stair-parts-carved.co.uk - Design history of staircases, balusters, spindles, newel post, newel caps and finials
The staircase design of stair parts balusters spindles newel posts finials was a dominant feature, establishing the tone of a Beaux Arts interior even if it was placed on one side rather then centrally.
At the outset of the era, the most popular type was a version of Italian Renaissance design stair parts in carved turned wood. Three turned balusters spindles rested on each tread. The newel posts with finials were huge, often square, with turned carved sections and carved panels; they could be capped with finials or electric torchères (often in the form of carved wood figures or cheaper versions in bronze figures).
Tudor or Jacobean Revival staircases, also wooden, had thicker stair parts balusters spindles newel posts finials. In some Tudor and early French Renaissance Revival examples, the handrail was supported by wooden arches that stood on the string board. But the most elaborate wooden designed balustrades (Italianate, Tudor or early French Renaissance) are those with sections of pierced and carved decoration framed by square posts.
Georgian and Colonial revival staircases are more delicate, stair parts balusters spindles and newel posts with carved turned, columnar or vase-shaped balusters, and spiral-turned or fluted newel posts. The handrail often ends in a spiral around the post. Occasionally the stairs and balusters spindles would be painted white, while the handrail was stained or painted brown.
Shingle-style staircases tend to be screened by rows of carved turned baluster spindles, drawing upon an eclectic array of sources, including Persian, Japanese and Queen Anne motifs.
Smart houses in the late 1920s and through the 30s were often conceived as a flow of space rather than a series of closed boxes: hence, the staircase design of stair parts balusters spindles newel posts assumed a new importance has the stairway is often visible from the principal rooms. Cantilevering allowed the stairs to follow the line of a curved or flat wall with no support on the sides. The visual lightness of such staircases was emphasized by open treads.
Wooden stairs rising from a main room are a feature of the Spanish Colonial revival style, but the treads are closed and the stairs are usually screened with wood and panelling on the room-facing side.
A staircase with well designed carved turned stair parts baluster spindles newel posts leading to a gallery may be found in the more sizeable tuborbethan house. The grand staircase with carved turned stair parts baluster spindles newel posts finials also occurs in miniaturized form in smaller suburban houses, often with a small half-landing, the whole thing constructed in mass-produced wooden components, stained in a dark oak colour and varnished.
The use of stair carpets necessitated metal rods to hold the carpet in place. These were available in several types, as simple metal rods with plain socket fixtures, or with a variety of decorative finials.
The Modern Movement Staircases 1920-1950
Staircase and stair parts balusters spindles newel posts design played a major role in the Modern Movement’s opening up of internal space. Even in houses of conventional plan, the hallway would be lightened by a large window. As a transitional phase of design, a solid balustrade or carved balustrade spindle panels was made of hardwood, and the same treatment was also given to older staircases to “modernize” them. More commonly, the Modernist balustrade would be of impressive carved stair parts with exaggerated sloped and horizontal elements following the rise of the staircase and giving a streamlined look. Close followers of Le Corbusier would have stairs, with solid balustrades but these never became popular , rising from the main double height room of the house. Art Deco influences would curve the stair parts and finish the balustrade spindles off with a rounded newel and sometimes a finial.
Spiral stairs were used to save space but still the design of stair parts was of importance,. Walter Gropius put an external iron spiral stair on his house at Lincoln, Massachusetts, while in England, Oliver Hill’s external stair at Landfall, Poole, 1938, adds a touch of architectural panache. The same house has a beautiful curving wooden ladder stair leading from the floor above the entrance level to the roof. Many Modernist houses had a nautical-style ladder for access to an upper sunbathing level.
The wooden open-tread stair became standard in the 1940s and 1950s, and often rose from the main room.
While some forms of architectural detail such as cornices virtually disappeared as the result of modernism, staircases and stair parts design baluster spindles newel posts finial grew significantly in importance as architectural elements, even in smaller houses. This was especially true of the post-war years, when the need to reduce house size led to the incorporation of the stairs into the body of the house, so that the stairs often led out of the main living room and allowed for vistas with well designed stair partsthrough from one part of the house to another.
In order that the stairs should not be an intrusive visual barrier, they were often treated as a ladder stair without risers, even though there were concerns about the safety of children and the sense of instability that this could create. A favourite device to increase the sense of weightlessness was to fix the stairs to a single central support, so that they overhang at both ends. Stairs like this could be seen in some post-war public buildings, and gradually came to seem less alarming.
The traditional design of stair parts balustrade of vertical balusters spindles was sometimes continued, which might also serve to hang the stair from above, or square timbers, but often the stair handrail ran straight from one newel post to another, with no stair parts element to fill the gap. Spiral staircases were very popular because of their compactness, and they could be made of timber, concrete or metal. With well designed stair parts.
Contemporary Era 1975- Present Day
Staircases and the careful use of well designed stair parts balusters spindles newel posts and finials are the most consistently original and inventive parts of new houses and conversions, being the place where the architect can exercise fantasy in the style of their choice. Not much has changed fundamentally from the period before 1975, and similar interests in ladder stairs and spirals are evident.
Timber is the preferred material for the treads and stair parts and although in some cases the whole stair may be built of timber, in others it forms the upper layer only. Metal, concrete and, in rare cases, glass, are alternatives.
A wide variety of handrails and balusters spindles newel posts and finials are shown on our web site, from classical turned balusters in wood to and well designed carved balustrade spindles panels.
Health and safety regulations in the country’s the Guild serve are responsible for ensuring that the spaces between these stair part elements are small enough to prevent accidents happening to children.