February 17, 2025

Bespoke staircase reveal & banister inspiration

STAIRCASE REVEAL

I can get really fixated on certain details and the handrail in our new home was one of them. To me, a gorgeous staircase can be a real wow factor in a space, especially one as open-plan and pared-back as ours.

Here I'll walk you through how our bespoke steel staircase came to be, and share some of the design inspiration that led me there...

Design: Heather Kane | Photo: Emily Marshall

Staircase Design & Detail

The staircase/banister is one of the first things you notice when you walk into the flat, and, as we decided to open up the small doorway to the living room, we knew it would be visible from most of the ground floor too.

The size of the balusters, the distance between each one, and the finish directly into the floor (with no trim) are just a few of the details I obsessed over. However, it was the handrail itself that I gave the most thought to. I wanted it to feel fluid, like a ribbon that disappears into the tiled floor and emerges from the ceiling beneath.

Picking the right material was key; something to get that curve in the rail, but also super strong given the thinness of the balusters. My original preference was a beautiful carved wood rail to match the floors, but metal turned out to be so much more economical. In the end, blackened steel was our best choice, especially as it complements the monochrome mosaic floor so nicely.

the original wooden staircase prior to the renovation

the original wooden staircase prior to the renovation, shot from above

STAIRCASE BEFORE

The previous staircase was pretty nondescript, it was fiiine but not special. The house itself is Victorian but this definitely wasn't the original, so we had no qualms about replacing it with something more modern.

a pre-renovation shot of the staircase through the small living room door

a mid-renovation shot of the staircase once the small door had been replaced with a large open archway

We optimized the storage space underneath the staircase by widening it slightly and adding flat-fronted cabinet doors. They're push latch with no external hardware to keep the corridor feeling as open and unobstructed as possible. Check out this reel for more on the hidden doors and hardware.

a mid-renovation shot of the original stairs with the corridor leading down to the primary bedroom

a mid-renovation shot of the water filter beneath the new staircase

MAIN STAIRCASE INSPIRATION

My main inspiration came from these two staircases, with sweeping handrails and minimal balusters (excuse me, the one on the left probably isn't even legal in America - ha!) for a refined, sleek finish.

Togo Murano

Lang Architecture

STAIRCASE AFTER

Original render

a post-renovation shot of the finished staircase

The result

detailed shot of the staircase with balustrades disappearing directly into the mosaic tiled floor

a detailed shot of the staircase balustrades emerging from the ceiling above

More banister inspiration

In true libra-style, my obsession with detail means constantly saving inspiration and planning for future staircases that may never come to fruition. One thing all of these handrails have in common is the attention to detail - not a boring one in the bunch!

I especially love the mix of materials and concepts like the antique tassel railing, and the floating steel banister with plush carpet runner beneath. Potentially all things you'll see more of in our next project...