Smart staircases

THE EXPERTS REVEAL A FEW THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE PLANNING YOUR NEXT STEPS

- FEATURE Amy Moorea Wong

PAST PERFECTION

Original features meet contemporary flourishes in an Edwardian house by The Mint List (shown left). ‘We stripped and redecorated the staircase, retaining all of its beautiful period features,’ says founder Camilla Kelly. ‘Removing the underside (ensuring it was structurally supported) created a view of the stairs ascending and descending, giving the impression of width and scale and pulling the eye upwards, as well as providing access to the basement. We replaced the clunky, covered-in-paint spindles and banister with a flowing oak handrail and wrought-iron spindles.’ The Roger Oates flat-weave runner adds texture and contrast, as well as softness.

NEITHER HERE NOR THERE?

For such a key, functional part of the house, we don’t spend much of our day using the staircase. They're in-between spaces, used to journey between activities — but that doesn’t mean they don’t impact on the overall aesthetic and atmosphere of the home. ‘Because they're not spaces that you tend to spend long periods of time in, staircases can get a bit forgotten in favour of other areas,’ says Kate Guinness, director and founder of Kate Guinness Design. ‘But as they usually connect to most of those areas, you do actually spend quite a bit of time walking through them and they play an important role in tying a whole house together and setting the mood for it – think of the design almost as you would any other room, fitting it into how you want the house to feel as a whole.’

SUM IT UP