A creative opportunity to design a contemporary light filled oak staircase for new loft stairs, Lewisham SE6
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Creative freedom with new loft stairs
Many home owners struggle to find enough space in their London homes to live, work, exercise, play and to be relatively tidy and organised. Some consider loft conversions as the best solution to create more space. Going up another level created a unique opportunity to design their own new staircase. As the customers lived in a mid terrace house they wanted a staircase that was open and airy, to allow lots of natural light coming through. A 1930s property with no particular period features was a great opportunity to not be tied to a period style and explore a more contemporary, simple, hand crafted design.
An open and airy staircase that allows lots of natural light coming through.
A shadow gap is a subtle design feature with a practical purpose.
Contemporary light filled design
We provided the customers with three wood samples that matched the look and feel they described. The customers decided on wide oak boards 240 mm wide 20 mm thick with natural clear oil, natural grade. We proposed a simple design of hand crafted oak cladded stairs, gently bevelled at the edges to make each step less sharp under foot. The steps were seamlessly mitred between the tread and riser. We recommended an open stringer on the side to make the staircase feel less boxed up and more open. Open cut stringer structures are more exposed and without adequate strengthening can be weaker than closed stringers. To address this we reinforced the staircase structure under the stairs and to the side. The simple seamless design was achieved with a lot of hidden preparation.
A simple design of hand crafted oak cladded stairs.
An open stringer makes the staircase feel less boxed up.
Subtle, effective shadow gaps
We suggested a shadow gap design feature at the side of the staircase. This is a subtle design feature which also has a practical purpose in allowing the wood to shift and move naturally in time and reduces cracks and openings.
A shadow gap design feature at the side of the staircase.
Shadow gaps allow wood to shift and move naturally in time.
Bespoke oak handrail
The customers wanted to remove the original newel post on the first floor with a smaller slimmer post nicely cladded beneath with engineered oak boards. The new post connects seamlessly with the hand rail and frees up more space on the landing. We cut the bespoke spindles and custom railing in a simple seamless design. The customer was delighted - see comment below.
A bespoke oak handrail.
The new oak post connects seamlessly with the hand rail.
Smart, sustainable window sills
At Fin Wood we hate waste and try to cut as effectively as possible to get the most out of each board. If we do have leftover material we enjoy finding creative ways to make good use of it. In this project, we used leftover wood from the staircase to clad the window sill with the same design feature as the stairs, a small shadow gap.
Wood from the staircase was used to clad the window sill.
This is the regular approach with staircases in the UK, closed up, boxy, carpeted.
‘The showroom really helped us to consider all the options’
The customers were delighted with their new staircase and gave a five star review and glowing feedback. ‘A big thank you to Alin and the team for an amazing staircase and a stress-free installation experience. We really appreciated Fin Wood’s creative thinking and smart solutions to our challenges. The staircase design is lovely and simple, lets all the light through and we’ve gained space. It was invaluable to visit the showroom and see and touch and properly consider all the options. Will definitely recommend Fin Wood to friends and family.’
The customers were delighted with their new staircase and gave a five star review.
