The Rogers’ Stairs
St Ives
2017
The Rogers’ Stairs is an attempt to break with convention. Our clients' home is a Victorian granite farmhouse in St Ives that has undergone complete renovation, its contemporary interior style contrasting strikingly with the building's traditional Cornish aesthetic. The stairway needed to express this meeting of old and new and to provide a pleasing transition.
Our brief was informed by three key considerations: the marriage of traditional and contemporary forms, the use of long-lasting sustainable materials, and the clients' desire for quiet impact.
Ordinarily, convention in a central stairwell of modest size would call for something more obvious. Instead, the shape of our central stair spine is a strong sculptural form, a tipping of the hat to the town's art heritage. A laminated ribbon negates the need for newel-to-newel construction, whilst the outer strings and treads conform to tradition. The steel handrail appears to float, following the curve of the stair before breaking off to swan neck, continuing its flow and offering reassuring guidance to the hand.
The outcome is a staircase that embodies form and function.