DECOR

Stair story

Stairs serve a wide range of practical and emotional needs. They are fertile ground for the creative imagination. Aside from the countless architects and designers who have expressed themselves in staircases, artists in other media have often been enchanted by stairs.

They also serve humbler purposes. They are a place to pop down on and think after a long day. Stairs are full of critical dimensions, but three are particularly important. A stair's rise and run is essentially the measures of all the treads and riser, this determines how steep the stair is. It's important that a staircase fit its users comfortably. There are various types of stairs. Building codes limit how much vertical distance (steepness) a stair can cover in a certain horizontal distance.

Stairs occupy a unique place in our homes. As a general rule it's a good idea to situate stairs in an area that is convenient to the common areas of a house. Remember, though, stair traffic should flow smoothly and not interfere with other activities.

In this feature, pictures show a half-turn curved staircase. This is from a duplex apartment in a five storied building situated at Bonosri residential area. The house owner made over his own apartment, the design of which is mainly based on this curved staircase. The stairs are placed in front of the entry door, to one side of the dining area. It has a wall behind it, an area which we felt deserved attention. We used rustic tiles with floral motif to create an unusual backdrop.

We used white and black matte-finish marble for the riser and treads. The treads are run in a half-turn curve flown bottom to top. So it has a wide portion that tapers off to one side, and is a little wider than other internal stairs. This creates a spacious rectangular openness at the top. The stair thus becomes a focal point of this house. Stair railing is an important part. This railing is divided in two sections, one for the top floor, another surrounding the stairs.

In the top floor an open space is provided for the family lounge. We placed a wooden post with glass railing for the punch area. The glass etching work is a creative attachment. We used tempered 10mm glass for security. Several newel posts were installed in different places. Two pairs are placed at the top and bottom and others are placed at the railing's corner points. The balustrades are of similar shape but thinner. A wooden banister or handrail is placed for comfortable movement. Wooden post or balustrades are straight and simple, but their group lines are neatly embossed.

We attached a rectangular false ceiling at the top of the stair. Its centre area is covered by square patches of mirror and cane. A beautiful hanging light draws the attention towards the ceiling.

The curved stair creates a corner punch under its body. We placed some lovely green plant and pottery. Some small money plant pots are placed in the top, side railing. At the end, this curved stair is attractive with its simple design and spacious, strong impression.

Nazneen Haque Mimi
Interior Consultant
Journeyman
E-mail: journeyman.interiors@gmail.com
Photo credit: Hassan Saifuddin Chandan
Special thanks: Md. Mazbahuddin Bhuiyan