Home & Design

A sleek stair by Fowlkes Studio. Photo: Brandon Webster

A double staircase by Saienni Stairs.

EL Studio's two-story, painted-plywood handrail. Photo: Paul Burk

A staircase by Cregger Construction.

A staircase by MV Architects. Photo: Jenn Verrier

Cutting Edge

Custom railings give stairways a lift

GENTLE CURVE
During a recent Logan Circle redo, MV Architects designed a graceful new staircase and stair rail with painted-steel pickets that sit on a curved plaster skirt. Metal Specialties fabricated the steel handrail. Installation: Haigh DeCastro.

THIN LINE
In Fowlkes Studio’s renovation of an Adams Morgan home, space was at a premium. Conventional railings can take up to six inches away from a staircase’s width, so the architects devised a streamlined alternative: a railing made of half-inch-thick steel plates with welded corners, fabricated by Metal Specialties.

IN THE ROUND
Saienni Stairs crafted a two-story, floating double staircase as part of a Georgetown renovation. Custom-turned wood balusters combine with a mahogany handrail and quarter-sawn pine treads to elegant and dramatic effect.

SAFE PASSAGE
While planning an Arlington renovation, EL Studio prototyped and fabricated a two-story, painted-plywood handrail using a 3D printer to meet ergonomic and safety requirements—namely to smooth out sharp turns and protect kids traveling at high speeds.

LIGHT RAIL
Chuck Cregger of Cregger Construction recently revamped a staircase in a Maryland home. The one-story installation combines an oak rail, side skirt and baseplates with powder-coated aluminum posts and stainless-steel cables and hardware, giving the interior a clean, modern update.

 

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HOME&DESIGN, published bi-monthly by Homestyles Media Inc., is the premier magazine of architecture and fine interiors for the Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia region.

The company also publishes an annual H&D Sourcebook of ideas and resources for homeowners and professionals alike. H&D Chesapeake Views is published bi-annually and showcases fine home design and luxury living in and around the Chesapeake Bay.

The H&D Portfolio of 100 Top Designers spotlights the superior work of selected architects, interior designers and landscape architects in major regions of the US.

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