Staircases

Staircases are a necessary component of any house (except of course in the cases of bungalows) and yet they are an often overlooked and ignored part in any decoration or renovation project and as a result are often little more than just boring slats of wood that are haphazardly constructed then whitewashed. It is only right that this near travesty can be remedied as many joiners, apart from taking part in large projects such as loft conversions or even entirely new building projects, are able to offer the building of ornately designed staircases and banisters to suit all locations, such as following loft conversions and renovation projects, that make your staircases talking points of your home, rather than just a necessary feature of the home that merits little attention.

Many people are not aware of the vast range of designs that are available and can be utilised in the design of bespoke staircases. For example, there are many designs of ‘cap’ (the items that rest on top of the balusters at either end of the staircase) including ‘newel caps’ in the shape of acorns, spheres and mushrooms as well as a wide selection of ‘flat caps’ (from the ‘standard’ design to those of ‘ovolo’, ‘classic’ and ‘regal’ design). There is also a selection of handrails that is considerably larger than most people would have imagined, with designs ranging from the standard shape to those with imaginative names such as ‘Ranch Style’, ‘Pigs Ear’ and the cylindrical ‘Mopstick’ design.

There are even selections of the style of steps that can be constructed into your own bespoke staircase (that can range from the rounded ‘Bull Nose’ step to the arched ‘Bow’ Shape). Also (as can be guessed from reading the above), there are many designs of spindles to choose from in designing your own unique staircase. Such decisions should not be taken lightly as electing for one design over another can completely change the aesthetic of your staircase as well as potentially changing that of the surrounding location. This is due to the subtle differences between each design of each individual component (as shown by the differences between the ‘Georgian Turned Spindle’, the ‘Colonial Turned Spindle’, the ‘Colonial Turned Fluted Spindle’ and the ‘Palace Turned Fluted Spindle’.

Hopefully this article has stirred some interest in this topic and more people will take an interest in the construction and design of this undeniably important feature of most homes.