Mid-century meets modern – this project demonstrates the potential of a heritage renovation that builds upon the past. The major renovations and extension encourage a strong relationship between the landscape, as part of daily life, and cater to a large family passionate about their neighbourhood and entertaining.

Photo of a large transitional wood u-shaped staircase in Vancouver with painted wood risers and mixed railing.

Modern Farmhouse stairs
Design ideas for a large country wood u-shaped staircase in DC Metro with painted wood risers and mixed railing.

Mid-sized country wood u-shaped staircase in Minneapolis with open risers and mixed railing.

Transitional wood l-shaped staircase in Other with painted wood risers and mixed railing.

Custom stair railing, limestone wall, wood slab treads, and limestone landing and stairs. Photo by Jeff Herr Photography.
Inspiration for a country wood staircase in Atlanta with mixed railing.

Bill Worley
Inspiration for a mid-sized traditional wood straight staircase in Louisville with painted wood risers and mixed railing.

Who says basements have to be boring? This stunning luxury basement finishing in Kinnelon, NJ sets the bar pretty high. With a full wine cellar, beautiful moulding work, a basement bar, a full bath, pool table & full kitchen, these basement ideas were the perfect touch to a great home remodeling.

Photo by Shelly Harrison.
This is an example of a traditional wood curved staircase in Boston with painted wood risers and mixed railing.

Wrought iron railings, oak handrail and newel posts, paneled details, built in shelves under stair, wainscotting
Photo of a traditional wood u-shaped staircase in New York with carpet risers and mixed railing.

This Ohana model ATU tiny home is contemporary and sleek, cladded in cedar and metal. The slanted roof and clean straight lines keep this 8x28' tiny home on wheels looking sharp in any location, even enveloped in jungle. Cedar wood siding and metal are the perfect protectant to the elements, which is great because this Ohana model in rainy Pune, Hawaii and also right on the ocean. A natural mix of wood tones with dark greens and metals keep the theme grounded with an earthiness. Theres a sliding glass door and also another glass entry door across from it, opening up the center of this otherwise long and narrow runway. The living space is fully equipped with entertainment and comfortable seating with plenty of storage built into the seating. The window nook/ bump-out is also wall-mounted ladder access to the second loft. The stairs up to the main sleeping loft double as a bookshelf and seamlessly integrate into the very custom kitchen cabinets that house appliances, pull-out pantry, closet space, and drawers (including toe-kick drawers). A granite countertop slab extends thicker than usual down the front edge and also up the wall and seamlessly cases the windowsill. The bathroom is clean and polished but not without color! A floating vanity and a floating toilet keep the floor feeling open and created a very easy space to clean! The shower had a glass partition with one side left open- a walk-in shower in a tiny home. The floor is tiled in slate and there are engineered hardwood flooring throughout.

Special care was taken by Century Stair Company to build the architect's and owner's vision of a craftsman style three-level staircase in a bright and airy floor plan with soaring 19'curved/cathedral ceilings and exposed beams. The stairs furnished the rustic living space with warm oak rails and modern vertical black/satin balusters. Century built a freestanding stair and landing between the second and third level to adapt and to maintain the home's livability and comfort. CSC 1976-2023 © Century Stair Company ® All rights reserved.

New staircase with floating wood stair treads and cable railing system.
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary wood floating staircase in Seattle with open risers and mixed railing.

We took advantage of the double volume ceiling height in the living room and added millwork to the stone fireplace, a reclaimed wood beam and a gorgeous, chandelier. The staircase and catwalk formed a large part of the open plan living space. We updated the handrails and spindles with more contemporary square options which transformed the space.

Photo of a midcentury wood staircase in Minneapolis with open risers, mixed railing and wood walls.

Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary wood straight staircase in Other with wood risers and mixed railing.

We love to be creative and this project in Park City, Utah encompasses that quality! While this stair layout is typical, the guardrail and newel posts are anything but. The guardrail infill is made up of individual baluster grids, milled from Clear Alder. The handrail is steel and the custom newel posts are a combination of both Alder and steel. Each newel post is actually five posts in one. Starting with the 5 smaller vertical Alder posts we then mortised steel square bar horizontals between them. The base and caps are steel, in between which the smaller posts were sandwiched. After the steel base was bolted down to the floor the parts were assembled like a puzzle with a length of all-thread passing up through the base, center post, and cap to cinch the whole assembly together. It makes for one strong post! The skirts, risers, and aprons are Knotty Alder with solid White Oak treads, bull-nosed shoe plate and cove. All the steel components received a powder-coat finish.

This residence was a complete gut renovation of a 4-story row house in Park Slope, and included a new rear extension and penthouse addition. The owners wished to create a warm, family home using a modern language that would act as a clean canvas to feature rich textiles and items from their world travels. As with most Brooklyn row houses, the existing house suffered from a lack of natural light and connection to exterior spaces, an issue that Principal Brendan Coburn is acutely aware of from his experience re-imagining historic structures in the New York area. The resulting architecture is designed around moments featuring natural light and views to the exterior, of both the private garden and the sky, throughout the house, and a stripped-down language of detailing and finishes allows for the concept of the modern-natural to shine. Upon entering the home, the kitchen and dining space draw you in with views beyond through the large glazed opening at the rear of the house. An extension was built to allow for a large sunken living room that provides a family gathering space connected to the kitchen and dining room, but remains distinctly separate, with a strong visual connection to the rear garden. The open sculptural stair tower was designed to function like that of a traditional row house stair, but with a smaller footprint. By extending it up past the original roof level into the new penthouse, the stair becomes an atmospheric shaft for the spaces surrounding the core. All types of weather – sunshine, rain, lightning, can be sensed throughout the home through this unifying vertical environment. The stair space also strives to foster family communication, making open living spaces visible between floors. At the upper-most level, a free-form bench sits suspended over the stair, just by the new roof deck, which provides at-ease entertaining. Oak was used throughout the home as a unifying material element. As one travels upwards within the house, the oak finishes are bleached to further degrees as a nod to how light enters the home. The owners worked with CWB to add their own personality to the project. The meter of a white oak and blackened steel stair screen was designed by the family to read “I love you” in Morse Code, and tile was selected throughout to reference places that hold special significance to the family. To support the owners’ comfort, the architectural design engages passive house technologies to reduce energy use, while increasing air quality within the home – a strategy which aims to respect the environment while providing a refuge from the harsh elements of urban living. This project was published by Wendy Goodman as her Space of the Week, part of New York Magazine’s Design Hunting on The Cut. Photography by Kevin Kunstadt

This is an example of a large traditional wood straight staircase in St Louis with painted wood risers and mixed railing.