Allenhurst, New Jersey [US]

EeStairs + Ike Baker Velten

Two aspects of this three-flight staircase in a mansion overlooking the sea at Deal, New Jersey, sum up the challenge of making and installing them. In the main staircase, which has flat-cut white oak treads and risers, the geometry of the inner balustrade is asymmetric, and it has a raised handrail. Accuracy was particularly crucial in the unusually tight turn near the top of the staircase, which rises from the terrazzo-surfaced ground floor.

It was not just a case of ensuring accurate radiuses in the balustrade, but making sure the wooden handrail followed the line of the top edge perfectly – especially along the rising first and last radiuses.

Highly crafted details were equally important. In a separate staircase in the house, the top of a handrail is capped, with a looping ‘return’ piece in bronze, brushed to give it an antique patina. Another notable design detail is seen in the bottom step of the main staircase, which has a partially radiused, rather than straight, edge.