An independent magazine about staircases in the home. Not a manufacturer or a shop, and not connected with the former site on this domain; we neither make nor sell staircases. Design and installation of load-bearing stairs is for professionals only.
Ideas
The type of staircase determines how much space it takes, how the climb feels and how it fits into the room. A straight flight is simple and intuitive, a turn with a landing gives you a breather, and a spiral saves floor space but takes some getting used to. Below are the main types, their strengths and weaknesses, and a little history of how the staircase went from a technical necessity to the centrepiece of an interior.
Compactness in a staircase is always paid for in comfort. The less space it takes, the more carefully you have to walk on it, so decide in advance whether you are ready for that every day.
How this section works: we describe the general types of staircases and the principles of placing them in a home, without dimensions, calculations or product recommendations. Whether a given type suits your home is decided by a designer, taking into account the opening, the floors and the people who will use the stairs.
Six types of staircase people most often consider when building or remodelling a home.
A single flight from floor to floor is the most intuitive and comfortable option to walk. Furniture is easy to carry up it, and your stride never changes. On the other hand, it needs a long clear run along a wall or through the middle of a room.
Two flights joined by a landing let you turn the climb and fit the staircase into a more compact plan. The landing gives you a breather halfway up and room for a window, a niche or a bookshelf.
Instead of a landing, wedge-shaped steps make the turn. This saves space, but the tread depth on these steps varies across their width, so you need to walk them more carefully, holding the handrail on the wide side.
The steps wind around a central column, so the staircase takes up little floor space. It looks striking, but carrying large items up it is hard, and children and older people usually find it awkward. It is often installed as a second staircase, to a mezzanine or a workshop.
The treads are fixed to the wall with special bolts and linked to one another, so the staircase seems to float and barely blocks the light. The wall must be strong enough, and the fixings are calculated and installed only by a professional.
For occasional trips to an attic or mezzanine, people use folding loft ladders and alternating-tread stairs, where the treads are staggered for the left and right foot. They save space at the cost of comfort and are poorly suited to everyday use.
The earliest stairs were steps cut into rock and ladders made from a notched log. They served a simple purpose: getting onto a roof, into a storehouse or up a fortress wall.
Broad stone staircases become part of the architecture of temples and public buildings. The climb to a sanctuary or forum turns into a ceremonial approach, not just a way of changing level.
Narrow spiral staircases around a central newel spread through castles and towers. They saved space within thick walls and helped with defence: climbing them while carrying weapons was cramped.
In his Cours d'architecture, the French architect François Blondel links the height of a step and the depth of a tread to the length of a human stride. His ratio is still a classic guideline for comfort.
The grand staircase becomes the showpiece of palaces and mansions, then makes its way into town houses. Metal structures and light balustrades appear, followed later by glass and stairs that seem to hang in the air.
In a two-storey home the staircase is almost always on show, so it is worth treating it as part of the interior rather than a piece of engineering. Open treads without risers let light through and make a space feel lighter, while a closed flight with risers looks calmer and leaves room for a cupboard under the stairs.
It helps to tie the staircase materials to the rest of the finishes: echo the tone of the wooden floor, the metal of the window frames or the stone in the hallway. The handrail and balusters set the character: slim metal posts read as a modern interior, turned wooden balusters as a classic one.
The space under and beside the stairs can be used for storage, a library or a small work corner. Just don't clutter the approaches to the bottom and top steps or block the light, because a safe staircase starts with one you can see clearly.
Solid wood, laminated panels, metal, concrete and stone, glass balustrades and tread finishes, in general terms. The article catalogue lives here too.
How to approach a staircase project, what Blondel's step formula is and which questions to ask your designer.
How to stand safely on a stepladder and how to refresh the lacquer on wooden treads. And what not to do yourself.
Information about staircases is given in general terms, based on works on architectural history, encyclopedic sources, manufacturers' technical documentation for finishing materials and EMERCOM of Russia safety leaflets. The specific requirements for the staircase in your home are set by building codes and your designer, and the care of a finish by the manufacturer's instructions.