Oak Staircase and Black Steel Balustrade in a Glazed Void

A finished staircase photographed from the landing. Solid oak treads sit on a painted string with a fine black steel balustrade above, and the whole flight rises through a double-height void glazed from floor to ceiling on the far wall.

A staircase is the largest piece of furniture in a house and the one component everybody touches every day, so it is worth the extra setting-out time: consistent rise, treads that do not creak, a balustrade whose uprights line up with the nosings rather than nearly lining up.

The herringbone floor at the bottom was set out from the centre of the space so the pattern meets the stair and the doorways cleanly. Interior finishing is the part of a build most likely to be quietly cheapened — it is the part we specialise in.