Stairs have to be practical, comfortable and have the right measurements. But they can also be a key design element in a home…..
In the Rechavia project we decided to use a spiral staircase. The practical limitations of the spiral were not relevant as the client could use the apartment blocks’ elevator or stairs to carry large items up to the next floor.
We saw the stairs as way of linking public and private space whilst also being a strong design feature in the apartment. We also saw it an an opportunity to create clever storage space both underneath and around it, whilst hiding the structural supports needed.1- Design

The design of the staircase was complex as one run of a spiral couldn’t fit enough stairs to climb a floor so we added some stairs before climbing the spiral and two stairs afterwards.

We went for thin grey metal stairs with a warm wood on the top. The wood visually linked the stairs with the wooden built-in units downstairs and provided a visual transition to the laminate flooring upstairs. The stairs were built by Yoav Goren.

Upstairs we purposely used laminate flooring which were ‘wood-like’ but in a greyscale. This highlights the warmth and authenticity of the wood on the stairs.

2- Negative space
The curved stairs fit into a square space. The corners left became a point of interest rather than left over space. We used the corner on the outside space to create an extra deep display and storage space (more about that later) and the inner corner became a shelf to bring colour to the stairs. The hanging light feature from the ceiling added to the ‘wow’ factor and brought it all together.

3- Storage

The low unit surrounding the stairs also doubled as a safety rail. The unit built around the stairs has closed cupboard space below, a built in table and shelving for display.

Under the stairs is a large walk in storage space. The doors are from ‘shleiflack’ (baked wood) and are the same colour as the walls, therefore blending into the apartment.