For our September Featured Project, we’re proud to share a gorgeous modern staircase that brings together wood, steel and glass while preserving the open-concept design of the home.

A staircase can take up quite a bit of space in a home, and depending on its design, it can create a visual barrier between living spaces. The open design of this stair allows light and sightlines to continue throughout the floor plan, creating a beautiful architectural focal point and a functional connection between levels without closing off the spaces around it.

We are so grateful to Peter Bickford and Wes Fawcett of Bickford Woodworking in Hingham, MA, for calling on our Cooper Stairworks team for this project. Working with Horner Sales Rep Rich Kallianidis, the Bickford Woodworking team collaborated with our stair experts to develop a design that would complement the home’s modern architecture while maintaining the openness they were looking for. Projects like this are where our team shines. By understanding the goals for the staircase from the start, our experts can help navigate style, materials, components and structural details to create a stair that works beautifully within the overall design of the home.

The staircase is built around a Prestige Metal Paris central mono-beam stringer finished in Urban Black. Instead of traditional stringers enclosing either side of the staircase, the steel structure runs beneath the center of the treads, giving the 3-5/8″ thick rift and quarter sawn white oak treads their distinctive floating appearance. Prestige Metal specializes in contemporary stair and railing components that bring together materials such as steel, stainless steel, wood and glass. The Paris system was a natural fit for this project, providing the strong structural foundation needed for the staircase while helping achieve its open, modern design.

The railing continues that same sense of openness. Half-inch low-iron tempered glass panels provide safety without interrupting views across the stairwell, supported by Prestige PTC156 1-9/16″ brushed stainless-steel posts. A 6008 Metro Rail in white oak completes the railing and ties back to the substantial white oak treads, bringing warmth to the Urban Black steel and brushed stainless steel.

The finished staircase is a balance of contrasts: warm wood and cool metal, substantial treads and transparent glass, solid structure and visual openness. It connects the levels of the home while allowing light and views to continue through them, proving that a staircase can be a focal point without dividing the spaces around it.

Thank You

Thank you again to Peter, Wes and the entire Bickford Woodworking team for trusting Horner Millwork and Cooper Stairworks to be part of this project. We always appreciate the opportunity to collaborate on a staircase where thoughtful design, careful engineering and craftsmanship all play a role in bringing the finished vision together.