High Strung

Precision was key in creating a continuous four-story stair in this San Francisco remodel. Originating from within a set of kitchen cabinets that also forms the first flight of steps, 3/8-inch stainless steel tension cables rise 35 feet to the ceiling, where they’re attached to a steel bar. It was painstaking work to get each cable threaded through four stories of aligned holes drilled into tabs at the edge of the steel support pans beneath the vertical-grain Douglas fir treads. The effort, and spacing the cables 2¾ inches apart, assured that no one would slip through a gap between the cable and the stair. Each cable has a built-in adjustment knuckle at the top to increase the tension as needed. When fully tightened, the cables cannot be pulled more than the required 4 inches apart. A stirrup extends from the bottom of each tread to minimize gaps between the steps. The overall result is an open stairwell that feels as if it’s suspended from the ceiling. Builder: Paul White, Petaluma, Calif.; Architect: Inglese Architecture, San Francisco; Cabinetmaker: Peter Dale, Fairplay, Calif.; Metal artist: Sun Iron Works, Santa Rosa, Calif.; Photographer: Claudio Santini.