Add a Dynamic Design Accent to Your Home with the Right Staircase Stairways are a wonderful thing. They suggest a path to thingsunseen, hidden destinations, secret lives. If you have amultistory home or are planning to build one, take a few minutesto think about the stairs. By choosing to include a beautifulstairway instead of a mundane one, you can change your homeatmosphere from ordinary to extraordinary. Whether you choosefiligreed iron, steel, glass, or traditional hardwood, the rightstairway for your home can serve as a compelling design accent,the focal point of a room, at once utilitarian and beautiful.
If you have an urban industrial loft, you may be thinking oftaking one large, high-ceiling room and creating a number ofliving environments on different levels. If so, you'll beincorporating a bunch of staircases. You may even be luckyenough to have an existing industrial staircase made of ruggedsteel. If so, you have a decision to make. Are you aiming for ahigh-tech industrial look, with stainless steel commercialkitchen appliances and exposed electrical and plumbing elementson the ceiling? Then your steel staircase fits right in. Ifyou're looking to emphasis natural colors and textures, however,a sort of Zen retreat, you might want to incorporate the naturalbeauty of hardwood stairs into your design. A straight, sturdystaircase leading to the upper levels can make a powerfulstatement; a curving stairway winding around the center of yourloft adds elegance and a feeling of flow to your
environment.
Historical homes, particularly in the eastern U.S., almostdemand the inclusion of hardwood stairs. Your antique home mayhave a staircase in need of repair, or the existing staircasemay need replacing. Either way, you'll need the services of acompany specializing in custom-designed staircases. In fact,whether you're creating your own unique home or restoring anantique home, custom designed and built staircases are a mustbecause of the exacting nature of the measurements required.
When you go looking for a company to build your
staircase for you, make sure you choose a firm with an experiencedstaff of designers. A designer should be willing to visit thesite, take the appropriate measurements, and present you withdesign suggestions and advice on materials and costs, as well astroubleshoot the site and the design for possible problems.
They also should be willing to supply you with detailedphotographs of their work for other clients. Who knows? You mayfind inspiration in these photos and use them as a jumping offpoint for your own creative ideas.
About the author:
Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwesternNew Hampshire and frequently contributes to Tips andTopics. She may be reached at amfredenburg@yahoo.com.
