Designer Rails Handcrafted hand rails make climbing the stairs a little more interesting. The designs rendered in metal and glass shown here offer new takes on how to make a railing safe and artistically pleasing. “It is all about making individual elements complement each other in scale, proportion, and texture while performing the intended function,” says architect Gregory Fonseca.
California Cool “The house is in Hollywood Hills, so we took our design inspiration from the Hollywood Moderne style of the 1930s,” explains architect William Hefner. “The stair became a statement about the entire house.” That statement is made with random geometric shapes formed by three types of glass: ribbed, frosted, and clear. Steel finished in light gray automotive paint outlines the panels, while a rounded piece of maple (to match floors and treads) makes a comfortable grip for the hand. The glass plays with the sun’s rays that flood through a large skylight directly above the stair. Hefner notes that creating a random pattern is tricky and credits the fabricator with turning his detailed drawings into reality. “The design itself doesn’t slope,” he adds. “But the panels do, so putting them together wasn’t easy.” Builder: Morrow and Morrow, Santa Monica, Calif.; Architect: William Hefner Architecture, Los Angeles; Metal fabricator: New Century Iron Artisans, Sun Valley, Calif.; Photographer: William Hefner Architecture.
D.C. Detail This floating staircase connects the levels of a Washington, D.C., row house with a light and open touch. Stainless steel stringers flow directly into slender uprights that suspend panels of tempered glass. The steel was welded in the shop, then polished and brushed on site to eliminate any sign of seams in the apparently continuous movement of metal. Single pieces of maple make up the treads, with the same wood topping off the railing. “The solidity yet openness of the stringers is complemented by the relatively unobtrusive elements supporting the transparent glass guardrails,” says architect Gregory Fonseca. Builder: Stoladi Property Group, Washington, D.C.; Architect: Gregory Fonseca, London; Metal fabricator: AK Metal Fabricators, Alexandria, Va.; Photographer: Judy Davis/Hoachlander Davis Photography.
Texas Twist Builder Roger Lawrence wanted a stair railing that expressed the “rustic contemporary” style of his Austin, Texas, home and turned to interior designer Vicki Mayabb for a creative solution. “I started by thinking about natural forms and tried to take those forms to a more refined level with contemporary details,” says Mayabb. She sent several sketches to a metal fabricator who was “really able to get the concept” and could ensure that the free-flowing rods of varying diameters would comply with code. Mayabb used a finish of red oxide primer covered with unevenly sprayed black paint to give the hammered iron a variegated effect. Builder: Lawrence Construction, Austin, Texas; Architect: Manning Architecture, Austin; Interior designer: Mayabb Interiors, Austin; Metal fabricator: Made of Metal, Austin; Photographer: John Luckenbach.
Wyoming Weave To echo the wide open spaces of Jackson, Wyo., architect Eric Logan blends classic Western style with an airy aesthetic in this downtown Jackson live-work residence. The home’s stair railing reflects that Western spirit. A steel channel wraps the perimeter of the open stairwell and lifts the wood frame a few inches off the floor. By projecting the wood elements beyond the steel supports, Logan’s design showcases the clear vertical grain fir as the primary material. The woven metal screens add intricacy and depth and a handcrafted touch to the railing. Builder: On Site Management, Jackson, Wyo.; Architect: Carney Architects, Jackson; Metal fabricator: Wedco Fabrications, Jackson; Photographer: Paul Richer.
