higher elevations due to potencial storm flooding, vertical climbs should be appealing. The solution here is found in a water feature of mosaic tiles and a Kwan Yin sculpture, surrounded by terraced plants. A sapele wood and glass staircase draws the eye upward.
Tradition reigns in a Washington, DC home, where a wrought iron staircase and hand painted tiles on the risers add warmth. Stone embellishments, such as the newel post hand carved in Mexico reflect stone features elsewhere.
