A contemporary staircase in a period property can look perfectly at home if it is skilfully designed and built with the same care and attention that was employed by the original craftsmen. Properly executed a staircase will update a property and see it confidently through to the next century.
New does not have to look stark. Treads can be aged using many different treatments to the point where they blend with old timber. For metal uprights a skilled blacksmith can recreate the patina of generations on uprights using century old forging skills married with modern technology.
This bespoke, cantilevered staircase and landing balustrade was designed and created by Bisca in a new extension built to increase the living space of a timber framed Elizabethan property.
One of the first considerations was how to integrate such a contemporary staircase into a 400- year-old property so that it was empathetic to its surroundings. Great care had to be taken particularly in areas such as the landing where the staircase interfaced with and was fitted into the ancient beams.
Oak was chosen for the treads to complement the colour of the original wood. Although kept open to allow more light into the room the treads have a larger overhang than is required in order to give the staircase a greater feeling of security, the bottom treads are flared to bring the staircase into the room. The raw iron uprights were forged by skilled craftsmen in Bisca’s own forge before being tampered and burnished, the balustrade continues up the staircase and along the landing gallery and is topped with a handrail of burnished and hand-textured steel which sweeps down to the floor in Bisca’s signature newel post style.
Tel: 01439 771 702
www.bisca.co.uk